420 EXCURSIONS AROUND EGA 



gray stork ; a moist gray-eyed man with a profile comi- 

 cally suggestive of a fish was christened Jaraki (a kind of 

 fish), which was considered quite a witty sally ; a little 

 Mameluco girl, with light-coloured eyes and brown hair, 

 got the gallant name of Rosa branca, or the white rose ; 

 a young fellow who had recently singed his eyebrows by 

 the explosion of fireworks was dubbed Pedro queimado 

 (burnt Peter) ; in short every one got a nickname, and 

 each time the cognomen was introduced into the chorus 

 as the circle marched round. * 



It is said by the Portuguese and Brazilian townspeople 

 lower down the river, that much disorder and all kinds of 

 immorality prevail amongst these assemblages of Upper 

 Amazons rustics on the turtle praias. I can only say 

 that nothing of the kind was seen on the occasions when I 

 attended. But it may be added that there were no 

 traders from the ' civilized ' parts present to set a bad 

 example. Town-bred Indians and half-castes will be dis- 

 orderly and quarrelsome, like uneducated people every- 

 where, when they can get their fill of intoxicating drinks. 

 When low Portuguese traders, who are most certainly 

 the inferiors of these rustics whom they despise, attend 

 the praias, they corrupt the women, and bribe the Indians 

 with cashaga to steal their masters' oil ; these proceedings, 

 of course, give rise to disturbances in many ways. There 

 were none of these shining examples of the superior civili- 

 zation of Europe in attendance at Catua. The masters 

 kept their Indians well under control ; the young people 

 enjoyed themselves upon the whole innocently, and 

 sociability was pretty general amongst all classes and 

 colours. 



Our rancho was a large one, and was erected in a line 

 with the others, near the edge of the sand-bank which 

 sloped rather abruptly to the water. During the first 

 week the people were all, more or less, troubled by alli- 

 gators. Some half-dozen full-grown ones were in attend- 

 ance off the praia, floating about on the lazily-flowing, 

 muddy water. The dryness of the weather had increased 

 since we had left Shimuni, the currents had slackened, 

 and the heat in the middle part of the day was almost 

 insupportable. But no one could descend to bathe 

 without being advanced upon by one or other of these 

 hungry monsters. There was much offal cast into the 

 river, and this, of course, attracted them to the place. 



