CHAPTER V 



UP THE RIVER OF TAPIRS 



After leaving Caceres we went up the Sepotuba, which 

 in the local Indian dialect means River of Tapirs. This 

 river is only navigable for boats of size when the water 

 is high. It is a swift, fairly clear stream, rushing down 

 from the Plan Alto, the high uplands, through the 

 tropical lowland forest. On the right hand, or western 

 bank, and here and there on the left bank, the forest is 

 broken by natural pastures and meadows, and at one of 

 these places, known as Porto Campo, sixty or seventy 

 miles above the mouth, there is a good-sized cattle- 

 ranch. Here we halted, because the launch, and the 

 two pranchas — native trading-boats with houses on 

 their decks — which it towed, could not carry our entire 

 party and outfit. Accordingly most of the baggage and 

 some of the party were sent ahead to where we were to 

 meet our pack-train, at Tapirapoan. Meanwhile the 

 rest of us made our first camp under tents at Porto 

 Campo, to wait the return of the boats. The tents 

 were placed in a line, with the tent of Colonel Rondon 

 and the tent in which Kermit and I slept, in the middle, 

 beside one another. In front of these two, on tall poles, 

 stood the Brazilian and American flags ; and at sunrise 

 and sunset the flags were hoisted and hauled down while 

 the trumpet sounded and all of us stood at attention. 



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