238 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [March, 



place ; and when I returned, he would pay me what he owed 

 me. So I was forced to make the best of it ; but shortly after 

 I found that his brother would only go to Jacare caxoeira, and 

 thus I was a second time deceived. 



On starting, I missed Joao, and found that he had left us 

 in the village, telling the guardas that he had only agreed with 

 me to come so far, and they had never said a word to me 

 about it till now, that it was too late. Antonio's debt therefore 

 still remained unpaid, and was even increased by a knife which 

 Joao had asked for, and I had given him, in order that he 

 might go on the voyage satisfied. 



The river now became full of rocks, to a degree to which 

 even the rockiest part of the Rio Negro was a trifle. All were 

 low, and would be covered at high-water, while numbers more 

 remained below the surface, and we were continually striking 

 against them. That afternoon we passed four more falls, the 

 "Uacu" (a fruit), "Uacara" (Egret), "Mucura" (Opossum), 

 and "Japona" (oven) caxoeiras. At Uacara there was a 

 malocca of the same name ; and at Japona another, where we 

 passed the night. All these rapids we ascended without un- 

 loading ; but the Uacara was very bad, and occasioned us 

 much trouble and delay. The next morning, when about to 

 start, we found that another Indian was missing : he had 

 absconded in the night, and it was useless attempting to seek 

 him, though we knew he had gone to Uacara Malocca, where 

 he wished to stay the day before, but where all knowledge of 

 him would be denied and he well hidden, had we returned to 

 fetch him. He was one who had received full payment, making 

 three who had already gone away in my debt; a not very 

 encouraging beginning for my voyage. 



We passed the ^'Tyeassu " (Pig) caxoeira early, and then had 

 a good stretch of quiet water till midday, when we reached 

 the Oomarie " (a fruit) caxoeira, where there is a sitio. Here 

 we dined off a fine fresh Tucunare, which an old man sold 

 me ; and I agreed with his son, by the temptation of an axe, 

 to go with me. We pulled the canoe up this rapid without 

 unloading, which is seldom done, except when the river is 

 low, as it now was. The rest of the day w^e had quiet water, 

 and stopped at a rock to make our supper and sleep. 



March \st, — We passed the " Macaco " (monkey) caxoeira 

 early. The rocks here, and particularly about Oomarie 



