346 
TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. 
\Marcli, 
the passage being generally in the middle of the river, 
among rocks, where the water rushes furiously. The 
falls were not more than three or four feet each ; but, to 
pull a loaded canoe up these, against the foaming waters 
of a large river, was a matter of the greatest difficulty 
for my dozen Indians, their only resting-place being often 
breast-deep in water, where it was a matter of wonder 
that they could stand against the current, much less 
exert any force to pull the canoe. At Arara fall, the 
general passage is over the dry rock, and we unloaded 
for that purpose ; but all the efforts of the Indians could 
not get the heavy canoe up the steep and rugged ascent 
which was the only pathway. Again and again they 
exerted themselves, but to no purpose \ and I was just 
sending by an old man, who was passing in a small 
canoe, to Carurti for assistance, when he suggested that 
by getting a long sipo (the general cable in these rivers) 
we might obtain a good purchase, to pull the canoe up 
the margin of the fall, which we had previously tried 
without success. We accordingly did so, and by great 
exertions the difficulty was passed, — much to my satis- 
faction, as sending to Caruru would have occasioned a 
great and very annoying delay. 
The river from Jauarite may be said to average about 
a third of a mile wide, but the bends and turns are in- 
numerable ; and at every rapid it almost always spreads 
out into such deep bays, and is divided into channels by 
so many rocks and islands, as to make one sometimes 
think that the water is suddenly flowing back in a di- 
rection contrary to that it had previously been taking. 
Caruru caxoeua itself is greater than any we had yet 
