90 



THE TOCANTINS 



hills, and in the middle picturesque islets rested on the 

 smooth water, whose brilliant green woods fringed with 

 palms formed charming bits of foreground to the perspec- 

 tive of sombre hills fading into grey in the distance; 

 Joaquim pointed out to us grove after grove of Brazil 

 nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa) on the mainland. This 

 is one of the chief collecting grounds for this nut. The 

 tree is one of the loftiest in the forest, towering far above 

 its fellows ; we could see the woody fruits, large and 

 round as cannon-balls, dotted over the branches. The 

 currents were very strong in some places, so that during 

 the greater part of the way the men preferred to travel 

 near the shore, and propel the boat by means of long 

 poles. 



We arrived at Arroyos about four o'clock in the after- 

 noon, after ten hours' hard pull. The place consists 

 simply of a few houses built on a high bank, and forms 

 a station where canoe-men from the mining countries 

 of the interior of Brazil stop to rest themselves before 

 or after surmounting the dreaded falls and rapidslof 

 Guaribas, situated a couple of miles further up. We 

 dined ashore, and in the evening again embarked to 

 visit the falls. The vigorous and successful way in which 

 our men battled with the terrific currents excited our 

 astonishment. The bed of the river, here about a mile 

 wide, is strewn with blocks of various sizes, which lie in 

 the most irregular manner, and between them rush cur- 

 rents of more or less rapidity. With an accurate know- 

 ledge of the place and skilful management, the falls can 

 be approached in small canoes by threading the less 

 dangerous channels. The main fall is about a quarter 

 of a mile wide ; we climbed to an elevation overlooking 

 it, and had a good view of the cataract. A body of water 

 rushes with terrific force down a steep slope, and boils 

 up with deafening roar around the boulders which ob- 

 struct its course. The wildness of the whole scene was 

 very impressive. As far as the eye could reach, stretched 

 range after range of wooded hills, scores of miles of beauti- 

 ful wilderness, inhabited only by scanty tribes of wild 

 Indians. In the midst of such a solitude the roar of the 

 cataract seemed fitting music. 



September lyth. — We commenced early in the morning 

 our downward voyage. Arroyos is situated in about 



