THE HAPIDS OF THE JIADEIKA AND THE JIAAfORl?:. 73 
land, in (ho nsual tvoublcsoinc way. Howevor, the satisfaction of think- 
ing that we laid only two more of this long series of rapids before ns 
gave ns new vigour and life. It is true that the first of them, Gua-jaka 
Guassu,* was not (piite as easy to pass as we could have wished. We 
had to unload, and to track the empty boats through one of tbe narrow 
ohanuols wrought by the Hoods (as ut llibcirao) into the liard quartzoso 
mctamorphic formation ; but at Gua.iara Meium, the last one, we could 
draw them after ns, with full cargo, against the strong current. 
Every one of us, I believe, took a long breath of relief after it, 
and thought the terminus of our long voyage — the Missions on the 
Mamore,— though still distant some 250 miles, (piite at hand. 
The river now presents the smooth unrutfled surface of a lake; 
uo sound breaks the majestic stillness of Natiue; there is neither the 
lonely cottage of the Seringuciro, nor even the smooth roof of palm- 
Icavcs of the Indian malocea, to be seen anywhere. Though the 
elevation of tlie river-banks above low-water mark is no more than 
23 or 26 feet, and they are therefore inundated eioiy tiventy or 
twenty-five years by extraordinary Hoods, yet the soil is considerably 
raised above that level at some distance from the shore ; and nothim>' 
could be more erroneous than to believe the Valley of the Madeira to 
bo subject to annual inundations, as is the case, for instance, Avith the 
shores of the Itonama and the Upper Mamore in Uolivia. 
iN'ot the floods, but the dangerous vicinity of wild, murderous 
Indians Avho haunt the forests near the confluence of the Mamore and 
Guapore, together Avith intermittent fevers and the difficulties of 
communication with the Amazon, are the chief drawbacks to successful 
colonisation in these vast countries. The Indians, it is Avell knoAvu, 
have noAAfficre resisted the influence of civilisation for any length of time ; 
and hen; also they will have to recede before it. The fevers, it is true, 
are hard to bear ; but in this respect also the land must improve in 
the course of time, as the forests continue to be cleared; Avhilc the 
last of the evils I have enumerated will soon be remedied, let ns hope, 
by a lino of steamers on the LoAver Madeira, the construction of a 
railroad along the rapids, and a second lino of steamers above them.-f- 
* In tJiB Guarani, or Tuiii language, guajara moans a wild fruit ; guassu, Itirne ; 
merini, am/t. ' ' > . • > 
f I'A en bflVirp we left Rio tie .faneh-o, a company was formed tliero for a steam line 
on the Lower Madeira, and Itud actually begun regular service. 
