242 Anü the Trouble Over a Gun. 
made a clean breast of the matter, because had we taken the opposite 
course our friendly relations might have received a substantial slock 
when, in the course of conversation with both officers over the very same 
thing, one of the soldiers came into the house holding the gun with one 
hand, and our friend Basiko with the other. Basiko had regarded the 
\S'eapon as his lawfully earnetl property and had stood it openly in the 
house where it was immediately recognised by one of the soldiers on en- 
tering. Major Coelho and Captain Leal had now found an object on 
which they could vent their spleen over the ill-success of their expedition, 
and got into such a passion that they threatened to hang the poor old 
man. Of course, we strongly protested because Basiko had tradetl iu 
absolute ignorance of the law and had done nothing further than to take 
four men, who had asked him, to Mari without making previous enquiry 
as to Avhether they had the right to go, and had received a gun for his 
trouble . The latter was naturally taken from him, and the anger of the 
officers soon appeased. Although Captain Leal apologised for the non- 
delivery of the farinha and arranged for the same to be delivered next 
day, it nevertheless never came. 
552. We also learnt from these gcudcuien that they were daily expect" 
ing the arrival at Sao Joaquim of the Boundary Commission, with a 
Colonel de Matoz at its head, who were to commence from here the 
mapping of the boundary line according to Braiiilian claims. With the 
promise of shortly renewing their ^ isit, both left us the following morn- 
ing while we made all arrangements for bringing our three big corials, 
which were still at the mouth of the Tirara, overland to the ßupununi, 
a direct distance of 2o miles. This was finally accomplished after three 
weeks' trouble and labour with the active co-operation of Basiko and his 
subordinates. Forty in number we often made less than half-a-mile a day 
with our craft Avhich Avere placed on rollers, for which the isolated savan- 
nah hills generally forced us to make a long circuit. At the end of the 
three weeks the difficult land-transport was completed, and we reached 
the waters of the Awaricuru to wh^ich we entrusted our naturally very 
much damaged corials. Their repair was left over until the arrival of 
the clever Hendrick. 
553. With the completion of the transport, the hitherto numerous 
population of Pirara now took its departure: only a few: stayed behind 
with us. This comparative quiet encouraged my hope of getting some 
skulls and skeletons which had hitherto not been possible, owing to the 
holy awe that the Indians cherish for their dead. The discovei*y of such 
a skull in mv collections or even the evidence of its disinterment would 
have made enemies for ever of the men who were so truly devoted to us, 
and would have resulted in our becoming the objects of their revenge. 
The small number of residents and the peremptory orders of Mr. Youd 
that the dead were to be buried outside the village, prognosticated a satis- 
fnctory conclusion to my disinterment designs, in which Mr. Fryer pro- 
mised to assist. 
554. In addition to the graves in the small cemetery I still knew of 
two Avherein a Warrau and a MaicJiiydvong were laid. The former had 
been a c*ompani©n to my btöther in his travels during the years 1835-1839 
