246 



gueze had advanced from the Rio Negro, by the 

 portage of Canno Pimichin, as far as the banks 

 of the Temi. An Indian chief of the name of 

 Javita, celebrated for his courage and his spirit 

 of enterprise, was the ally of the Portugueze. 

 He pushed his hostile incursions from the Rio 

 Jupura, or Caqueta, one of the great tributary 

 streams of the Amazon, by the rivers Uaupe 

 and Xie as far as the black waters of the Temi 

 and the Tuamini, a distance of more than a hun- 

 dred leagues. He was furnished with a patent, 

 which authorised him, "to draw the Indians 

 from the forest, for the conquest of souls." He 

 availed himself amply of this permission; but 

 his incursions had an object, which was not 

 altogether spiritual, that of making slaves (pot- 

 tos), to sell to the Portugueze. When Solano, 

 the second chief of the expedition of the boun- 

 daries, arrived at San Fernando de Atabapo, he 

 had captain Javita seized, in one of his incur- 

 sions to the banks of the Temi. He treated 

 him with gentleness, and succeeded in gaining 

 him over to the interests of the Spanish govern- 

 ment by promises, that were not fulfilled. The 

 Portugueze, who had already formed some sta- 

 ble settlements in these countries, were driven 

 back as far as the lower part of the Rio Negro ; 

 and the mission of San Antonio, of which the 

 more usual name is Javita, after that of it's 

 Indian founder, was removed farther north of 



