1850.] A POLITE OLD GENTLEMAN. 203 
give some insight into the state of this country to know 
that, though this man is distinguished from almost all 
other traders by his strict integrity and fairness, which 
all allow, yet he is seldom spoken well of, because he 
does not enter into the extravagance and debauchery 
which it is thought he can well afford. 
A little further on we passed some more curious In- 
dian picture-writings on a granite rock, of which I took 
a sketch. On the 11th we reached Wanawaca, the seat 
of a Brazilian from Pernambuco, banished to the Rio 
Negro for joining in some insurrection. I had heard 
the most horrible stories of this man’s crimes. He had 
murdered the Indians, carried away their wives and 
daughters, and committed barbarities that are too dis- 
gusting to mention. Yet, as I had a letter of introduc- 
tion to him, and he was a friend of Senhor L., we went 
to call upon him. I found him a mild, quiet, polite, 
white-haired old gentleman, who received us with great 
civility, gave us a very good breakfast, and conversed 
in an unusually rational manner. - When we had gone, 
Senhor L. asked me if I was not surprised to see such a 
mild-looking man. But,” said he, '' these soft-spoken 
ones are always the worst. He is a regular hypocrite, 
and he will stick at nothing. Among his friends he will 
boast of his crimes, and he declares there is nothing 
that he will not do for his own pleasure or profit.” 
The next day we staid at another village, Sao Joze, 
where we were to leave our little vessel, and proceed in 
two smaller ones, as the stream was now so rapid that 
we could not m.ake much way, and the PaUs a little 
higher up were quite impassable for our large canoe. 
