DEPARTURE FROM BARRA. 



285 



CHAPTER XV. 



Departure from Barra — River Madeira— Serpa— Villa Nova— Maues — River 

 Trombetae — Cocoa Plantations — Obidos — Santarem. 



Having had my boat thoroughly repaired, calked, and well fitted 

 with palm coverings, called in Brazil toldos, with a sort of Wandering- 

 Jew feeling that I was destined to leave every body behind and never to 

 stop, I sailed from Barra on the eighteenth of February. The President 

 had caused me to be furnished with six tapuios, but unwilling to dispos- 

 sess himself at this time of a single working hand, he could not let them 

 carry me below Santarem. The President is laboring in earnest for the 

 good of the province ; and if anything is to be done for its improvement 

 he will do it. He paid me every attention and kindness during my stay 

 at Barra. 



But to my host (Antonii, the Italian) I am most indebted for attention 

 and information. From his having been mentioned by Smyth as at 

 the head of trade at Barra sixteen years ago, I had fancied that I should 

 find him an elderly man ; but he is a handsome, gay, active fellow, in 

 the prime of life. His black hair is somewhat sprinkled with gray, but 

 he tells me that this arises not from age, but from the worry and vexa- 

 tion he has had in business on account of the credit system. He is as 

 agreeable as good sense, much information about the country, and open- 

 hearted hospitality can make a man. I asked him to look out for 

 Gibbon and make him comfortable ; and was charmed with the frank 

 and hearty manner in which he bade me to "have no care of that." 



I fear that I behaved a little churlishly about the mails. There are 

 post offices established in the villages on the Amazon, but no public 

 conveyances are provided to carry the mails. The owner or captain of 

 every vessel is required to report to the postmaster before sailing, in 

 order to receive the mails ; and he is required to give a receipt for them. 

 I did not like to be treated as an ordinary voyager upon the river, and, 

 therefore, objected to receipt for the mails, though I offered to carry all 

 letters that should be intrusted to my care. My principal reason, how- 

 ever, for declining was, that my movements were uncertain, and I did 

 not wish to be trammelled. The postmaster would not give me the 

 mail without a receipt, but I believe I brought away all the letters. 



