126 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. \June, 
tortoises, of which there are great nninbers in the forest. 
I particularly wanted a large and handsome species of j 
Tmamus, or Brazilian partridge, which is found in these 
forests, but which I had not yet met with since I saw i 
one being plucked for supper on the Tocantins ; I was 
also anxious to procure the hyacinthine macaw : so he . j|j| 
kindly offered to let me go with them, and to lend me a If 
small canoe and another Indian, to return when I liked, I 
as they were going to stay two or three months. All | j 
the Indians took, was farinha and salt, with powder and ^ | 
shot ; but my kind host loaded my canoe with fowls, 
roast meat, eggs, plantains, pine-apples, and cocoa-nuts, 
so that I went well provided. It was about half a day’s 
journey further up the river, to the mouth of the narrow ! 
stream or igaripe we were to enter ; after going up which j 
a short distance we staid at the cottage of some ac- 
quaintances of our men for the night. The next morn- ; 
ing early we proceeded on our journey, and soon passed 
the last house, and entered upon the wild, unbroken, 
and uninhabited virgin forest. The stream was very 
narrow and very winding, running with great rapidity 
round the bends, and often much obstructed by bushes 
and fallen trees. The branches almost met overhead, 
and it was as dark and gloomy and silent as can be 
imagined. In these sombre shades a flower was scarcely 
ever to be found. A few of the large blue butterflies 
{Morphos) were occasionally seen flitting over the water 
or seated upon a leaf on the banks, and numerous green- 
backed kingfishers darted along before us. Early in the 
afternoon we found a little cleared place where hunters 
were accustomed to stay, and here we hung up our 
