GEMMA ISLAND 
were greatly excited over this experience. These Indians 
belonged, I think, to the Tapanhonas tribe. 
We left our camp at 7.45 in the morning. As the 
river was there in an almost straight line for eight kilo¬ 
metres we continued hearing for some distance more and 
more faintly, of course, as we went on, the excited yells of 
the Indians. 
The left bank, through which a streamlet cut its way 
into the Arinos, was fairly open with chapada. An island, 
150 metres wide and 200 metres long, Julia Island, was 
next seen. It had an extensive beach of gravel at its 
southern end, and the island itself was covered with dense 
and very beautiful vegetation. Another streamlet one 
metre wide entered the Arinos opposite the island from 
the left side. Farther on another streamlet, three metres 
wide at the mouth, and coming from the north, flowed 
into the main stream on the right side. Three and a half 
kilometres farther another tributary streamlet, also three 
metres wide, was met on the right. We there saw chapada 
on both banks as we went along, with merely a thin edge 
of trees along the river. 
Where the river described a graceful elbow, a charm¬ 
ing tongue of land, with deliciously green grass upon it, 
was most refreshing to the eyes. A river eight metres 
wide at the mouth was encountered a little way beyond 
on the left side. We noticed opposite that place a beauti¬ 
ful spot for making a camp, but it was not a convenient 
hour for us, and so we went along. 
About 1,500 metres farther down a long narrow 
island (200 metres long, 80 metres wide)—Gemma 
Island — heavily wooded, was passed and admired. It 
had the usual gravel spit on its southern or up-stream 
point; the river in that particular spot flowing due north 
in a perfectly straight line for 4,000 metres. The island 
stood in the centre of a basin 200 metres broad. There 
were campos and chapada on the left bank. 
61 
