A DANGEROUS RAPID 
that region in order to get over the difficulty of the 
troublesome rapids which are to be found there, such as 
those of Portao, Cahy, and Apuhy. The mineral wealth 
was also considerable, according to the accounts I heard; 
while undoubtedly the production of rubber could not be 
better. 
This was the spot at which the river Tapajoz came 
nearest to its eastern neighbour, the river Xingu. The 
seringueiros on the latter river constantly cross over, fol¬ 
lowing the Jamanchin in order to go down to the Amazon 
by the Tapajoz. Rubber collectors have found their way 
high up on the Xingu River, much farther up than on the 
river Tapajoz. 
On October twenty-fifth we went down first the Limao 
rapid, and then the Rurbure rapid. The river was beau¬ 
tiful all along, with low hills on both sides. We eventu¬ 
ally arrived at Pimental, a fiendishly hot, steamy, un¬ 
healthy place, where across a streamlet was a station for 
the transshipment of rubber. The place was on low 
ground, which became inundated at high water. An¬ 
other station was built some 200 metres off on high 
ground, which was used as a winter station. The second 
station was at the beginning of an excellent mule track 
which Colonel Brazil had cut as far as a place lower 
down the river called Bella Vista, a distance of some 
twenty kilometres. He had imported at much expense 
a number of mules for the service. All the rubber was 
conveyed from that spot on mule-back, as between Pimen¬ 
tal and Bella Vista was a dangerous rapid, on which 
many boats had been lost. 
In the company of Colonel Brazil I rode over that 
distance, in intense pain owing to the weak state in which 
I was. When we came to the river again, over great 
deposits of sand we saw a number of crocodiles basking 
in the sun. 
Bella Vista consisted of four, neat, double-storied, 
327 
