323 MARANON. 
fwarm on the (bores. The favage tribes on this fuperb 
river are generally pacific, and feem to fpeak dialers of 
the fame language. From its junffion with the river Beni 
to that with the Falfe Maranon it is navigable for large 
vefTels more than 400 leagues ; and in the courfe of 300 
leagues prefents 132 iflands. The true Maranon, or Ucai¬ 
al, "is navigable at all feafons. The firft Portuguefe fta- 
tion that occurs, is Sapatinga ; and the next, San Pablo. 
Loreto, a Spanifh fortrefs, Hands at the diftance of twelve 
leagues from Sapatinga; from which latter Pevas, a Spa¬ 
nifh village, is feventy-four leagues, Napo 104, Iquitos 
132, Omaquas 154, the junftion of the Ucaial 164, the 
village of San Regis 184, that of Urarinas 224, and the 
mouth of the Gualaga 234. The banks of this large ri¬ 
ver are generally crowned with vaft forefts of lofty trees, 
among which are many of a rare and medicinal nature. 
Serpents of prodigious fize are found in the marfiies, and 
alligators are alfo common. It feems certain, from the 
difquifition of Condamine, that fome female warriors Hill 
exilt toward the north of this great river. Near its mouth 
the bore rifes from twelve to fifteen feet in height ; and 
the noife of this irruption is heard at the diftance of two 
leagues. This effedl, called pororoca, is chiefly obfervable 
towards the Cape del Norte, on the mouth of the Aro- 
wary. 
The fuccefiive voyages of father Girval are rendered 
interefting, not merely by his having explored the 
Ucaial, or genuine Maranon, but by the account he has 
given of the different tribes-of Indians who inhabit the 
adjacent territory. Embarking on the lake of the Great 
Cocama, he proceeded to Omaguas, at the confluence of 
the Maranon and Tunguragua, commonly called St. Joa- 
chin, as diftinguiflied from St. Pablo, or St. Paul de Oma¬ 
guas, one of the firlt Portuguefe fettlemenls, at the linear 
diftance of about 3 0 , or 180 geographical miles, to the eaft. 
Having two canoes with fourteen Omaguan Indians, ro- 
buft and dexterous rowers, he foon paff'ed from the Tun¬ 
guragua into the Maranon, which he afcended with refo- 
lute and laudable perfeverance, though he fometimes met 
with little fleets of canoes filled with Indians of unknown 
tribes, whom he foothed and efcaped by his prudence. 
The Conibos will employ a whole year to hollow out a 
canoe from one tree, fixteen or twenty yards in length, 
and from five to feven quarters broad, which they accom- 
plifli by means of (harp ftones and fire. The poop is 
fquare,and the prow drawn to a pyramidal point. Among 
their flaves were fome of the Mayoruna tribe, who dwell 
towards the fources of the river Tapichi, and are called 
Barbados, becaufe their beards are as ftrong and abundant 
as thofe of the Spaniards; but they are believed to be de¬ 
fended from Spanifh foldiers, fcattered in thefe forefts in 
confequence of a former expedition. After fourteen 
days of navigation, there appeared on the weft a chain of 
mountains, running fouth-eaft and north-weft. Two days 
after they arrived at the little fettlement of Saraiacu, 
among the Panos, and foon after reached the habitation 
of Anna Rofa, an Italian lady, educated at Lima, who 
greatly lamented the tragical death of the miflionaries in 
1767, committed by the Chipeos, who had been feverely 
chaftifed by her nation. Continuing the afcent, he reached 
the riverManoa, alfo called by the Indians Judiabalay, on 
account of the rapidity of the ftream, which neverthelefs 
lie afcended with a view of difcovering a nearer paflage 
from the Gualaga to the Maranon than the circuit by the 
Tunguragua. The paflage by land was found difficult, 
on account of thick woods and precipices ; and, difcover¬ 
ing a large river, which was the winding Manoa, our 
traveller defended the Maranon, and arrived at the mif- 
fions of the Maynas, and foon after at Cumbaza, after an 
abfence of four months. 
