THE UCAYALI. 



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shelving. I think they are the shores of low, narrow islands. The 

 trees are not very thick, and the country is more open than on the banks 

 of the Huallaga. After breakfast we pulled nearly to the middle of the 

 river, and, anchoring in thirty-three feet water, we found the current, by 

 the log, to be a mile and three-quarters the hour. We passed the mouth 

 of a small stream called Chingana, up which there is a settlement of the 

 Mayorunas. Our men are much afraid of this people, and always sleep 

 on the left bank so long as they are in their country. All the peons on 

 this river have their musquito curtains painted black, so that the Mayo- 

 runas may not see them in the night. The mode of attack of these 

 savages is to wait till the travellers have fallen asleep, and then rush 

 upon the musquito nets and plunge in their lances. None of the 

 Indians that I have travelled with seem to have any idea of the pro- 

 priety of posting a sentinel. At noon the river, which has been from 

 its mouth less than a quarter of a mile wide, spreads out, and is divided 

 by islands. We anchored in twelve feet water; sixty yards from the 

 shore, and slept without musquito netting. It was windy, and these 

 troublesome insects did not come off. Rain nearly all night. 



September 27. — Two of our turtles died yesterday, and the Indians are 

 eating them to-day. Ijurra suspects that they killed them by putting 

 tobacco in their mouths, knowing that we would not eat them, and 

 that they consequently would get them. But Ijurra is of a suspicious 

 nature, especially where Indians are concerned, whom he thinks to be 

 the vilest and most worthless of mankind. We found the current to- 

 day to be two miles the hour. A fish about two feet long, and sharp- 

 built, like a dolphin, jumped into the boat. It had two curved and 

 very sharp teeth, like those of a squirrel, or the fangs of a serpent, in 

 the lower jaw. It made us a very good mess. The river to-day is 

 much divided by islands, the passages from one hundred to one hundred 

 and fifty yards wide. When running between the main shore, the river 

 is about a quarter of a mile wide. 



September 28. — Passed the outlet of a lake said to be a day distant. 

 There are many lakes on each side of the river, where the Indians fish 

 with barbasco. At this season most of the outlets are dry. Passed two 

 balsas loaded with sarsaparilla, gathered in the river Aguaytia, above 

 Sarayacu. One was in charge of a Brazilian negro, the other of a 

 Portuguese ; they were dependants of a trading establishment at Loreto. 

 The crew were Conibos Indians of the Ucayali. They had a floating 

 turtle-pen along, and gave us a turtle. When we stopped to breakfast 

 our people hid their jars, which they had emptied of their masata, 

 to pick up on the return. Banks of the river, as usual, about ten or 

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