THE WILD [NDL\N TEIBES OF THE MADEIRA VALLEY. 153 
Blit to return to tlio Indians of the Madeira, The most dangerous 
footpads on its ivhole course are a tribe whoso real name even is not 
known, scarcely any individual of whom has been distinctly seen, yet 
who do not allow the traveller to breathe freely until their domain is 
passed. Scarcely a year goes by ivithout one of their bold well- 
calculated surprises, or the treacherous murder of some traveller, or 
Mojos Indian from the Missions, descending the rii'er to gather cacao. 
They seem to live chiefly near the contiueuce of the Mamorc and the 
(fuaporc, along the shores of the latter to the old fort of I’riucipe da 
Beii’a, and on the campos east of the Mamorc towards the Itonama. 
iS^ot even the best gun is of any u.se against them, as the sluirjiest eye 
cannot penetrate to their well-chosen ambushes behind the dense bouglis, 
whence their never-erring arrows are always the first to ])roclaim thidr 
presence. lienee the only possible protection against them are light 
cuirasses of hard leather, or other stout stuff, such as irere worn by the 
I’ortuguese troops not many years ago in their combats with the 
Botocudos on the Eio Doce. But who will ever think of putting on 
such things in that climate without the risk of absolute and immediate 
danger y * 
The Indians of the old 3Iissions, most exposed to them by reason of 
their frequent voyages on the rivers, live in constant dread of them ; 
and around the tires of our Mojos eveiy oieniug might be heard 
Swiao de Guarapaava— that is, the immense wooded region extending west of thi.s 
little town to the shores of the Parana, and even fai-ther on. An eutoiimialng 
Paulista had settled there in the face of all warnings, and, by constant vigUaneo 
and cautions behaviour, had, for six years, held the Coroados, his neighbour.s, at 
a respectful distance. One day there appeai-ed a large troop of them before the 
palisades with which he had encircled his house, clamorously demanding Indian cm'ii, 
and trying to force their way in after they had been refused ; and in the contest that 
ensued, one of them was killed by the son of the proprietor of the house. In a 
renewed attack some time afterwards, a groat number rvere shot by the Dra/.ilians, 
who were well protected by their palings against the arrows of the Indians, .fln^y 
w-ere again obliged to retire, and W'ere not heard of for years, though one or tdher 
of the Brazilians, who never failed to keep a sharp look-out, even whdo working in 
tlio fields, swore he had seen some lurking in the bushes. 
Some yeai-8 after this, a son-in-law of the old Paulista, having bought the 
produce of a corn-plantation a few miles off, belonging to the military colony of Cliagii, 
just then given up by the Government, went there with wife and chddi't'u and some of 
his brothers-in-law, eleven persons in all. It was the moment td revenge so long 
awaited by the Corondos ! None of tliem over returned ; their corpses were found 
lying near the burnt cottages. 
* Dr. Eiras. from Rio de Janeiro, has already been mentioned as one of their 
victims in I860. 
