196 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



tribes, excepting a part of the Botocudos and 

 Cayapos, have all recognised the authority of the 

 Portuguese, and are kept in awe, or governed by 

 several military posts stationed by the government 

 on the borders of the forests. To this end all the 

 countries inhabited by the Indians are divided into 

 seven districts, each of which is under a command- 

 ant, who is generally an officer or serjeant of the regi- 

 ment of dragoons of Minas. The most troublesome 

 Indians, and the most dangerous to the Mineiros, are 

 the cannibal Botocudos, who chiefly reside on the 

 banks of the lower parts of the Rio Doce. But, as it 

 has been found of late years that the navigation of 

 this river, the sources of which, and of the upper col- 

 lateral rivers, rise in the capitania near Villa Rica, 

 might be very useful, a society was formed for the 

 purpose of rendering theRio Doce navigable, and for 

 the civilisation of the Indians residing upon it (Junta 

 da Conquista e Civilizi9ao dos Indios, doCommercio 

 e Navega9ao do Rio Doce). These endeavours have 

 hitherto been successful, several Indian tribes hav- 

 ing gradually begun to trade with the Portuguese. 

 We had already heard a great deal of these chil- 

 dren of the forest, and our desire to see one tribe 

 of them in their own abode became more urgent. 

 As we were now only four or six days' journey dis- 

 tant from the nearest Indian tribes of the Coroados, 

 Puris, and Coropos, we resolved to proceed in 

 search of them to the Rio Xipoto, an arm of the 

 Rio da Pomba. Our friend, Mr. Von Eschwege^ 



