LAKE COARX. 



259 



under mainsail, jib, and jigger — would make good passages between 

 Para and Egas. The vessels used now on the river are built broad and 

 flat-bottomed, to warp along shore when the wind is light or contrary. 

 Their sails are much too small, and are generally made of thin, bad 

 material. 



December 31. — We pulled into the Lake of Coari ; but being told 

 that it would take nearly all day to reach the village of Coari, and that 

 it was an insignificant place, where I would get neither supplies nor in- 

 formation, I decided not to go. 



It may seem strange that just out of Egas I should need supplies, but 

 all I could purchase there were half a dozen fowls, four turtles, and 

 some farinha ; and upon opening the baskets of farinha, it was found 

 to be so old and sour that, though the Indians could eat it, I could not; 

 and thus we had no bread, nor even the substitute for it — plantains and 

 farinha ; and had to eat our meat with some dried peas that we fortu- 

 nately found at Egas. 



The entrance to the Lake of Coari is about four hundred yards 

 wide, and half a mile long. It expands, particularly on the right hand, 

 suddenly into the lake, which at once shows itself six or seven miles 

 wide, having a large island extending apparently nearly across it. 

 The entrance has forty-two feet of depth in the middle, and, being 

 faced by an island at both mouths, (the one into the lake, the other 

 into the river,) appears land-locked, and makes a beautiful harbor. 

 The bauks are very low, of a thin, sandy soil, covered with bushes ; 

 and the right bank is perforated with small channels, running into the 

 Amazon. The water of the lake is beautifully clear, and of a brown 

 color; it runs into the Amazon at the rate of three-fourths of a mile 

 per hour. 



We pulled up the right bank of the lake about a mile, and stopped 

 at a little settlement of ten or twelve houses, but could get nothing. 

 The people seemed afraid of us, and shut their doors in our faces. The 

 lieutenant, or principal man of the place, said that if we would give 

 him money, he would send out and get us some fowls and plantains ; 

 but as he was a little drunk at this hour, (seven in the morning,) I would 

 not trust him. We breakfasted, and sailed at 11. 



We passed several small streams coming into the river on the right 

 bank. Some of these are probably " Furos" or small mouths of the 

 Purus. Igarape is the Indian name for a creek or ditch, which is filled 

 with " back-water " from the river ; and the term Paranamiri (literally, 

 little river) is applied to a narrow arm of the main river, running be- 

 tween the main bank and an island near to it. 



