138 



TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO, 



\SeJ)iember, 



hunt their insect prey over the stream, and amused us with 

 their rapid evolutions ; the tree-frogs commenced their mournful 

 chants, a few lingering parrots would cross the river to their 

 nests, and the guarhibas fill the air with their howling voices. 

 When at length the dews of evening fell thick upon us, I would 

 turn in beneath the tolda, while Senhor L., wrapping himself 

 in a sheet, preferred taking his repose outside. 



On September 30th, just a month after we had left Barra, 

 we again saw the opposite side of the river, and crossed over 

 where it is about four miles wide. The next day we reached 

 a part where the granitic rocks commence, and I was delighted 

 to step out of the canoe on to a fine sloping table of granite, 

 with quartz-veins running across it in various directions. From 

 this point the river became more picturesque. Small rocky 

 islands abounded, and fine granite beaches were frequent, offer- 

 ing delightful places to take our picnic meals. Fish too 

 became yet more abundant, and we were seldom without this 

 luxury. 



On the 3rd of October we reached a sitio, where resided a 

 half-breed Brazilian named Joao Cordeiro (John Lamb), who 

 was a friend of Senhor L. as well as a customer. We stayed 

 here two days, while a good part of the cargo of the canoe was 

 taken out for Senhor Joao to choose what he liked best. 

 Here, for the second time since we left Barra, we saw a few 

 cows, and had milk to our coffee. I amused myself by walking 

 in the forest and catching some insects, of which I found many 

 new species. At length, the gay cottons and gauzes, the beads 

 and cutlery, wines and spirits, sugar and butter, having been 

 selected, we went on our way, Senhor Joao promising to get 

 plenty of piassaba, salsa, and other products, ready to pay 

 Senhor L. by the time he next sent to the city. 



The following day we reached St. Isabel, a miserable village 

 overgrown with weeds and thickets, and having at this time but 

 a single inhabitant, a Portuguese, with whom we took a cup of 

 coffee, sweetening it, however, with our own sugar, as he had no 

 such luxury He was one of the many decent sort of men 

 who drag on a miserable existence here, putting up with hard- 

 ships and deprivations which in a civilised community would 

 be only the result of the most utter poverty. 



On the 8th we reached Castanheiro, and stayed a day with 

 another Portuguese, one of the richest traders on the river. 



