176 
THE UPPER AMAZONS. 
Chap. III. 
upper river ; there are several settled at Santarem, 
Cameta, and Para, where, on account of their dealings 
being fairer than those of Portuguese traders, they do 
a good trade, and live on friendly terms with the 
Brazilians. 
Our object here was to purchase a supply of fresh 
farinha and anything else we could find in the way of 
provisions, as our farinha had become rotten and unfit 
to eat, and we had been on short rations for several 
days. We got all we wanted except sugar ; not a pound 
of this article of luxury was to be had, and we were 
obliged henceforward to sweeten our coffee with treacle, 
as is the general custom in this part of Brazil. 
We left Quary before sunrise on the 20th. On the 
22nd we threaded the Parana-mirim of Arauana-i, one 
of the numerous narrow by- waters which lie conve- 
niently for canoes away from the main river, and often 
save a considerable circuit round a promontory or island. 
We rowed for half a mile through a magnificent bed of 
Victoria water-lilies ; the flower-buds of which were just 
beginning to expand. Beyond the mouth of the Catua, 
a channel leading to another great lake which we passed 
on the 25th, the river appeared greatly increased in 
breadth. We travelled for three days along a broad 
reach which both up and down river presented a blank 
horizon of water and sky : this clear view was owing to 
the absence of islands, but it renewed one's impressions 
of the magnitude of the stream, which here, 1200 miles 
from its mouth, showed so little diminution of width. 
Further westward a series of large islands commences, 
which divides the river into two and sometimes three 
