Savage Exhibition of Cruelty. 
171 
they once again saw their kith and kin flying over the river they burst 
into such wild shrieks of delight that some of the Negroes, vexed at the 
joy of these harmless creatures, seized their birds and, before we could 
prevent them, broke their necks and threw them into the water. I must 
admit that nothing had as yet cut into my heart so deeply as this callous 
brutality, and Stöckle exhausted the whole of his rich vocabulary of 
swear-words in calling the Negroes “useless devil’s brats whom the dear 
God would soon punish for killing such poor little innocent creatures in 
the outburst of their joy that really hurt no one,” etc. The expression 
of general indignation seemed still further to increase the wickedness of 
the Negroes, for they sat idly in the corial without moving a limb, and 
swore they would not take a paddle in their hands again: Mr. King 
was however, just as determined to leave the two incorrigible ringleaders 
behind at Caberalli’s village. 
581. After a time we reached the mouth of the Beara, which streams 
into the Barimani on the southern bank : the former shows, it is true, only 
an inconsiderable width, but, on the other hand, a stronger current. 
From what Caberalli said, the Barimani must form a lake-like expansion 
a few miles above the mouth of the Beara, to which several small 
streams flow, and first receives its name from this spot. The commencing 
ebb still further increased the current of the Beara which even up here 
still exercised its full effects on the dark brown water. Its rise and fall 
amounted to from (> to 7 feet. The banks were exposed to flooding to 
just the same extent as those of the Barimani, and shewed an almost 
impenetrable growth of palm above which the Turn ( Oenocarpus Bataua 
Mart.) and Maxim ilia no raised their proud heads. The immediate river 
border was occupied by clusters of the elegant Bactris acanthocarpa and 
Astrocan/um with which the beautiful shapes of the Lepidocaryum 
yracile, Euterpe oleracea and Leopoldinia were joined in such close 
array that their fronds formed an almost impenetrable labyrinth to one’s 
gaze. The graceful and easy curve of these long delicately-shaped leaves, 
their dainty movement as they swayed higher and lower in the light puffs 
of evening breeze, together with the rustle peculiar to the palms, to which 
they give rise, as well as the witching splendour that the parting sun- 
shine at the same time poured over their glorious green — all combined 
to cast an irresistible spell over heart and eyes and to banish the upset 
to our feelings caused by the brutality of the men only a short while 
before. 
582. The creeping plants that never ceased their effort, succeeded 
in effecting with these dense masses of frond what never happened with 
any foliage tree: overladen with fragrant flowers, they gleamed down 
from the outermost tips of the highest specimens, and bound palm to 
palm in aerial festoons. Absorbed in the contemplation of this fairy- 
like spectacle I had omitted noticing anything else, and was not a little 
surprised when Mr. King drew my attention to the bows of a dismasted 
schooner rising out of the water in front of the nose of our corial. "V\ e 
naturally turned for enquiry to Caberalli who shewed himself prepared 
to explain this puzzling phenomenon as far as it lay in his power. He 
told us that while he was yet a little boy, the schooner appeared one day 
