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PERIQUITOS ARARAS RAPIDS. 



of the upper as close as possible, and the men pulled with such force 

 that one of the paddles broke when we reached half the way. "With 

 the remaining three, we made a hairbreadth escape ; the boat could not 

 have lived an instant had we been carried over the lower fall. The 

 rollers formed by the swiftness of the current are five feet high ; large 

 logs are carried down so fast they plough straight through the waves, 

 and are out of sight in an instant. The men came near upsetting the 

 boat in a dangerous pass. They seem to be giving out through pure ex- 

 haustion. They have very little to eat ; farinha adds not much to their 

 strength, and jerked beef spoils. No fish are to be found, nor birds ; a 

 monkey would be a treat. Night overtook us half way down the falls, 

 and we came to, on a barren rock, where there were two small sticks of 

 wood, of which we made a fire, boiled water, and gave the men coffee. I 

 observed a southern star, and turning for another in the north, was glad to 

 find it had passed the meridian, as sleep was much more necessary than 

 latitude. On the west side of the falls stood three small hills ; on the 

 east side a large white-trunked forest tree. This was the largest tree we 

 had yet seen, though not quite equal to a North American huge oak. 



September 24, 1852. — At daylight we crawled on; it would be a 

 mistake to grace it with the name of travelling. The country is thickly 

 wooded with Brazil nuts and cacao trees interspersed. Four miles further 

 down we came to "Periquitos" rapids, which takes its name from num- 

 bers of parrots inhabiting the woods. These parrots are green, scarlet, 

 and yellow, with long tails ; they fly slowly overhead in pairs, crying an 

 alarm as we are seen approaching. "We paddled through these few rocks 

 without the least difficulty. Banks of the river thirty feet high ; sound- 

 ings fifty-four feet. At midday a thunder gust with rain came from the 

 north. As we are passing out of the Madeira Plate, we find the climate 

 changing ; northerly winds bring rain here, while southerly winds bring 

 them farther south. At 3 p. m., thermometer, 86°; water, 88°. 



" Araras " rapid s were passed with much toil, easing the boat down by 

 ropes made of bark, which are best for such work as this; the water has 

 little effect upon them. The fall is small, and the channel clear. While 

 the men gathered Brazil nuts from the woods, we bottled a young turtle, 

 taken from among eggs found in the sand. Amphibia are poorly re- 

 presented; we see no alligators, snakes, or frogs. The water has 

 become much more clear ; it has a milky appearance. The banks slope 

 down regularly; being covered with a light- green coat of grass, they have 

 the appearance of cultivation. 



September 25. — At 9 a. m., thermometer, 84°; water, 82°; light north 

 wind. At 2 p. m., thunder to the northeast. On the east bank were 



