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RIVER  AMAZON 


URGES  T( 


SEA 


THE  RIVER  AMAZON 


,'  I 


Photo  Under-wnod  &  Underwood 
EL   MISTA   FROM   AREQUIPA 


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THE       <$; 

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RIVER  AMAZON 

FROM  ITS  SOURCES 
TO  THE  SEA 


BY 

PAUL   FOUNTAIN 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  GREAT  FORESTS  AND  DESERTS  OF 

KORTH  AMERICA  ";  **  THE  GREAT  FORESTS  AXD  MOUXTAIK3  OI> 

SOUTH  AMERICA,"  ETC.    ETC. 


LONDON 
CONSTABLE  &  COMPANY   LTD. 


LIBRARY 

••  ••»•*•* 

FCB 
\     I5     X 

\  1S:82  /, 

. .  \    / 
-,\A' 


F 


PREFACE 

IT  is  several  years  since  my  last  book  appeared.  I 
thought  that  one  was  to  be  my  last;  but  (and  let 
the  evolutionists  note  this)  if  there  is  not  a  survival 
of  the  fittest,  there  is  of  the  toughest.  So  here  I  am 
again. 

Twice  have  I  promised  that  if  my  poor  efforts  were 
generously  supported  the  public  should  have  another 
taste  of  my  quality.  Now  I  promise  them  that  if  they 
do  not  support  this  renewed  attempt,  they  shall  have 
another  sample.  Perhaps  this  threat  will  improve  my 
luck. 

The  first  two  chapters  are  the  real  preface  to  this 
work;  so  I  have  but  little  more  to  say  here. 

The  book  covers  the  same  ground  as  my  former  work 
on  South  America,  but  the  material  is  nearly  entirely 
new :  for  I  by  no  means  exhausted  my  notes  in  "  The 
Great  Forests  and  Mountains  of  South  America." 
Where  I  have  been  compelled  to  tread  in  the  old 
footsteps  I  have  done  so  with  the  permission  of  my 
first  publishers,  Messrs.  Longman,  which  was  most 
kindly  and  graciously  granted.  I  do  not  think,  hpw- 
ever,  that  the  reader  need  fear  a  monotonous  repetition 
of  old  incidents.  The  great  bulk  of  the  material  used 


Vll 


viii  PREFACE 

is  quite  fresh ;  and  the  book  is  put  together  on  new 
lines.  There  is  less  of  the  personal,  and  more  of  the 
descriptive,  in  the  present  work:  as  for  the  rest,  each 
reader  must  judge  for  himself. 

I  am  greatly  indebted  to  Captain  Whiffen  for  kindly 
allowing  me  to  reproduce  his  map  of  the  district,  which 
contains  the  very  latest  information  obtainable. 


