CHAPTER XL 



STAY OX THE RIO GRANDE DE BELMONTE, AND AMONG THE 

 BOTOCUDOS. 



Quartel clos Areas. — The Botoeudos. — Journey to the Quartel do Salto. — • 

 Return to the Quartel dos Arcos. — Combat of the Botoeudos. — Journey to 

 Caravellas. — The Alaehaealis on the Rio do Prado. — Return to Belmonte. 



In order to make myself acquainted Avith the beautiful and in- 

 teresting wildernesses on the river Belmonte, I resolved to pass some 

 months in the Sertoes, and perhaps even to go up the river as far as 

 Minas. I hired in the town two canoes, manned them with five men, 

 and put on board my people and baggage. On the l/th of August I 

 left Belmonte, as the tide was running up, and sailed through a 

 small side-channel into the river, which is here of considerable 

 breadth, and partly filled with sand-banks. The view of it resembles 

 in many respects that of the Rio Doce, only it is much narrower, 

 being from five to six hundred paces in breadth. Forests, and lofty 

 reeds, of the kind called iiba, or canna brava, line the banks, in- 

 terrupted here and there hy fazendas and plantations. At the edge 

 of the sand-banks, we saw the black skimmer, ( rijnchops nigra. Linn.) 

 sitting immovably; and the great carao, ( numenius carauna, La- 

 tham,) a beautiful marsh-bird, stalked about there, timidly looking 

 round ; with much trouble we succeeded in killing one of these shy 

 birds. 



