PLENTIFUL RUBBER TREES 
be getting narrower all the time that day, and, of course, 
deeper. In many spots it went through a channel not 
more than thirty metres wide. 
We heard, but not for long, the cackling of the jacu 
(Penelope crist at a), a handsome, gallinaceous bird, that 
made most delicious eating. Then that day flocks of 
small, green parrots flew over our heads on several 
occasions. 
Ariranhas gave us once more a good deal of amuse¬ 
ment and sport. It was seldom one found such cheeky 
and inquisitive animals. They would pop their heads out 
of the water quite close to the canoe, and sniff and grind 
their teeth at us. They had beautiful little heads, some¬ 
thing between a cat and a seal, with lovely, but wicked, 
black eyes of wonderful luminosity. They had a perfect 
craving for blood. The Brazilians have strange tales 
about them — not exactly fit for publication. 
The sand beaches were not so frequent as we advanced 
on our journey. We noticed instead extensive beaches 
of gravel. Another tributary stream, ten metres wide at 
its mouth, entered the Arinos from the east. There was 
heavy forest with plenty of rubber trees on the right bank, 
whereas the country was open on the left bank. 
Farther down, the banks became low, so that the 
slightest rise in the river would inundate the country. 
The forest was particularly thick, and the rubber trees 
plentiful, along a stretch of 4,300 metres of river in a 
perfectly straight line. 
The river was getting more and more beautiful at 
every turn. We emerged into a bay 300 metres in 
diameter. Huge blocks of conglomerate were strewn 
about. A great spur projected to the centre of the bay. 
The richness in rubber of that region was amazing. Won¬ 
derful, giant trees, heavily laden with dark green foliage, 
were reflected in deeper tones in the water of the river, 
there almost stagnant because held up by some obstacle 
23 