CONTENTS 

CHAFTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  AMAZON     .  .  1 

II.  THE  SOURCES  OF  THE  AMAZON         .             .  .  7 

III.  THE  UPPER  MARANON     .                 .  11 

IV.  THE  DOWNWARD  RUSH  TO  THE  GREAT  FOREST  .  23 
V.  THE  UCAYALI   .                 .                 ...  38 

VI.  THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  HEAD-WATERS            .  .  48 

VII.  THE  HEAD-WATERS  OF  THE  PURUS  .  59 

VIII.  MORE  ABOUT  THE  HEAD-WATERS       .  77 

IX.  SOME  OTHER  HEAD-WATERS  OF  THE  AMAZON  .  85 

X.  ATTEMPTED  ASCENTS  OF  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA  .  95 

XI.  THE  PLAINS  OF  ECUADOR  AND  COLOMBIA     .  .114 

XII.  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  UPPER  AMAZON  .  128 

XIII.  A  VOYAGE  UP  THE  PURUS                 .             .  .  141 

XIV.  CONTINUATION  OF  THE  VOYAGE  ON  THE  PURUS  .  156 
XV.  CONCLUSION  OF  THE  VOYAGE  ON  THE  PURUS  .  170 

XVI.  THE  COUNTRY  BETWEEN  PURUS  AND  TAPAJOS  .  202 

XVII.  THE  COUNTRY  BETWEEN  TAPAJOS  AND  ARAGUAY  .  210 

XVIII.  VALLEYS  OF  ARAGUAY  AND  TOCANTINS          .  .  228 

XIX.  THE  CORDILLERA  GRANDE  REGION   .  .  241 

XX.  HIGH  UP  THE  AMAZON  RIVER          .             .  •  252 

XXI.  FIVE  HUNDRED  MILES  DOWN  STREAM          .  .  275 

XXII.  THE  LOWER  REACHES  OF  THE  AMAZON        .  .  298 

INDEX                .                 .                 ...  313 

ix 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

El  Mista  from  Arequipa     ....       Frontispiece 

A  Street  in  Pasco   ....  Facing  page    12 

The  First  Pass         ....  „           16 

Railway  to  Mines    ....  ,,24 

A  « Bell-llama "  leading  a  Herd     .             .  „           56 

A  Herd  of  Pack-llamas      .                           .  „           60 

Glacier  in  the  Andes          ...  „          86 

Chaupichaca  Railway  Bridge          .             .  ,,88 

The  Crater  of  El  Mista      ...  ,,90 

Another  view  of  El  Mista              .  ,,92 

Peak  of  Pinchinca               ...  ,,94 

Chimborazo              .              .              .             .  ,,104 

Cotopaxi  (country  near)      .             .             .  „         106 

Falls  (at  junction  of  a  Tributary)  .             .  ,,212 

A  Freight-train  in  Guayaquil          .             .  ,,258 

A  Mail-boat  leaving  Serpa              .             .  „         308 

(The  boat  id  on  a  backwater ;  not  the  main  stream) 


THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

FROM    ITS    SOURCES    TO    THE    SEA 
CHAPTER  I 

THE   DISCOVERY   AND   NAMING   OF  THE  AMAZON 

/^  OLD  !  The  lust  for  this  metal  was  the  force 
^^  that  led  to  the  discovery  and  colonization  of 
South  America.  Gold  :  it  was  sought  by  the  Spaniards 
and  Portuguese  everywhere  in  Central  and  South 
America,  from  the  north  of  California  to  the  shores  of 
Magellan's  Strait — sought  in  fierce  excitement  as  often 
as  in  dogged  perseverance — sought,  but  too  frequently, 
in  a  fury  of  blood.  The  very  Andes,  at  frequent  inter- 
vals, are  honeycombed  with  ancient  mine  shafts  and 
burrows,  made  by  monomaniacs  in  search  of  the  precious 
metals  and  precious  stones,  for  the  possession  of 
which  they  sacrificed  souls  and  bodies,  and  slew 
multitudes  of  the  harmless  people  of  the  lands  they 
invaded. 

It  was  the  longing  for  gold  that  led  to  the  discovery 
of  the  mighty  Amazon,  by  far  the  largest  river  in  the 
world. 

Nearly  four  hundred  years  ago  (precisely,  in  1540)  a 


2  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

band  of  Spaniards  stood  and  listened  to  the  wondrous 
stories  of  gold  and  silver,  of  spices  and  other  precious 
things,  told  by  Indians  who  well  knew  how  acceptable 
such  tales  were  to  the  tingling  ears  of  their  greedy 
auditors. 

The  spot  where  these  stories  were  told  was  near 
Quito,  then  the  capital  of  a  native  kingdom  bearing 
the  same  name  ;  and  the  eager  listeners  were  Pizarro 
and  his  band  of  adventurers.  The  alluring  accounts 
seem  to  have  referred  to  the  country  in  the  valleys 
between  Cotopaxi  and  Antisana,  where  several  con- 
siderable tributaries  of  the  Amazon  take  their 
rise. 

