298 VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS 



bodies ; some of the steadiest amongst the Indians them- 

 selves being nominated as sergeants, and all the members 

 mustered at the pr incipal village of their district twice 

 a-year. The captains, however, universally abuse their 

 authority, monopolizing the service of the men for their 

 own purposes, so that it is only by favour that the loan 

 of a canoe-hand can be wrung from them. I was treated 

 by Captain Antonio with great consideration, and pro- 

 mised two good Indians when I should be ready to continue 

 my voyage. 



Little happened worth narrating, during my forty 

 days' stay at Aveyros. The time ^ /is spent in the quiet, 

 regular pursuit of Natural History . every morning I had 

 my long ramble in the forest, which extended to the back- 

 doors of the houses, and the afternoons were occupied 

 in preserving and studying the objects collected. The 

 priest was a lively old man, but rather a bore from being 

 able to talk of scarcely anything except homoeopathy, 

 having been smitten with the mania during a recent visit 

 to Santarem. He had a Portuguese Homoeopathic 

 Dictionary, and a little leather case containing glass tubes 

 filled with globules, with which he was doctoring the whole 

 village. A bitter enmity seemed to exist between the 

 female members of the priest's family and those of the 

 captain's ; the only white women in the settlement. It 

 was amusing to notice how they flaunted past each other, 

 when going to church on Sundays, in their starched muslin 

 dresses. I found an intelligent young man living here, a 

 native of the province of Goyaz, who was exploring the 

 neighbourhood for gold and diamonds. He had made one 

 journey up a branch river, and declared to me, that he 

 had found one diamond, but was unable to continue his 

 researches, because the Indians who accompanied him re- 

 fused to remain any longer : he was now waiting for 

 Captain Antonio to assist him with fresh men, having 

 offered him in return a share in the results of the enter- 

 prise. There appeared to be no doubt, that gold is oc- 

 casionally found within two or three days' journey of 

 Aveyros ; but all lengthened search is made impossible 

 by the scarcity of food and the impatience of the Indians, 

 who see no value in the precious metal, and abhor the 

 tediousness of the gold -searcher's occupation. It is im- 

 possible to do without them, as they are required to paddle 

 the canoes. 



