ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
“ Are there no young fellows in the town who will 
come along for the love of adventure, as well as the money 
they will get? ” I asked. 
“For love! . . . love!” said the friar, bursting with 
laughter. “ I do not believe that such a thing exists in 
Brazil.” 
Having removed “ love or money ” from the pro¬ 
gramme of temptation, there remained little else except 
patience. In the meantime I endeavoured to hire a canoe. 
The Presidente kindly undertook to do this for me with 
the help of a well-known Colonel, one of the most revered 
men in the city. 
4 4 There is only one boat on the Araguaya,” said the 
Presidente to me. 44 You cannot build a raft, as all the 
woods in these regions are too heavy, and not one will 
float. You must hire that boat or nothing.” 
The honoured Colonel his friend also impressed that 
point well upon me. 44 Only that boat or nothing.” They 
also added that they had arranged for me to hire that 
boat for four days, and it would cost me only £500 
sterling. My distinguished friends had taken ten days 
to arrange that bargain. It took me ten seconds to dis¬ 
arrange it all. All the more as I had heard that a German 
traveller, Dr. Krause, had the previous year gone down 
the Araguaya River, where he had done excellent research 
work, and had also travelled up the tributary Tapirapez, 
crossing over nearly as far as the Xingu River. He 
had found in that region no Indians and the country of 
little interest. Furthermore, on my arrival in Goyaz, 
I learnt that a Brazilian Government expedition, under 
the leadership of Dr. Pimentel, had already been in Goyaz 
some six months, trying to start on a journey down the 
Araguaya, and, if possible, also to go up the Tapirapez 
and other tributaries of that great stream. Moreover, the 
Araguaya was perhaps, after the Madeira, one of the 
best known southern tributaries of the Amazon. As 
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