VOYAGE TO THE RIO NEGRO 191 
and King and I had constantly taken the helm for 
more than half the day. We were indeed heartily 
sick of the protracted voyage, and glad to do any- 
thing in our power to accelerate it. On this 
occasion the strong cable of the anchor was secured 
to the foremast, and carried on shore to serve as a 
hauling-line. King and the Mamaluco yoking them- 
selves to it ; while I took the helm, and Gustavo 
stood in the prow with a pole. So long as there 
was water deep enough to float our vessel within 
five or six yards of the side we got on well enough; 
but when we were obliged to put out a little farther 
the current was too strong for our united force, 
and we were in great danger of being carried away. 
We toiled on until noon, making very little headway, 
and as it began to be excessively hot, we allowed 
the boat to take the ground, and resolved to wait 
until the air became cooler. In the interval we 
occupied ourselves in cooking our dinner, and were 
just about to fall on our boiled pirarucii, when a 
canoe came up, containing our friend of the Pedras, 
with two stout Indians and two boys. We made 
a hasty meal and by 2 o'clock were again under 
way. The additional hands having been placed to 
the hauling-line, we could now stand out more into 
the middle, where the stream ran fast and furious, 
making a deep roaring against the prow as we 
ploughed through it. The rope pressing on the 
edge of the cliff brought down, every few seconds, 
large masses of sand ; but we stood far enough out 
to avoid them. My great difficulty, as steersman, 
was to keep the head of the vessel well out ; for 
the force applied to the rope tended continually to 
draw her inshore, and had she turned in that 
