PICTURESQUE ROCKS 
the same name right across the stream, there about five 
kilometres wide. That spot was also called the garganta, 
or throat of the Tapajoz, because at low water it was 
impossible to get through, and it was necessary to un¬ 
load the steamer, the navigation being extremely difficult. 
“Dos brapas! " (two fathoms) cried the lead man. 
“ One and a half fathom!” he cried next, as we went 
over the shallowest part of that sand bar. 
Although shallow, that part of the river was not 
dangerous, because the bottom was of soft mud; not so, 
however, farther on, where the shallow channel was strewn 
with plentiful rocks. Captain Macedo had sensibly placed 
buoys and marks all over the most dangerous places, so 
as to minimize the dangers of navigation. 
The river was magnificent farther down, where we 
passed a great quadrangular rock of deep Indian red, 
looking exactly like an immense square tower. Then 
vertical rocks were to be seen all along the right bank; 
while on the left bank, when we crossed over to the other 
side of the river, were immense beaches of beautiful sand. 
Above them were great stretches of the most wonderful 
grass, upon which thousands of cattle could graze — but 
not one animal was to be seen. 
It was rather interesting to note that the formation 
of the right bank was exactly the same as that of the 
Paredao Grande we had seen in Matto Grosso. Vertical 
sides in great rectangles were noticeable, intersected by 
passages — regular canons — where small huts could be 
seen at the foot of the picturesque rocks, especially at 
places where small streamlets entered the Tapajoz. I 
was told that little lakes had formed beyond those frontal 
rocky masses, the entrances to which were blocked at low 
water by sand bars. Beyond that row of vertical red 
rocks was a more or less confused mass of hills, some 
dome-like, others of a more elongated form, but still with 
a well-rounded sky-line. The water of the stream had 
331 
