LETTER TO GENERAL L. M0LLER 361 



comrade's food, and when punished by the sergeant he, with cold- 

 blooded deliberation, murdered the sergeant and fled into the 

 wilderness. Colonel Rondon's dog running ahead of him while 

 hunting, was shot by two Indians ; by his death he in all probability 

 saved the life of his master. We have put on the map a river 

 about 1,500 kilometres in length running from just south of the 

 13th degree to north of the 5th degree and the biggest aflluent 

 of. the Madeira. Until now its upper course has been utterly un- 

 known to every one, and its lower course, although known for years 

 to the rubber men, utterly unknown to all cartographers. ; Its 

 source is between the 12th and 13th parallels of latitude south, 

 and between longitude 59 degrees and longitude 60 degrees west 

 from Greenwich. We embarked on it about at latitude 12 degrees 



I minute south and longitude 60 degrees 18 west. After that its 

 entire course was between the 60th and 61st degrees of longitude 

 approaching the latter most closely about in latitude 8 degrees 

 15 minutes. The first rapids were at Navaite in 11 degrees 

 44 minutes, and after that they were continuous and very difficult 

 and dangerous until the rapids named after the murdered sergeant 

 Paishon in 11 degrees 12 minutes. At 11 degrees 23 minutes the 

 river received the Rio Kermit from the left. At 11 degrees 

 22 minutes the Marciano Avila entered it from the right. At 



II degrees 18 minutes the Taunay entered from. the left. At 

 10 degrees 58 minutes the Cardozo entered from the right. At lO 

 degrees 24 minutes we encountered the first rubber man. The 

 Rio Branco entered from the left at 9 degrees 38 minutes. We 

 camped at 8 degrees 49 minutes or approximately the boundary 

 line between Matto Grosso and Amazonas. The confluence with 

 the upper Aripuanan, which entered from the right, was in 

 7 degrees 34 minutes. The mouth where it entered the Madeira 

 was in about 5 degrees 30 minutes. The stream we have followed 

 down is that which rises farthest away from the mouth, and its 

 generail course is almost due north. 



My dear Sir, I thank you from my heart for the chance to take 

 part in this great work of exploration. 

 With high regard and respect, believe me 



Very sincerely yours, 



Theodoiie Roosevelt. 



