FISHING PARTY. 



165 



made in the province. This is worth twenty-five cents. The best 

 tobacco is made in Xeberos, in the upper mission, and is sent to Lima. 



August 21. — We started for Juan Guerra on horseback, in company 

 with a large fishing-party, got up by the padre for his own profit ; he 

 seemed to carry nearly the whole town with him. The mounted party 

 consisted of eight. There were two ladies along, whose company added 

 to the gaiety and pleasure of the canter through the woods. Used as 

 I had become by my travels in various parts of the world to the free 

 and easy, I must confess that I was a little startled to see these ladies, 

 when we arrived at Juan Guerra, denude themselves to a silk handker- 

 chief around the loins, and bathe in the river within forty yards, and in 

 full sight of all the men. 



Arrived at Juan Guerra, we embarked upon the Cumbasa, which 

 empties into the Mayo. Half an hour's dragging of the canoe over the 

 shoals, and between the fallen trees on this stream, and one and a half 

 hour's navigation on the Mayo, carried us to its mouth, which is only a 

 quarter of a mile above Shapaja, where Morey had the goodness to land 

 us, and then shoved off to join the priest, who was to camp on a beach 

 above. 



The fishing-party of the padre was a large affair. They had four or 

 five canoes, and a large quantity of barbasco. The manner of fishing 

 is to close up the mouth of a carlo of the river with a net-work made of 

 reeds, and then, mashing the barbasco root to a pulp, throw it into the 

 water. This turns the water white, and poisons it, so that the fish soon 

 commence rising to the surface dead, and are taken into the canoes 

 with small tridents. Almost at the moment of throwing the barbasco 

 into the water, the smaller fish rise to the surface and die in two or 

 three minutes ; the larger fish survive longer ; and, therefore, a successful 

 fishing of this sort is a matter of half a day, or till the canoes are filled. 



When we left Shapaja for Tarapoto, we placed our trunks, several 

 without locks, in charge of the women who lived in the shed where we 

 slept; and, although they knew that the trunks contained handkerchiefs, 

 red cotton cloth, beads, scissors, &c, (things which they most desire,) we 

 missed nothing on our return. 



August 22. — Two miles below Shapaja is the mal-paso of Estero. 

 A point of rocks, stretching out from a little stream that enters on the 

 left, makes this rapid, which is considered a very dangerous one. The 

 stream, rushing against these rocks, is deflected to a point of rocks that 

 makes out into the river a little lower down on the other side ; this 

 turns it aside again, and the waves mingle and boil below. The canoe 

 was unloaded, and conducted by sogas, or ropes of vine, over and be- 



