ALCIDES CHARGED WITH MURDER 
offered all possible assistance and undertook to convey 
me up stream with pleasure. 
Mr. Mori, a most enterprising man, who was in charge 
of the expedition, was a frank, open, and jolly gentle¬ 
man, most charmingly thoughtful and civil. He and his 
brother had the second largest rubber-trading business 
on the upper Tapajoz River. 
He was amazed when I got on board and told him 
who I was, as the news had already spread down the river 
that I had been murdered by my own men in the forest. 
In fact, during my absence, when Alcides had travelled 
up to the Fiscal Agency to inform them of what was 
happening, he had been detained there for some days and 
accused, with his companions, of having murdered me. 
As we went up the stream once more we passed 
Mount S. Benedicto, with its foliated rock in grey and 
red strata. Volleys were fired in honour of the saint; 
more candles were deposited on the platform of rock. 
When we halted for lunch, one of the crew died of 
yellow fever. After lunch a grave was dug and the corpse 
duly deposited in it. 
We had not gone far when the trading boats of 
Colonel Brazil, under the care of Mr. Joao Pinto, came 
in sight on their way down the river. Therefore I aban¬ 
doned the idea of going up to S. Manoel, as, had I not 
taken the opportunity of going down with Mr. Pinto, 
I might have had to wait up the river some two or three 
months before I had another opportunity. 
Again I met with the greatest kindness on the part 
of Mr. Pinto, when I transhipped from the Peruvian 
boats. 
In a few hours, travelling rapidly down stream, I 
was once more at Albuquerque’s hut, where Mr. Pinto 
most kindly offered to halt one day in order that I might 
wait for the men who had gone in search of my baggage 
in the forest. 
317 