This firft voyage feemed to obliterate the idea, which 
he had entertained, of the cruelty of the nations on the 
Maranon. The Indians in general were found to be tall 
and robuft ; and the Conibos could vie with the Europeans 
in fairnefs, if they did not difcolour themfelves, and fuf- 
fer moreover from the flings of the mofquitoes. They 
bind their children with bandages of flax, that they may 
grow ftraight; the forehead is alfo flattened in infancy, by 
boards fattened before and behind, as in their opinion a 
wife head Jkould referable a full moon ; but by this practice, it 
is faid, they are almoft utterly deprived of memory. The 
girls are wholly naked, while the married women wear a 
flight cinfture ; but among many other tribes complete 
nakednefs is univerfal. They are painted and tattooed ; 
they do not marry within certain degrees ; and the cazi- 
ques alone ufe polygamy ; but the men and women are 
free to quit each other. They feem to believe in one god, 
of a human form, wdio retired to heaven after making the 
earth ; but they do not venture to offer their humble ado¬ 
rations except during earthquakes, which they believe to 
proceed from the footfteps of their god who vifits the earth, 
in order to judge by their voices how many men exift. 
Hence, on occafion of the flighted earthquake they run 
from their hovels, caper, and ltamp on the ground, crying 
out, “ Here we are, here we are.” They alfo believe in 
an evil fpirit, of whom the molt fagacious, for the fake 
of emolument, have declared themfelves the prieffs, and 
regulate in his name amours, intrigues, health and lick- 
nefs, and the little campaigns of war. They have alfo 
many charms and amulets; and yet their fkill in medical 
herbs is far from being contemptible. They alfo believe 
in another life; but imagine that thunders are the battles 
of that diftant world, and that the milky way is a fine fa¬ 
red: for their diverfion. Some believe in tranfmigration, 
and fuppofe that the fouls of their chiefs and nofales ani¬ 
mate tigers and monkeys. The dead are difinterred after 
a certain period, and the bones waffled and preferved ; but 
fome tribes eat the flefh, that nothing may be loft. Be- 
fides the chace and fifhing, they cultivate a few herbs, par¬ 
ticularly thej yuca, wdth which they make the mazato, their 
only drink and confolation. The water is generally bad, 
owing to the heat and the numerous marfhes which taint 
the rivers. In the cultivation of the yuca, they cut down 
the trees with axes of ftone ; but they have alfo axes of 
copper, the firft metal ufed by favages, beiqg often found 
native, and eafiiy beaten into form, while iron is obdurate, 
and requires the ikill of a more advanced fociety. The 
ground is flightly moved with a wooden fpade; and, the 
yuca being interred, the labour is finiflied. They alfo ga¬ 
ther cotton, which ferves far their little cinflures. Their 
darts and arrows are often tindtured with adtive poifon, 
drawn from noxious plants. Their confidence in its 
power is fuch, that they will excite the fury and await the 
attack of the ftrongeff and fierceft jaguar. They laugh 
when he prepares to fpring; the arrow flies, and he is dead. 
But they never employ poifoned weapons in their wars. 
Large fifh are killed with arrows aimed at their heads; the 
fmall are taken in fnares, or with hooks of bone. From 
the age of five years, boys and girls manage the canoes. 
Their ruling paflion is war; and it is the bufinefs of the 
whole tribe, prefided by the cazique or intended general. 
The tobacco-tubes are lighted; the jars of mazato pafs 
round ; and, as foon as drunkennefs begins, this important 
fubjedt becomes the matter of deliberation ; the firft and 
molt folemn queftion being, With what nation fliall we 
go to war ? And the next is, What fliall be the caufe of 
quarrel? The caufes are generally fome petty robbery or 
offence ; and the weakeft tribe is generally feledted as the 
mod convenient enemy. When the expedition is refolved 
upon, the moans, or priefts of the evil fpirit, take charge 
of their chiefs, and treat them with fuch abftinence and 
artificial horrors, that at the end of fome days they come 
forth rather dead than alive. Thefe favages impute all 
fuccefs in war to the evil fpirit, and carefully conceal from 
their deity their proceedings on fuch an occafion. Hence 
the moans are held refponlible for the refult of the expe¬ 
dition ; and, if it be ad verfe, they receive a thoufand male- 
didtions, and are beaten almolt to death, becaufe their 
prayers to the evil fpirit had not been acceptable. As 
their petty warfares are inceflant, their villages, or large 
ho ufe. 
