116 
Napoleon's Services are Hired. 
inspire fear iu the traveller aud make liim give up the trip, Uu the 
Takutu expedition they Avere satisfied with some knives, combs and beads 
for their services : here, the risk demanded the payment of a gun. This 
was also the terms 1 promised to hire two more villagers from Is'appi. 
iSo long as the Indian is still in want of something, he is the most 
complaisant obliging person that can possibly be found: when satisüed 
with what he has, he moves neither hand nor foot. 
287. One of the Indians hired by me had the most striking likeness to 
Napoleon, a resemblance that was recognised even in l*aris when the 
portrait taken of him by Goodall was exhibited there by my brother. We 
naturally immediately christened him N'apoleon, a name which he was 
soon generally known by. It was only a short while before that lie had 
completed his apprenticeship as a Piai, and had come to settle down and 
practise as such in Nappi, his birthplace, but this proved a most 
unsuitable district, for the old nu^licine-mau was held in high repute. 
His miserable practice let him gladly accept my offer, but he took care to 
explain that he only did so to be of assistance to me. It was soon evident 
tli.it he not only possessed a ]ihysical resemblance to Napoleon, but his 
genius as well. He was an excellent astronouiev, knew a number of stars 
by name, amongst them the Southern Cross, and sh<'\ved himself later on 
a still more thorough geograyjher : above everything else, however, he wiis 
an incomparable eater, a peculiarity in which he surpassed everybody I 
had ever known, and later on he beguiled us with many a liapjDy hour. 
288. In company with the men who winded to accompany us to 
Roraima and their wives, who were going with them as far as Pirara, I 
made a start on the return journey. The water- had not yet fallen a 
single inch, and we accordingly had to overcome once more all the 
difficulties experienced on the outward journey. On our arrival we 
found the large boats already loaded and floating on the waters of Lake 
Amucu, ready to take our things as close as could be to Pirara mouth in 
the Mahu, we leaving behind at Pirara everything not required on the 
expedition. As it could be understood beforehand that the remainder 
of the villagers would take their departure after- we had gone, we never- 
theless considered it necessary, on account of the Brazilians, to leav*^ 
someone to supervise our property: experience had sufficiently taught us 
that when A^siting the village these people made no scruples between 
^fine aud Thine. As none of our countrymen had a turn for the contem- 
plative life of a hermit, it was decided to cast lots — Tiedge had to reuiaiu, 
aud he was now supplied with provisions and with trade for the 
interval. 
289. The chief object of our present expedition was to reach the 
remarkable communication-chain of the Parima Ranges situate r>" 0' X. 
Lat. and t;i° W. Long., for which purpose we Avere first of all to utilize 
the pr-esent faA'Ourable height of the Takutu and Totinga so far- as the 
latter was navigable, and only then to resume the land journey fov 
Roraiuia aud the sources of the Cotinga. According to the natural 
boundaries of the Colony the Zuruma up to the mouth of the Cotiiiga, 
like the latter throughout its enlir-e course, were regarded as the westei-n 
limits on the Brazil and Venezuela side, for which reason a niore 
