332 Through the BraziHan Wilderness 



little except hammocks and a few simple cooking uten- 

 sils; and often a clock or sewing-machine, or Winchester 

 rifle, from our own country. They often had flowers 

 planted, including fragrant roses. Their only live stock, 

 except the dogs, were a few chickens and ducks. They 

 planted patches of mandioc, maize, sugar-cane, rice, 

 beans, squashes, pineapples, bananas, lemons, oranges, 

 melons, peppers; and various purely native fruits and 

 vegetables, such as the kniabo — a vegetable-fruit growmg 

 on the branches of a high bush — ^which is cooked with 

 meat. They get some game from the forest, and more 

 fish from the river. There is no representative of the 

 government among them — indeed, even now their very 

 existence is barely known to the governmental authori- 

 ties; and the church has ignored them as completely as 

 the state. When they wish to get married they have to 

 spend several months getting down to and back from 

 Manaos or some smaller city ; and usually the first chris- 

 tening and the marriage ceremony are held at the same 

 time. They have merely squatter's right to the land, 

 and are always in danger of being ousted by unscrupulous 

 big men who come in late, but with a title technically 

 straight. The land laws should be shaped so as to give 

 each of these pioneer settlers the land he actually takes 

 up and cultivates, and upon which he makes his home. 

 The small home-maker, who owns the land which he tills 

 with his own hands, is the greatest element of strength in 

 any country. 



These are real pioneer settlers. They are the true 

 wilderness-winners. No continent is ever really con- 

 quered, or thoroughly explored, by a few leaders, or 



