CALDEIRAO RAPIDS. 



297 



The Caripuna Indians we have just left told us they came down the 

 Madeira for fish. They find little game and no fish, even in these 

 mighty waters, above the boisterous region. The two Yuracares Indians 

 we met on the side of the Andes said they would catch us fish when 

 we got further down the rapid Paracti. Fish are just as particular in 

 their choice of waters and climate as those animals which inhabit the 

 dry land. 



The foam that is produced by the water dashing over the rocks floats 

 aloft in the shape of mist ; and in the calm, clear, starlight nights, the 

 gentle northeast breezes cast a thin gauze-like veil around us and affects 

 the glasses of our instruments. All observations of the stars seem to 

 be forbidden. Early in the morning, as the sun's rays strike upon the 

 river, they gradually absorb the mist, and first that portion which has 

 been scattered by the night winds, and looking just then, up or down 

 the river from an eminence, the traveller may see the position of each 

 cataract, like the smoke of a line of steamers. The powerful sun 

 soon evaporates this mist, which speedily disappears as it rises. One of 

 the crew caught a small electrical eel, which opened its galvanic battery 

 and shocked the whole party. A rapid current, and no bottom at 

 twenty- five fathoms water. 



September 29. — We get our baggage stowed and all on board ready 

 for a long pull, but soon fetch up among the rocks again, "Caldeiiao 

 do Inferno" rapids are caused by three rocky and somewhat wooded 

 islands in the river. "We pulled part of the way through on the west 

 side without discharging baggage ; the boat was gently eased down by 

 the ropes. At the foot of these falls, which could not be passed by a 

 steamboat, we discovered a bark canoe, manned with savages, paddling 

 with all their might away from us ; they seemed to be very much 

 alarmed, and were soon out of sight. As we came to a place rather 

 too rapid for safety among rocks, the men got out and towed us along 

 the north bank ; while doing so, three savage men, three women, three 

 children, and five most miserably thin skeleton dogs, came to see us. 

 The men laid their bows and arrows behind the rocks, and approached 

 us without fear, but the slim dogs were disposed to show fight. Th 3y 

 were weak and slab-sided animals ; quite unsuccessful in their endeav- 

 ors to raise a bark at us, but coughed out a sickly sort of noise, as they 

 hung around their masters' legs. One had his ears boxed by a tiger, 

 which gave him a perpetual stiff neck. They all looked as though they 

 had been vainly struggling with the beasts of the forest. An unsightly 

 old woman brought us a fried fish fresh from the river. One of the men 

 had bilious fever, but was attended by a pretty girl, who took her paddle 



