178 
THE UPPER AMAZONS. Chap. III. 
and was now more than half way across the continent. It 
was necessary for me, on many accounts, to find a rich 
locality for Natural History explorations, and settle 
myself in it for some months or years. Would the 
neighbourhood of Ega turn out to be suitable, and 
should I, a solitary stranger on a strange errand, find a 
welcome amongst its people ? 
Our Indians resumed their oars at sunrise the next 
morning (May 1st), and after an hour's rowing along 
the narrow channel, which varies in breadth from 100 
to 500 yards, we doubled a low wooded point, and 
emerged suddenly on the so-called Lake of Eg a j a 
magnificent sheet of water, five miles broad — the ex- 
panded portion of the Teffe. It is quite clear of islands, 
and curves away to the west and south, so that its full 
extent is not visible from this side. To the left, on a 
gentle gi'assy slope at the point of junction of a broad 
tributary with the Teffe, lay the little settlement : a 
cluster of a hundred or so of palm-thatched cottages 
and whitewashed red-tiled houses, each with its neatly- 
enclosed orchard of orange, lemon, banana, and guava 
trees. Groups of palms, with their tall slender shafts 
and feathery crowns, overtopped the buildings and lower 
trees. A broad grass-carpeted street led from the 
narrow strip of white sandy beach to the rudely-built 
barn-like church with its wooden crucifix on the green 
before it, in the centre of the town. Cattle were 
grazing before the houses, and a number of dark-skinned 
natives were taking their morning bath amongst the 
canoes of various sizes which were anchored or moored 
to stakes in the port. We let off rockets and fired 
