150 THE AUL'^ZON AND MADEIRA RR'ERS. 
making her escape AvitJi the rest into one of the canoes, in which tlicy 
drifted down the river, instead of eoutimiing their voyage upwards. 
Without doubt, this had haiipened while the Bolivians were busy 
dragging their boats over the rocks, when the dispersion of the crew 
did not alloAv of any serious resistance. We could not ascertain 
whether in this case any provocation on the Bolivian side had preceded 
the outrage.* Behind the “paebao’s” back the paddlers might rouse 
the AATath of the Indians, especially by brutal behaviour towards the 
squaws, who are regarded Avith jealous eyes by A’ery many tribes (not 
by all, it is true); and their vengeance does not ahvays fall exactly 1 
upon the offenders, for the fm-y of the Inditms then turns on all the 
Avhites, and the innocent suffer in common Avith the guilty, even as 
the settlers, to revenge an onslaught, Avill shoot doAvn any red-skin 
they can encounter. 
"Nany often, Avhat are trifles in our estimation arc to them the springs 
of fatal feuds. Thus, for example, a fcAv yeai'S ago a Brazilio-Peniviau 
expedition started for the pui-pose of determining the boundaries, under 
the conduct of Captain Josd da Costa Azevedo, and was attacked by a I 
immerous troop of Indians on the Javary (an affluent of the Solimoes, ^ 
* An incident tliat occurred in 1800 , in tlie province of Parana, is too cliaractoristic 
to be omitted bere, the more so as the facts Avere related to me by two of the principal 
actors ui the drama. 
On the ruins of the former Jesuit Mission of Nossa Senhora de Loreto do Pirapo, • 
on the shores of the Paranapanema, the Brazilian Government had founded a colony 
(or Aldeamento) of half-civilised Guarani Indians, and had confided it to the direction 
ol an old Poifuguese majoi’, one of whose legs had been stilfened for life by some 
Miguolistic ball about forty years ago. The Guaranis bad them cottages a little 
a2>art from the Director’s house, which sheltered, besides himself, a white overseer, 
six Jiegroes, and four negressos. One day, quite unexpectedly, a2>peared a ti'oojj of 
Coroados before it, about eighty men, women, and children. They seemed to bo qiiite 
peaceably inclined, received and gave Httlo presents, and pai-tooh freely of a meal 
served to them at the fire in the com-tyard, until nightfall, when some of the squaAvs, 
who had become more intimately acquainted Avith the negroes, laid their greedy hands 
on their comfortable woollen jacket.s, and AA oidd not give them uj). A general tumult 
ensued, in Avhich the Coroados advanced ujion their enemies with the gloAA'ing I 
tii'ebrands they had rashly seized. The imjiossibility of explaining themselves, the 
Director’s Avant of iduch, and, above all, the deep aversion existing between blacks and 
Indians, m sjuto of temporai-y friend.ships, could not but load to a bloody ciisis. One 
of the elder blacks, the tail Ambrosio, had silently prepared his gun, and, at the 
moment of the liighost confusion, filing from behind a comer, sliot tho Indian chief 
right through tlie head. Some of his friends had apjjai’ontly only waited for such a 
signal. Three more loaded guns with coarse shot were immediately fired into tho 
densest croAvd. The eflbii; was magical The smoko hud not yet ciuite disappeared, 
Avhen the Indians, silent as ghosts, had vanislied, taking their wounded Avith them ; 
the dead chieftain alone was left lying close to the house; iijulthe exiiiriug fires shone 
