THE RIVER BARREIROS 
to a greater height in its northern part. What most 
attracted me that day was the delightful view of the 
Barreiros valley spreading before us — a view of truly 
extraordinary grandeur. 
We rapidly descended, leaving to our left the Indian 
colony of Aracy. Great granitic and lava slabs, much 
striated, were seen on our way down to the river (elevation 
1,200 feet). The stream was 50 metres wide, and flowed 
south where we crossed it. There was a handsome white 
sand beach on the left bank of the river. On the western, 
or right bank, stood great volcanic cliffs of boiled and 
broiled rock, interesting for the violent contortions they 
had undergone during the processes of ebullition, which 
showed plainly in their present solidified form. 
The river bed itself was one of the usual lava-flows, 
with huge globular lumps and knots, but all in a solid, 
uninterrupted mass. 
We waded chest-deep across the stream, conveyed our 
baggage and mules to the opposite side, and then we all 
enjoyed a bath with plenty of lathering soap in the 
deliciously refreshing waters of the Rio Barreiros. 
The river Barreiros, which had its birth in the Serra 
Furnas Corros, to the southwest, entered the Rio das 
Garzas — there 100 metres wide — a short distance from 
where we crossed it. The latter river, by far the larger of 
the two and of a very circuitous course, flowed in a south¬ 
easterly direction into the Araguaya. The Rio das 
Garzas, which also had its origin in the Furnas Corros 
Mountains, had almost a parallel course with the upper 
Barreiros from southwest to northeast, but on meeting 
the Barreiros suddenly swung round at a sharp angle 
towards the southeast, which direction it more or less 
followed, until it entered the Araguaya. 
We made our camp on the right bank of the Barreiros 
River. My men were in a great state of mind when I 
told them that perhaps on this river we might find some 
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