Pizarro  detached  a  party  under  the  command  of  his 
brother  Gonzalez  to  seek  for  the  treasure.  These  men 
seem  to  have  passed  the  base  of  Cotopaxi,  and  embarked, 
in  boats  or  canoes,  on  a  river  which  could  hardly  have 
been  other  than  the  Napo.  They  were  not  accompanied 
by  a  guide  ;  or,  at  any  rate,  by  an  efficient  one  ;  and 
do  not  seem  to  have  stayed  to  examine  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Andes  :  hence  they  probably  missed  the 
object  of  their  search.  For  it  is  known  to  the  writer 
that  there  are  evident  traces  of  gold  and  diamonds  in 
this  region  ;  as  well  as  of  less  sought  after,  but  really 
more  profitable,  minerals.  It  is  strange  :  but  to  this 
day  the  treasures  referred  to  have  remained  undis- 
covered— at  least  I  believe  so. 

Gonzalez  Pizarro  and  his  companions  reached  the 
huge  forest  which  still  covers  the  centre  of  South 
America  ;  and  must  have  penetrated  it  to  a  considerable 
distance.  It  was  then,  as  now,  scantily  peopled  by 
naked  savages  :  and  what  big  game  there  is  must  be 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    AMAZON  3 

diligently  sought  for  :  consequently  the  adventurers, 
who  looked  more  for  wealth  than  food,  soon  began  to 
be  short  of  stores.  Then  there  arose  a  subaltern  officer, 
one  Francisco  Orellana,  and  offered  to  push  on  alone 
in  search  of  supplies.  This  offer  was  accepted  by 
Gonzalez ;  and  Orellana,  in  one  boat,  and  with  but  few 
companions,  dropped  down  the  Napo  to  the  point  where 
it  joins  the  great  river.  He  made  no  attempt  to  return 
to  his  commander.  Why  is  matter  for  conjecture,  and 
conjecture  only.  His  real  reason  is  not  known,  and  never 
can  be.  Probably  he  realized  that  he  had  made  a  great 
and  wonderful  discovery,  and  ambition  induced  him 
to  take  a  desperate  risk  rather  than  be  robbed  of  the 
honour  of  this  discovery,  as  he  undoubtedly  would  have 
been  had  he  carried  the  news  back  to  his  self-seeking 
chief — the  grasping  Pizarro. 

From  actual  experience  I  can  state  that  no  man  could 
enter  the  Amazon  from  the  Napo  and  fail  to  perceive 
that  he  was  floating  on  as  mighty  a  stream  as  any  on 
earth.  Orellana  must  have  known  that  he  was  a  vast 
distance  from  the  Atlantic — must  have  seen  at  a  glance 
that  the  wonderful  river  he  had  discovered  was  rushing 
with  calm,  but  tremendous  force,  straight  for  that 
ocean  :  and,  like  hundreds  of  Spaniards  of  his  day,  he 
resolved,  on  the  moment,  with  indomitable  energy 
and  bravery  to  take  all  risks,  and  push  on  until  he 
had  completed  his  discovery :  and  so  he  became, 
not  only  the  discoverer  of  the  greatest  of  rivers,  but 
also  the  first  European  to  cross  the  vast  American 
continent. 

Of  his  adventures  on  this  perilous  journey  we  have 
no  complete  account.  How  he  lived,  fared,  escaped 


4  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

dangers,  and  finally  reached  the  huge  mouth  of  the 
great  river,  is  told  to  us  in  few  words,  and  many  of 
these,  disfigured  with  the  superstitions  of  the  age,  are 
not  very  reliable  :  but  he  did  perform  the  wonderful 
voyage  ;  of  that  fact  there  is  no  doubt  whatever.  More 
than  2000  miles  of  the  Amazon's  course  he  traversed ; 
and  was  deservedly  honoured  and  rewarded  for  the  re- 
markable feat. 

