XI 
SAN CARLOS 
377 
watertight — I had it twice caulked and still the 
rain penetrated it — I then had several strips of 
strong cotton cloth sewed together to the size of 
the roof and anointed with the milk of a tree 
called Pondari, so as to form a sort of cerecloth ; 
this I nailed on to the roof, and it seems to do 
its office effectually. I have further a large and 
nearly waterproof mat on the roof, which serves 
to temper the heat of the sun. In the fore-part 
of the piragoa are the benches of the rowers, 
and I propose depositing in the same place our 
provisions, such as sundry mapires (baskets) of 
mandiocca, and any other things which the Indians 
are not likely to steal ; the whole will be covered by 
two mats. In the very prow is a large coil of 
cable, essential for dragging the piragoa up the 
raudales (cataracts or rapids), of which there are 
several smaller ones in the Casiquiari. The oars 
to be used are, as you may suppose, paddles, 
which are of various shapes, some having an oval 
blade and some quite round. My crew is to 
consist of seven men and a little boy. I think 
I have before told you that no work can be done 
in this country without paying for it before- 
hand. Thus most of these men have already re- 
ceived pay for the voyage (calculated at three 
months). The Indian carpenters are all in debt 
to some racional or other, and if a person needs 
one for the slightest job he must first pay the debt 
of some carpenter, and then the latter will not put 
hand to work without a further advance of goods. 
Thus I, for instance, had a couple of carpenters 
to "buy," and after they had finished my piragoa 
and made me some boxes, one of them still owed 
