228 



TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [November, 



were injured or carried away. I separated the skeleton into 

 convenient pieces for entering into the barrel, cleaned out the 

 spinal marrow, cleared off some more of the meat, and having 

 sprinkled it over with salt, put it with the skin into the barrel 

 to drain for the night, and left the Indians to make a good 

 supper, and stuff themselves till contented. The next day, 

 after arranging the skin and the bones afresh, I with some 

 trouble fastened in the head of the barrel, when I found the 

 brine that was in it oozing out in every direction, and soon 

 discovered that the cask was riddled by little wood-boring 

 beetles. The holes seemed innumerable, but I immediately 

 set to work with two of my Indians, stopping them up with 

 little wooden pegs. We were occupied at this some hours, and 

 had pegged up I don't know how many hundred holes, till we 

 could not by the closest examination discover any more. A 

 huge pan of brine had been made by dissolving salt in boiling 

 water, and as some of it was now cool I commenced filling 

 with a funnel ; when instantly, notwithstanding all our labour, 

 out trickled the liquid by a dozen unperceived holes, most of 

 them situated close to, or beneath the hoops. These last 

 could not be plugged, so I pushed in tow and rag under the 

 hoops, to be afterwards pitched over. With the filling and 

 plugging we were occupied all day ; holes constantly appearing 

 in fresh places and obstinately refusing to be stopped. No- 

 thing would adhere to the wet surface, so the upper part of 

 the cask had to be dried, covered with pitch, then with cloth, 

 and then again well pitched over. Then rolling over the 

 barrel, another leaky portion was brought to the top, and 

 treated in the same manner. After great labour, all seemed 

 complete, yet numerous little streams still appeared ; but as 

 they were very small, and their sources quite undiscoverable, 

 I left them in despair, trusting that the salt or the swelling of 

 the wood would stop them. By the time I got the cask carried 

 up to the house and deposited in charge of Senhor Joao till 

 my return, it was dusk ; and so finished two most disagree- 

 able days' work with the Peixe boi. Senhor Joao had prepared 

 me a pot of meat and sausages preserved in the oil, which 

 I embarked, and got all ready to leave the next morning, as 

 I had now been delayed a week of most valuable time. I left 

 him also a box containing four species of turtles, which I had 

 stuffed either here or on my voyage. 