From  time  to  time  he  encountered  the  native  Indians 
who  dwell  on  the  shores  of  the  great  stream.  Whether 
it  is  true  that  he  met  with  amazons — female  warriors — 
is  very  doubtful — it  is  so  contrary  to  the  habits,  laws, 
usages  and  prejudices  of  these  savages,  that  we  are 
justified  in  thinking  he  must  have  been  mistaken  : 
but  we  may  believe  that  he  honestly  thought  he  en- 
countered some  such  viragoes ;  and  of  his  right  to  confer 
their  name  (or  any  other)  on  his  great  discovery  there 
can  be  no  question.  He  called  it  the  Rio  del  Amazones  ; 
this,  therefore,  is  its  proper  name.  But  jealousy,  or 
love  of  interference,  has  given  it  several  others,  of  which 
that  which  is  most  defensible  is  "  Orellana,"  the  name 
of  the  great  man  who  first  saw,  and  navigated,  its 
majestic  waters.  It  is  also  called  the  Maranon,  and  the 
Solimoes.  The  last  name  is  but  seldom  used,  and  only 
locally.  "  Orellana "  has,  also,  almost  completely 
dropped  out  of  use.  There  is  some  excuse  for  these 
divergences  of  name  in  the  tremendous  area  covered  by 
the  river  and  its  tributaries,  which  drain  nearly  half 
the  South  American  continent.  The  source  of  the 
Amazon  is  as  far  from  its  mouth  as  the  Thames  is  from 
the  Black  Sea  !  It  may  well,  therefore,  bear  several 
names  in  different  regions,  especially  as  it  is  joined  by 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   AMAZON  5 

nine  or  ten  tributaries,  each  one  of  which  is,  in  itself, 
a  river  of  vast  dimensions,  exceeding  the  Rhine  in  both 
length  and  drainage  area  :  and  three  or  four  of  them 
rival  the  Nile  in  size,  and  more  than  double  it  in  volume 
of  water.  Indeed  the  Amazon  is  not  only  itself  a  huge 
stream,  it  is  really  the  parent  of  the  most  extensive  river 
system  in  the  world.  After  much  careful  thought  and 
calculation  I  have  concluded  that  the  streams  con- 
nected with  the  Amazon  which  exceed  a  brook  in  size 
must  have  a  total  length  of  at  least  100,000  miles.  The 
brooks  and  runnels  larger  than  those  a  man  could  leap 
across  are  countless  :  they  may  safely  be  put  at  tens 
of  thousands.  For  the  valleys  of  the  Amazon,  and  its 
affluents,  are  the  best  watered  on  earth. 

In  many  books,  and  on  many  maps,  the  name  is 
spelled  "  Amazon  "  :  but  Orellana  called  it  the  River 
of  the  Amazons.  It  cannot  be  proper,  therefore,  to  use 
the  singular  number  ;  though  the  English,  and  modern, 
form  of  spelling  may  be  permissible,  and  is  that  which  is 
followed  throughout  this  book.  The  Portuguese  form 
of  the  word  is  "  Amazonas." 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  at  this  point  that  in  many 
instances  there  is  much  confusion  in  Spanish-American 
names  owing  to  the  circumstance  that  many  mountains, 
rivers  and  cities  have  three,  four,  and  sometimes  more, 
different  appellatives.  This  confusion  arises  partly 
from  the  frequent  revolutions  in  South  America.  Don 
Pedro,  being  in  the  ascendant,  must  remove  all  names, 
and  all  things,  which  remind  him  too  vividly  of  his  pre- 
decessor, Don  Thomaso  ;  or,  worshipping  a  particular 
set  of  tutelary  saints,  must  honour  these  holy  spirits 
by  bestowing  their  names  on  the  most  prominent  objects 


6  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

in  the  revolutionized  district.  Hence  the  Mary  of  to-day 
frequently  becomes  the  Martha  of  to-morrow  ;  but  the 
old  name,  having  become  fixed  in  the  memories  of  the 
majority  of  the  inhabitants,  is  parted  with  reluctantly 
and  slowly. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   SOURCES   OF    THE    AMAZON 

S  is  often  the  case  in  a  great  river,  there  is  some 
divergence  of  opinion  concerning  the  true  source 
of  the  Amazon,  some  geographers  favouring  the 
Ucayali,  others  insisting  that  Lake  Lauricocha  is  the 
parent  water  of  the  principal  stream.  The  chief  point 
in  favour  of  the  Ucayali  is  its  superior  length,  which  adds 
about  430  miles  to  the  course  of  the  Amazon  :  but 
most  authorities  take  Lake  Lauricocha  for  the  head 
waters  of  the  great  river  :  and  I  think  they  are  right. 

