PUCHERUMS 



291 



The people occupy themselves the greater part of the 

 year with their small plantations of mandioca. All the 

 heavy work, such as felling and burning the timber, 

 planting and weeding, is done in the plantation of each 

 family by a congregation of neighbours, which they call 

 a ' pucherum ' : — a similar custom to the * bee * in the 

 backwood settlements of North America. They make 

 quite a holiday of each pucherum. When the invitation 

 is issued, the family prepares a great quantity of fer- 

 mented drink, called in this part Taroba, from soaked 

 mandioca cakes, and porridge of Manicueira. This latter 

 is a kind of sweet mandioca, very different from the Yuca 

 of the Peruvians and Macasheira of the Brazilians (Manihot 

 Aypi), having oblong juicy roots, which become very 

 sweet a few days after they are gathered. With these 

 simple provisions they regale their helpers. The work is 

 certainly done, but after a very rude fashion ;. all become 

 soddened with Taroba, and the day finishes often in a 

 drunken brawl. 



The climate is rather more humid than that of Santarem. 

 I suppose this is to be attributed to the neighbouring 

 country being densely wooded, instead of an open campo. 

 In no part of the country did I enjoy more the moonlit 

 nights than here, in the dry season. After the day's work 

 was done I used to go down to the shores of the bay, and 

 lay all my length on the cool sand for two or three hours 

 before bed-time. The soft pale light, resting on the broad 

 sandy beaches and palm-thatched huts, reproduced the 

 efEect of a mid-winter scene in the cold north when a 

 coating of snow lies on the landscape. A heavy shower 

 falls about once a week, and the shrubby vegetation never 

 becomes parched up as at Santarem. Between the rains 

 the heat and dryness increase from day to day : the 

 weather on the first day after the rain is gleamy with 

 intervals of melting sunshine and passing clouds ; the 

 next day is rather drier, and the east wind begins to blow ; 

 then follow days of cloudless sky, with gradually increasing 

 strength of breeze. When this has continued about a 

 week a light mistiness begins to gather about the horizon ; 

 clouds are formed ; grumbling thunder is heard, and then, 

 generally in the night-time, down falls the refreshing 

 rain. The sudden chill caused by the rains produces colds, 

 which are accompanied by the same symptoms as in our 

 own climate ; with this exception the place is very healthy. 



