ANOTHER MUTINY 
devoured by mosquitoes. Although we all had thick 
mosquito nets, and although we slept wrapped, head and 
all, in our respective blankets, the brutes managed to find 
their way in and stung us with incredible vigour. We 
were fresh blood for them. The irritation caused by their 
bites was a torment. 
We were now getting closer to the country where we 
were to meet the terrible wild Indians, the most ferocious 
and cruel cannibals on earth, according to the accounts 
heard in Goyaz. My men were already beginning to lose 
heart. With the sleepless night due to the mosquitoes, 
and the heavy atmosphere caused by a fast-approaching 
thunderstorm, they were morose in the morning. With 
the exception of Alcides and the negro Filippe, they 
came insolently forward and refused to go any farther. 
They shoved the muzzles of their rifles under my nose; 
they wished to be paid up instantly and go back. With 
a little patience it was easy to get out of difficulties of 
that sort, if you possessed the gift of keeping calm. 
Faithful Alcides, who had a fiery temper, seized his 
rifle and was about to fire at them, when I took the 
weapon from him. 
“ Do not shoot them, Alcides: these men have been 
good (sic) until now because they were in good health. 
They are bad now because they are ill. I will cure them.” 
And so saying I felt the pulse and forehead of the 
astonished rioters. 
“ Yes, indeed, these men are very, very ill. They need 
medicine. Alcides, get the castor oil -— the large tin.” 
I had two kinds of castor oil: one tasteless — pour 
fapon de purler — for my own use and cases of serious 
illness; another in large tins, of the commonest kind, 
with an odour that would kill an ox, which I used occa¬ 
sionally for punishment on my men when they were 
disobedient. 
Alcides, who quickly entered into the spirit of that 
131 