The  lake,  which  is  small,  scarcely  more  than  a  tarn, 
situated  in  an  elevated  valley  of  the  Knot  of  Pasco,  is 
fed  by  streams  issuing  from  the  mountains  which  form 
the  Knot.  These  springs  owe  their  origin  to  the  snows 
which  settle  on  the  elevated  ranges  of  Pasco,  but  melt 
almost  as  soon  as  they  fall,  the  mountains  being  well 
within  the  tropics.  The  streams  are  consequently 
intermittent ;  but  the  lake  is  deep,  and  never  sinks  to 
a  low  level.  The  river  which  issues  from  it,  and  forms  the 
beginning  of  Amazon,  is  called  the  Tunguragua,  by 
the  people  of  the  district,  and,  more  generally,  the 
Upper  Maranon  by  geographers.  But  to  thoroughly 
understand  the  sources  of  the  Amazon  some  know- 
ledge of  the  Andes  is  necessary. 

These  vast  mountains  form  a  range  which  really 

7 


8  THE  RIVER   AMAZON 

runs  the  whole  length  of  America  :  for,  notwithstanding 
what  Dr.  Bell  says  in  his  work  "  New  Tracts  in  North 
America "  (1869),  I  am  convinced  that  the  Andes 
of  the  South,  the  high  lands  of  Central  America,  the 
Sierra  Madre  of  Mexico,  and  the  Rockies  of  the  North 
continent,  were  originally  one  continuous  range.  They 
are  hardly  separated  now.  But  here  I  have  to  deal 
with  the  Andes  of  the  South  continent  only. 

Broadly  the  Andes  form  two  parallel  ranges,  with 
a  much  elevated  valley  between  them.  At  a  few  points 
they  diverge  from  this  general  arrangement.  The 
Knot  of  Pasco  is  one  of  these  divergent  points ;  and  is 
formed  by  the  junction  of  subsidiary  ranges,  forming 
a  cluster  of  peaks  of  great  height.  Perpetual  snow 
does  not  remain  on  them  :  for  they  are  only  ten  degrees 
south  of  the  Equator ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
several  of  them  verge  on  the  line  of  perpetual  snow. 
As  a  fact,  snow  often  lies  on  them  for  weeks  at  a  time  ; 
and  when  it  melts  forms  torrents  of  great  volume  and 
depth,  which  deeply  plough  the  mountain  sides. 

At  this  point  the  Andes  run  north,  slightly  west,  and 
the  Upper  Maranon  follows  their  trend  for  about  400 
English  miles  before  breaking  through  the  rocky  barrier 
on  the  right  and  dashing  with  tremendous  impetuosity 
into  the  forest-clad  plains  which  form  the  basin  of  the 
Amazon. 

But  though  the  Upper  Maranon  is  the  beginning 
of  the  Amazon,  it  is  by  no  means  its  only  head-water. 
These  number  at  least  a  hundred  large  streams,  extend- 
ing, on  the  line  of  the  Andes,  from  Caylloma  on  the 
south,  where  the  Ucayali  (here  called  the  Apurimac) 
takes  its  rise,  to  the  Granadian  wilderness  on  the  north, 


