CHAPTER XV 
Mutiny and Threats — Wasted Efforts — Awful Waters — The 
Canoe escapes in a Violent Rapid — Another Mutiny —- The 
Canoe recovered — An Appalling Vortex — The Fall of S. Simao 
— Cutting an Artificial Channel in the Rocks 
B RAZILIANS of a low class are unfortunately easily 
led by words. Alcides, who could not get over his 
bad temper, once more incited the men to revolt. 
While I was busy taking altitude observations with the 
hypsometrical apparatus I kept my eye on them, as I 
saw plainly that I was coming in for trouble. 
Unfortunately for us another bad part of the rapid 
had to be negotiated, and the only way possible was to 
take the canoe overland once more. With Alcides at their 
head, all the men were now in open rebellion, and 
absolutely refused to work. 
“ Very good,” I said to them. “ If you do not like 
to take the canoe along we shall stay here. I like this 
spot very much, as it is most picturesque.” 
The men filled the magazines of their rifles with 
cartridges, and then came threateningly toward me, 
shoving the muzzles in my face. 
“You must give us food,” said they. “We want 
to eat, and we want to be taken back to our country.” 
I advised them to take a walk in the forest and see 
if they could shoot something there, for if they shot me, 
one fact was certain, and that was that they would never 
see their happy homes again. 
Two of the men turned away in order to go after 
game, but the man X levelled his rifle at my head and 
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