LAKE OF CAYAMBE 



437 



werejabsent at a new clearing which they had made for 

 themselves in another part of the banks of the lake. 

 The rest of the family were at home. 



We were received with frank hospitality by these 

 shrewd and lively people. Senhor Gaspar had seven 

 children, and had himself taught them all to read and 

 write. The boys were very quick ; one of them after- 

 wards became clerk to the Municipal Chamber of Ega. 

 There was an air of cheerfulness and abundance about 

 the place that was quite exhilarating. 



We dined, seated on a large mat, over which a clean 

 white towel was spread : the meal consisting of fowls 

 and rice (the general entertainment in this country for 

 visitors), with dessert of ' laranjas torradas or toasted 

 oranges ; that is, oranges partially dried in the sun. 

 The fruit, grown with a little greater care in Caspar's 

 orchard than is usually bestowed on it in this country, 

 was very fine in itself, but treated in this form its sweet- 

 ness and richness of flavour were far superior to anything 

 I had yet tasted. When we were about leaving, our 

 host, having listened to my praises of the fruit, sent 

 down to our canoe a large basketful as a present. The 

 conversation after dinner turned on the difficulty of get- 

 ting good houses built at Ega ; on the backward con- 

 dition of the province ; the disregard of the interests of 

 the agricultural class shown by the Government in taxing 

 all the produce of the interior on its reaching Para, and 

 so forth. Senhor Gaspar had just finished the erection 

 of a substantial town-house at Ega. He told me that 

 it was cheaper to send down to Para (2800 miles there 

 and back) for doors and shutters, than to make them at 

 Ega ; for, as there were no large saws anywhere on the 

 Solimoens, every plank had to be hewn out of the tree 

 with a hatchet. 



On our return to the mouth of the Cayambe, whilst 

 in the middle of the lake, a squall suddenly arose, in the 

 direction towards which we were going, and for a whole 

 hour we were in great danger of being swamped. The 

 wind blew away the awning and mats, and lashed the 

 waters into foam : the waves rising to a great height. 

 Our boat, fortunately, was excellently constructed, rising 

 well towards the prow, so that with good steering we 

 managed to head the billows as they arose and escaped 

 without shipping much water. We reached our igarite 



