1849.] 
A KIND PRIEST. 
159 
' veller who ventures on the Amazon must make up his 
' mind patiently to submit. Captain Hislop had written 
i to a friend of his to lend us an unoccupied house, where 
j we had to remain several days quite alone, for our In- 
' dians, after unloading the canoe, went off immediately, 
i| 
and we could not get others till the Commandante had 
I sent to fetch them from a considerable distance. 
We amused ourselves in the forest, where we found 
insects very abundant, but mostly of species we had be- 
fore obtained. As our canoe had leaked so much in 
coming here that we were almost afraid to venture in it, 
I we had it pulled up on the beach, and discovered some of 
I the cracks, which we stopped as well as we could by 
I' plugging in cotton dipped in hot pitch. At length we 
I set off again with two Indians, who were to go with us 
only to Villa Nova, the next town, about four days' 
I voyage from Obydos. As we had only two, we could 
! not do much with the paddles, one being required at the 
j helm ; but luckily the wind was strong and steady, and 
we went on day and night very briskly. We had to 
cross the river several times, and generally at night. 
The wind created a great swell, and as we dashed along 
furiously through it, I was rather doubtful of our rotten 
boat holding together. In four days however we reached 
Villa Nova in safety, and I was very glad to have got so 
far on our way. We were kindly received on the beach 
by the priest of the village. Padre Torquato, who invited 
us in such a pressing manner to stay in his house till we 
should get men to go on, that we could not refuse. The 
Commandante, to whom we brought letters, to give us 
more men, was out at his sitio ; they therefore had to be 
