140 
THE AMAZON AND AIADEIDA RREllS. 
shores of the main stream are tolerably sale noAv for many a woiiry 
(lay’s voyage, as one may readily eonj(3cturc from the cottages of the 
peaceable senngneiros thinly scattered along, until one has reached 
the domain of the ill-famed Parentintins, anthropophagous horde's, 
always ready for robbci-y and mm-der, and evidently the closest 
guardians of the rich seriiigaes (caoutchouc woods) on their territory, 
for the chances of being murdered and roasted are heavy odds against 
the acquisition of a few pounds of india-rubber. 
Usually the traveller sees so little of these dangerous neighbours, 
the Araras and Parentintins, that he might be tempted to take the 
feailul tales of the caoutchouc gatherers for mere inventitms of their 
awe-stricken fancy ; but a few light pirogues of the former, which 
(bitted down a lateral affluent, and the total absence of any settlement 
on the domain of the latter, disposed us to think otherwise. Moreover, 
the black corner-posts of a burnt cottage near Crato (marked as a 
town on the googx-aphieal maps, but in reality but one house and a 
few sheds), told their own tale of a whole family having been miu’dercd 
and roasted there a few years ago by the Parentintins.* As in such 
cases nothing at all is done by the Prazilian Government, whose 
principle (very different from the fii-e-and-sword policy of the Portuguese) 
it is to S]3are the natives as much as possible, the few unprotected 
settlers must make room if they would not incm the danger of 
sharing the fate of their neighbours. The only mode of evading the 
difficulty thus created, of imiting humanity towm-ds the natives°with 
a sound j>rotection of the settlers, so necessary for the future prosperity 
of the country, is to found Indian colonies — ^j^ldeamentos or Missions 
—among the Indians themselves. But this gigantic work, as is well 
known, has been undertaken successfully only by the Jesuits, and even 
by them under particularly favourable conditions. 
As I VTjte, I learn from tlie President of the Madeira and Mamorfi Railway 
Company that a small number of Englishmen in the semee of the Company have been 
attacked by the Parentintins at St. Antonio; and a few days aftei-warch an outpost a 
httle higher up, consisting of a few Mojos Indians, headed by an engineer, were di-ivon 
back by another troop of savages. As in both cases these escaped witliout any loss 
no one shot having been fired at them, while the Company had two Mojos Indians 
V if’ iff ^«ts, add to the comfort 
of the little colony. However, the hu-mg of a larger number of workmen, principally 
Europeans— say to the extent of two tliousand— and of as many Alojos Indians from 
Bohvia (which might easily be effected), besides being absolutely necessaiy for the 
prosecution of the works, will finally have the effect of putting down these attacks. 
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