EXALTACION. 



263 



CHAPTER XI. 



Ex&ltacion — Cayavabo Indians— Descending the Mamore river — Indians 

 shooting fish — Houbarayos savages and birds at midnight — Ascend the Itenez 

 river — Forte do Principe da Beira in Brazil — Negro soldiers — Kind attention 

 of the commandante — Favorable notice of the expedition by the President of 

 Matto Grosso — The wilderness — Friendship of Don Antonio, his boat and 

 a crew of negro soldiers — Departure for the Madeira river — Birds and fishes 

 congregated at the mouth of the Itenez — On the Mamore river again — A 

 negro soldier's account of the Emperor's service — Eoar of " Guaraja-nierim " 

 falls. 



August 24. — Arrived at the port of Exaltacion. The Indians manu- 

 facturing sugar at the mill on the bank. The largest Indian we met on 

 the route was superintending the workmen ; he measured five feet eleven 

 inches. This is the Cayavabos tribe. These Indians are said to be the 

 most courageous in the Beni. They are certainly a superior looking set 

 of men. 



The town of Exaltacion is situated in the elbow of the river, one mile 

 inland, near a beautiful lake. The place was nearly deserted for the 

 sugar patches and chacras which line the banks up and down the river, 

 to which the Indians repair in the morning early, men, women, and 

 children, and after the day's work is over, return to town for the night. 

 All the towns in Mojos #re laid out and built after the same fashion, 

 and the costume of the Indians is the same, except here the women have 

 a fancy for black, and dye their cotton camecitas of that color, which is 

 anything but an improvement in a country where plenty of water may 

 be had. Exaltacion stands on a dry, parched, uninteresting flat. The 

 cathedral and government houses are superior to those of Trinidad, 

 though this town is small and more like Loreto. The tamarind trees 

 and orange groves planted here by the Jesuits flourish better. 



As there were some cases of small pox in town, we declined the kind 

 invitation of the correjidor to take up our quarters with him. This 

 gentleman was exceedingly polite, and promised to give us a canoe and 

 fourteen men to carry us to Brazil as soon as possible ; Don Antonio 

 being obliged to leave his large boats in the Mamore river, and load his 

 small canoe with that part of his cargo intended for Matto Grosso. 

 Boats drawing three feet water could not ascend the Itenez river to that 



