CHAPTER XVI 
At Death’s Door — Mundurucu Indians — All Author’s Followers 
poisoned by Wild Fruit — Anxious Moments — Seringueiros— A 
Dying Jewish Trader — The Mori Brothers — A New Hat — 
Where the Tres Barras meets the Arino s-Juruena — The Canoe 
ABANDONED 
W E had a minimum temperature on the night of 
August fifteenth of 70° Fahrenheit. 
We descended the All Saints rapid and fall, 
150 metres in length, with no great difficulty, although 
with a certain amount of hard work. 
A large basin was below it, in the eastern part of 
which was a charming island. Innumerable rubber trees 
(Siphonia elastica) were to be seen in that region. We 
found the southeast passage the best in descending that 
rapid; but, although comparatively easy, we had to use 
the greatest care, as my canoe was by now falling to pieces, 
and a hard knock against a rock would be fatal. 
At the eastern end of the basin was a narrow channel 
between high rocks, where the current was extremely 
strong. A cluster of high, vertical, columnar rocks was 
seen. The three channels into which the river had been 
divided joined again in that basin, and were forced 
through a passage between high, vertical, rocky walls not 
more than thirty-five metres apart. 
The water naturally was much troubled in being forced 
from different sides through that narrow passage, and I 
knew that there must be danger. We pulled up the canoe 
along some rocks 50 or 60 metres from the entrance of the 
channel, and I instructed two men to land and explore, 
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