AN OBJECT LESSON 
could be gauged at a glance. As you looked up stream a 
long bluish line of low forest could be perceived over 
the gradually expanding deep yellow river. Dozens upon 
dozens of columns of smoke were visible. When night 
came the effects of those forest fires, with the reflection of 
the light upon the low clouds and in the water, was very 
weird and beautiful. 
Greetings were occasionally exchanged upon the river, 
as a big ocean steamer went by, or an over-enthusiastic 
captain let off rockets, which brought all the passengers 
from the dinner-table to the port-holes. Farther on we 
came to a pretty plantation on the left with innumerable 
banana palms crowded together, and some cocoa trees. 
At one time the exportation of cocoa from that section of 
the Amazon between Obidos and Santarem was consider¬ 
able — some 8,000 kilos yearly. I was told that that 
industry has now gone down a great deal, and not more 
than 4,000 kilos were exported in 1911. 
As we went farther up stream we passed alluvial banks 
of comparatively recent formation, in some places only 
one foot above the water and liable to constant inundation 
— in other places ten or twelve feet above the stream, and 
exposing an abrupt crumbling section of grey clay on a 
lower stratum with a narrow band of raw sienna colour. 
This yellow band rarely exceeded a thickness of one foot. 
We had an object lesson here, where the banks were 
eroded by water and were gradually crumbling away, of 
the reason why the trees were so ansemic and generally 
died. The roots, instead of burrowing deep into the 
ground, spread out laterally in a horizontal position, quite 
close to the surface of the ground. That night we had a 
beautiful effect of rain and smoke and the reflection from 
the fires, a wonderful study of reds and yellows and dark 
blues which would have fascinated the immortal painter 
Turner. 
Farther on we passed an island six feet above the water 
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