40 



TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. 



[September^ 



cut up in slices and served in saucers; and at eight in the 

 tvening we had tea and farinha cakes. Two or three Negro 

 and Indian boys wait at table, constantly changing the plates, 

 which, as soon as empty, are whipped olf the table, and re- 

 placed by clean ones, a woman just behind being constantly 

 at work washing them. 



Our boy Antonio had here turned lazy, disobeyed orders, 

 and was discharged on the spot, going off with a party who 

 were proceeding up the Amazon after pirarucu. We now had 

 but one man left, and with two that Senhor Gomez lent us to 

 ero as far as Baiao, we left Vista Alesfre on the morninsc of the 

 2nd of September. The river presented the same appearance 

 as below, — innumerable islands, most of them several miles 

 long, and the two shores never to be seen at once. As we had 

 nothing for dinner, I went with Mr. Leavens in the montaria, 

 which our Indians v^ere to return in, to a house up an igaripe, 

 to see what we could buy. Cattle and sheep, fowls and ducks 

 were in plenty, and we thought we had come to the right 

 place ; but we were mistaken, for the following conversation 

 took place between Mr. Leavens and a Negro woman, the only 

 person we saw: — "Have you any fowls to sell?" — "No." 



Any ducks ? "— " No." " Any meat ? "— " No." " What do 

 you do here then ? " — " Nothing." " Have you any eggs to 

 sell? " — " No, the hens don't lay eggs." And notwithstanding 

 our declaration that we had nothing to eat, we were obliged to 

 go away as empty as we came, because her master was not at 

 home, and nothing was hers to sell. At another house we 

 were lucky enough to buy a small turtle, which made us an 

 excellent meal. 



We were to call at Jambouassd, a sitio about fifteen miles 

 below Baiao, where Senhor Seixus, to whom we had a letter, 

 sometimes resided. The house is situated up a narrow igaripe, 

 the entrance to which even our Indians had much difficulty in 

 discovering, as it was night when we reached the place. Mr. * 

 Leavens and myself then went in the montaria up the narrow 

 stream, which the tall trees, almost meeting overhead, made 

 intensely dark and gloomy. It was but a few hundred yards 

 to the house, where we found Senhor Seixus, and delivered the 

 letter from his partner in Para ; and as it is a very good speci- 

 men of Portuguese composition and politeness, I will heie 

 give a literal translation of it. 



