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CHAPTER XL 
ON THE EIO NEGRO. 
Difficulties of starting— Descending the Falls — Catching an Alligator 
—Tame Parrots — A fortnight in Barra — Frei Joze’s diplomacy — 
Pickling a Cow-fish — A river storm — Brazilian veracity — Wanawaca 
—Productiveness of the country — A large Snake — Sao Gabriel — 
Sao Joaquim — Fever and Ague. 
At length, on September 1st, after another week’s delay, 
having succeeded in procuring two more Indians and 
a pilot, I left on my long-desired voyage. One Indian 
I could only persuade to go, by sending four others 
to assist him for three days in clearing his mandiocca 
rhossa, without doing which he would not leave. My 
canoe went fully loaded, as I took a quantity of fari- 
nha and miscellaneous goods for Senhor L., and I had 
some little fear of the passage of the Caxoeiras, which 
was not diminished by my pilot’s being completely 
stupefied with his parting libations of caxiri. He 
was also rather fearful, saying, that the canoe was over^ 
loaded, and that he did not know the channel well beloAV 
ri- 
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