3^4 



THE UPPER AMAZONS 



tanned by foreign travel. One of them, a charming 

 young girl named Isabel, was quite a blonde, having gray 

 eyes, light brown hair, and fair complexion ; yet her 

 grandmother was a tattooed Indian of the Turcuna tribe. 



Many of the Ega Indians, including all the domestic 

 servants, are savages who have been brought from the 

 neighbouring rivers ; the Japura, the Issa, and the Soli- 

 moens. I saw here individuals of at least sixteen different 

 tribes ; most of whom had been bought, when children, 

 of the native chiefs. This species of slave dealing, 

 although forbidden by the laws of Brazil, is winked at by 

 the authorities, because, without it, there would be no 

 means of obtaining servants. They all become their own 

 masters when they grow up, and never show the slightest 

 inclination to return to utter savage life. But the boys 

 generally run away and embark on the canoes of traders ; 

 and the girls are often badly treated by their mistresses, 

 the jealous, passionate and ill-educated Brazilian women. 

 Nearly all the enmities which arise amongst residents at 

 Ega and other places, are caused by disputes about Indian 

 servants. No one who has lived only in old settled coun- 

 tries, where service can be readily bought, can imagine 

 the difficulties and annoyances of a land where the servant 

 class are ignorant of the value of money, and hands cannot 

 be obtained except by coaxing them from the employ of 

 other masters. 



Great mortality takes place amongst the poor captive 

 children on their arrival at Ega. It is a singular circum- 

 stance, that the Indians residing on the Japura and other 

 tributaries always fall ill on descending to the Solimoens, 

 whilst the reverse takes place with the inhabitants of the 

 banks of the main river, who never fail of taking inter- 

 mittent fever when they first ascend these branch rivers, 

 and of getting well when they return. The finest tribes 

 of savages who inhabit the country near Ega are the Juris 

 and Passes : these are now, however, nearly extinct, a few 

 families only remaining on the banks of the retired creeks 

 connected with the Teffe, and on other branch rivers 

 between the Teffe and the Jutahi. They are a peaceable, 

 gentle, and industrious people, devoted to agriculture and 

 fishing, and have always been friendly to the whites. I 

 shall have occasion to speak again of the Passes, who are 

 a slenderly-built and superior race of Indians, distin- 

 guished by a large, square tattooed patch in the middle 