THE  SOURCES  OF  THE  AMAZON    9 

where  the  Ucayali  rushes  from  the  Andes  to  form, 
seven  hundred  miles  lower  down,  and,  after  bearing  half 
a  dozen  different  names,  the  Rio  Negro  (Black  River), 
one  of  the  largest  tributaries  of  the  main  stream. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  these  hundred  streams,  more 
or  less  in  number,  every  one  of  which  is  a  river  of 
dignity,  and  not  a  few  streams  of  majesty,  is  that  they 
all  have  their  sources  within  a  space  of  four  degrees  of 
longitude,  though  they  spread  across  twenty  degrees 
of  latitude.  Rivulets  and  brooks  are  not  considered 
in  this  estimate.  These  are  so  numerous  that  the  best 
maps  in  existence  do  not  show  a  tenth  of  them.  I  can 
go  much  farther  than  this,  and  assert  that  even  in  this 
day  of  restless  search  for  new  lands,  and  new  methods 
of  obtaining  wealth,  there  are  thousands  of  square  miles 
on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Andes,  and  in  the  forests 
which  cover,  like  a  thick  cloud,  the  valleys  of  the 
Amazon,  which  have  never  yet  been  pressed  by  the 
foot  of  a  white  man.  Nay,  there  are  districts  of  no  mean 
extent  which  have  not  even  felt  the  stealthy  tread  of  the 
prowling  Indian.  These  tracts  were  more  numerous,  and 
more  extensive,  in  the  days  when  I  wandered  in  these 
regions,  and  explored  many  of  them.  What  I  saw,  what 
I  found,  what  I  heard,  have  to  some  extent  already  been 
given  to  the  world  in  my  book  on  South  America.  But 
in  that  book  much  was  necessarily  passed  over,  much 
abbreviated.  In  the  present  volume  I  stop  to  give 
details.  It  is  all  a  personal  narrative ;  not  of  one 
journey,  but  of  several,  made  at  different  times,  and 
under  diverse  conditions,  the  chief  object  being, -not 
to  give  a  series  of  adventures  and  experiences,  but  to 
describe  a  very  remarkable  river  as  it  appeared  to  the 


10  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

eyes  of  one  who  endeavoured  to  make  himself  a  close 
observer  and  careful  narrator  of  what  was  seen  and 
heard  :  for  these  huge  waters  and  forests  have  sounds  as 
well  as  sights  and  silences. 

These  two  preliminary  chapters  contain  a  necessary 
series  of  explanations,  without  which  something  must 
have  been  felt  wanting  by  the  reader.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  say  that  I  have  not  visited  all  the  head-waters  of  the 
Amazon.  No  one  unaided  man  could  do  that ;  but  I 
may,  without  boast,  say  that  I  have  seen  as  much  of 
this  mighty  river  as  any  one  unaided,  and  unrecognized, 
man  could  see. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  give  a  continuous  narrative 
of  my  experiences  ;  but  rather  a  connected  description 
of  the  river,  based  on  these  experiences.  It  could  not 
well  be  otherwise  ;  for  if  I  attempted  to  describe  my 
journeys  when,  how  and  as  they  took  place,  this  would 
become  a  book  of  travels  rather  than  a  monograph  of 
the  Amazon.  What  I  have  said  in  these  two  chapters 
might  have  been  embodied  in  a  preface  ;  but  the  pith 
of  a  preface  is  its  brevity.  Moreover,  this  introduction 
is  a  necessary  part  of  the  book.  Without  more  words, 
therefore,  I  plunge  at  once  into  a  description  of  the 
river  as  it  is  known  to  me,  beginning,  as  is  proper,  with 
its  acknowledged  source,  the  Upper  Maranon. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   UPPER   MARANON 

T>OILING,  roaring,  rushing,  the  Maranon  cuts  its 
-*-^  way  through  rocky  beds  from  the  very 
moment  it  leaves  Lake  Lauricocha.  The  lake  itself, 
surrounded  by  stupendous  rocks  and  mountains,  re- 
ceives, and  discharges,  larger  bodies  of  water  than 
would  be  imagined  considering  its  small  size.  It  is 
a  picturesque  sheet  of  water,  as  all  mountain  lakes  are  ; 
but  no  time  was  given  me  to  explore  it,  as  I  was  com- 
pelled to  go  on  with  a  band  of  contrabandista  with  whom 
I  had  crossed  the  Andes  by  a  little-known  pass  from 
Pasco. 

