44 THE AMAZON AND MADEIRA RIVERS. 
iu tlie middle, leaving only a small space on each side for tlie crew, 
whose dark faces and tall, Avell-proportioned I’raiiics, sot off to advantage 
by their tattered shirts of bark, give altogether a strange appearance to 
onr little flotilla, even to one av ell-accustomed to the navigation of these 
rivers. 
The voyage from Manaos to the mouth of the Madeira, and on its 
loAAmr course, when done as we did it — paddling slowly against the current 
— is, at least, a hard trial of pcrscveiuncc ; and “ Paciencia,” a favourite 
Avord of the Brazilians, Avhich they use to freshen up their courage Avith, 
Avas often in our minds. 
The landscape has that character of dull monotony peculiar to the 
valleys of these gigantic rivers, Avhose shores consist of alluAnum for 
hundreds of miles. The banks of the loAver Madeira, being generally 
igapo (the ncAVest deposit), the vegetation rarely shoAVs the poAverful 
forms of the virgin-forest ; now and then only, the big trank of a 
bombacea is seen behind the slender white stem of the cecropia. 
On the tops of the highest trees Ave saAV, for the tirst time, the 
smooth, light green leaAms of a Avidely-knoAvu climbing orchid, tlio 
vanilla ; and one of our Indians mounted on the boughs, to get us some 
bunches of the long green fruit, Avhich as yet yielded no trace of its 
delicate flavour, that ensues on the drying of the trait. 
Yery often a broad gii-dle of SAvimming grass, Cana-rana (Avhich 
means sham or false sugar-cane), separating the land from the open 
Avater, preA'ented our landing for miles ; and avc had to go on until, 
often late in the eA'ening, a lajiding-place near one of the fcAV huts on 
shore rendered it jAOSsible for us to descend and pitch our tents. 
The inhabitants of these huts — AV'hose straight black hair, dark skin, 
and quiet, reserved behaviour shoAV them clearly to be of Indian race — 
live principally on the fish and turtle they catch in the river, Avhile they 
can easily buy the I'eAV clothes they AAmnt, their ammunition and fishing- 
hooks, AA'ith the produce of a small cacao-])lautation near their homes. 
Boeba, fonncrly called Santo Antonio de iVraretama, the only Aullage 
found on the whole length of the Madeira, is about twenty-five leagues 
above its mouth, and Avas founded, about the middle of the last century, 
by the Jesuits as a mission among the Bares and Toras Indians. 
The establishment, in its early days, suffered much from the attacks 
of the savage i\j’ara tribe. In spite of its pompous title of “ Yilla,” 
it is only an agglomeration of tAvelA C or fifteen Ioaa' dirty huts round a 
