1851.] FREi joze’s diplomacy. 825 
our redes under the bushes as we best could, and passed 
an agreeable night. The next morning we bade each 
other farewell; Mr. S. returning to Barra, and I pur- 
suing my voyage up the river. On arriving at a sitio, 
where I had on the way down left my montaria in order 
that it might not be stolen in Barra, I found my pre- 
caution had been of no avail, as it had been stolen a few 
days before by an Indian of the Bio Branco. He had 
had his own canoe taken from him near that place, by 
a man going to the Solimoes, who tried to compel the 
owner to go also, and so, in self-defence, the Indian took 
mine to pursue his journey. I had no remedy, so we 
went on, trusting to buy a montaria somewhere shortly. 
We had several strong “ trovoados,” which were rather 
dangerous, owing to my canoe being very much loaded. 
One came on with great violence from the other side of 
the river, raising tremendous waves, which would have 
driven us on shore and broken our boat all to pieces, 
had there not luckily been some bushes in the water, to 
which we fastened prow and poop, and remained tossing 
and rolling about more than an hour, baling out the 
water as fast as it came in, and in constant fear of ship- 
ping a sea that would send us to the bottom. 
The same evening I overtook Brei Joze, who was on 
a pastoral and trading visit to Pedreiro. We staid at 
the same place to sleep, and I went to converse a little 
with him in his canoe, which was large and commodious. 
Our conversation turning on the prevalence of the small- 
pox in Para, he related an anecdote of his own diplo- 
matic powers with respect to that dreadful disease, on 
which he appeared to pride himself considerably. 
