242 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [March, 



the case. I was of course anxious to purchase articles to 

 which such curious customs belong, and spoke to the Tushaua 

 on the subject. He at length promised to sell them me on 

 my return, stipulating that they were to be embarked at some 

 distance from the village, that there might be no danger of 

 their being seen by the women. 



On the morning previous to that on which we were to leave, 

 two more of our Indians who had received full payment on 

 starting, were discovered to have left us. They had taken 

 possession of a canoe, and absconded in the night ; leaving me 

 no remedy, but the chance of finding them in their houses on 

 my return, and the still more remote chance of their having 

 anything to pay me with. 



The Indians here have but little characteristic distinction 

 from those below. The women wear more beads around their 

 necks and arms. The lower lip is often pierced, and two or 

 three little strings of white beads inserted ; but as the nations 

 are so mixed by inter-marriages, this custom is probably derived 

 from the Tucanos. Some of the women and children wore 

 two garters, one above the ankle and one below the knee- 

 swelling out the calf enormously, which they consider a very 

 great beauty. I did not see here so many long tails of hair ; 

 most of the men having probably been to the Rio Negro with 

 some trader, and thence worn their hair like Christians ; or 

 perhaps because the last Tushaua was a '^homen muito 

 civilizado " (a very well-bred person). 



After four days' delay, we at length started, with a com- 

 paratively small complement of Indians, but with some extra 

 men to assist us in passing several caxoeiras, which occur near 

 at hand. These are the " Pirewa " (Wound), " Uacoroua " 

 (Goat-sucker), "Maniwara" (White Ant), "Matapi" (Fish- 

 trap), *^Amana" (Rain), " Tapiracunga " (Tapir's head), 

 "Tapira eura" (Tapir's mouth), and "Jacare" (Alligator). 

 Three of these were very bad, the canoe having to be unloaded 

 entirely, and pulled over the dry and uneven rocks. The last 

 was the highest ; the river rushing furiously about twenty feet 

 down a rugged slope of rock. The loading and unloading of 

 the canoe three or four times in the course of as many hours, 

 is a great annoyance. Baskets of farinha and salt, of mandiocca- 

 cakes and pacovas, are strewn about. Panellas are often 

 broken j and when there comes a shower of rain, everything 



