CABALLO COCHA. 



231 



to have them in excellent order. They are now building a church for 

 him, which, when finished, will be the finest in the Montana. 



The men are all decently clad in frocks and trousers ; and the women, 

 besides the usual roll of cotton cloth around the loins, wear a short tunic 

 covering the breast. I think that Father Flores, though he wants the 

 honest simplicity and kindness of heart of Valdivia, and the noble 

 patience, magnanimity, and gentleness of dear Father Calvo, is a 

 better man for the Indians, and more successful in their management, 

 than either of the others. He does not seem to care about their coming 

 to church ; for there was not an Indian at mass Sunday morning, (though 

 the padre did give us a little homily on the importance of attending 

 worship; but he has them afraid of him, keeps them at work, sees that 

 they keep themselves and houses clean, and the streets of the village in 

 order ; and I saw none of the abominable drinking and dancing with 

 which the other Indians invariably wind up the Sunday. 



The town is situated on quite an extensive plain; the soil is of a light, 

 and rather sandy character, which, even in the rainy season, quickly 

 absorbs the water, and makes the walking always agreeable. This is 

 very rarely the case with the other villages of the Amazon. The cli- 

 mate is said to be very hot ; and, from the fact that the village is yet 

 closely surrounded by the forest, which keeps off the breeze, I suspect 

 this is the case in the dry season. I did not find it so at this time. 



It is very dangerous to bathe in the caiio, on account of the alliga- 

 tors. Not long before my arrival, a woman, bathing after night-fall, in 

 company with her husband, was seized and carried off by one of those 

 monsters. She was not even in the cano, but was sitting on the bank, 

 pouring water over her head with a gourd, when the reptile crawled from 

 behind a log, where it had been lying, and carried her off in its mouth, 

 though struck several heavy blows with a stick by the unfortunate hus- 

 band. The padre next morning declared war upon the alligators, and 

 had the Indians out with their harpoons and lances to destroy them. 

 They killed a number; and they thought it .remarkable that the first 

 they killed should have parts of the woman yet undigested in its stomach. 

 I think it probable that a good many alligators had a bite. 



The lake is a pretty and nearly circular sheet of water of two and a 

 half miles in diameter, and is twenty feet deep in the centre. There were 

 a great many water-fowl in it, but principally cranes and cormorants. 



Padre Flores, as usual gave us a room in his house, and seats at his 

 table. I admired a very old looking silver spoon that he had on the 

 table, and which Ijurra judged to be of the date of Ferdinand and Isa- 

 bella, from the armed figures and lion's head upon the handle ; where- 



