120 



TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. 



[May, 



and Chile, across to Brazil, through Para to Barra, and now 

 proposed going by the Rio Branco to Demerara, and so to the 

 United States. He supported himself by selling the deaf and 

 dumb alphabet, with explanations in Spanish and Portuguese. 

 He carried a little slate, on which he could write anything in 

 English or French, and also a good deal in Spanish, so that 

 he could always make his wants known. He made himself at 

 home in every house in Barra, walking in and out as he liked, 

 and asking by signs for whatever he wanted. He was very 

 merry, fond of practical jokes, and of making strange gesticu- 

 lations. He pretended to be a phrenologist ; and on feehng 

 the head of a Portuguese or Brazilian would always write down 

 on his slate, " Very fond of the ladies ; " which on being trans- 

 lated would invariably elicit, " He verdade" (that's very true), 

 and signs of astonishment at his penetration. He was a great 

 smoker, and would drink wine and spirits so freely as some- 

 times to make him carry his antics to a great length ; still he 

 was much liked, and will be long remembered by the people 

 of Barra. But, poor fellow ! he was never to see his native 

 land again : he died a few months after, at the fortress of Sao 

 Joaquim, on the Rio Branco, — it was said, of jaundice. 



Notwithstanding all this, the time passed heavily enough ; 

 and though Mr. Hauxwell soon after arrived to add to our 

 party, still nothing could make up for the desolation and death 

 which the incessant rains appeared to have produced in all 

 animated nature. Between two and three months passed away 

 in this unexciting monotony, when, the river having nearly 

 risen to its height, and there being some appearance of the 

 weather improving, I determined on taking a journey to the 

 Solimoes (as the Amazon is called above the entrance , of the 

 Rio Negro), to the estate of Senhor Brandao, my kind host's 

 father-in-law. 



The river was now so high that a great portion of the low- 

 lands between the Rio Negro and the Amazon was flooded, 

 being what is called " Gapo." This is one of the most singular 

 features of the Amazon. It extends from a little above San- 

 tarem up to the confines of Peru — a distance of about seven- 

 teen hundred miles — and varies in width on each side of the 

 river from one to ten or twenty miles. From Santarem to 

 Coari, a little town on the Solimoes, a person may go by canoe 

 in the wet season without once entering into the main river. 