Pasco  deserves  a  word  or  two.  It  is  the  most  elevated 
city  in  America — the  Spaniards  say  in  the  world,  and 
they  are  probably  right,  as  it  is  situated  nearly 
14,000  feet  above  sea-level ;  and  some  of  the  mines 
and  houses  are  placed  much  higher  than  this,  one 
silver  mine  near  the  top  of  the  mountain  on  which 
Pasco  is  situated  being  said  to  be  16,000  English 
feet  above  the  sea.  I  doubt,  however,  if  any  of  the 
mountains  of  the  Pasco  Knot  exceed  16,000  or  17,000 
feet  in  height,  and  the  city  is  not  on  the  highest  in  the 
district. 

The  city  is,  however,  a  wonderful  place,  and  probably 
unique  in  its  circumstances  and  environments.  The 

ii 


12  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

openings  to  the  shafts  of  nearly  all  the  mines  are  situated 
in  the  middle  of  the  public  thoroughfares  ;  and  in  some 
instances  the  miners  have  to  step  only  two  or  three 
yards  from  the  entrance  to  the  mines  to  the  shops  which 
supply  their  needs,  or  trap  them  of  their  hard-earned 
money  for  things  which  they  do  not  need  :  for  the  bene- 
ficent Jew  and  the  wideawake  Yankee  are  here  ;  and 
the  Spanish  equivalent  for  "  Dey  ish  most  peautiful 
articles,  my  tear  ;  and  varanted  to  lasht  for  ever  "  ; 
or  "  I  guess  they  lick  all  creation  slick,  and  no  mistake 
about  it,"  may  be  heard  in  most  quarters  of  the 
city. 

Many  of  the  shafts  are  abandoned  ;  and  the  visitor 
must  look  after  his  neck  vigilantly  ;  for  the  authorities 
take  little,  if  any,  precaution  to  prevent  accidents  at 
these  disused  shafts,  many  of  which  have  become  full 
of  drainage  water.  The  ascent  and  descent  of  the  mines 
which  are  worked  are  by  means  of  ladders.  At  any  rate 
this  was  the  case  when  I  visited  Pasco  some  thirty  years 
ago.  There  was  no  winding  gear  of  any  kind  ;  and  the 
smelting  work  was  performed  in  a  very  primitive  and 
wasteful  way,  the  fuel  used  being  mostly  timber,  brought 
up  from  the  forests  miles  below  at  great  trouble,  and 
camels'  (guanacos*)  dung  ;  yet  there  is  plenty  of  coal 
in  the  mountains  close  to  Pasco. 

The  climate  at  Pasco  is  intensely  cold  all  the  year 
round  ;  there  being  but  little  variation  in  the  tempera- 
ture ;  but  the  heat  of  the  sun  at  midday  is  strong  enough 
to  melt  the  snow,  which  seldom  lies  long  on  the  ground. 
The  vegetation  is  ultra-alpine,  and  the  animal  life 
exceedingly  scant  in  species  at  this  great  height,  although 


Photo  Underwood  &  Underwood 
A   STREET   IN    PASCO :    THE    HIGHEST' INHABITED   SPOT   IN   AMERICA 


THE    UPPER   MARANON  13 

rats  and  mice  abound  in  the  mines  and  private  houses. 
These  little  animals,  some  of  which  (e.g.  the  brown  rat) 
are  of  European  species,  have  been  brought  here  in 
barrels  and  boxes  of  imported  goods  ;  and  apparently 
they  have  found  a  suitable  habitat  in  which  they  are 
flourishing  exceedingly.  Neither  these  nor  the  guanacos 
find  any  difficulty  of  respiration,  although  human  new- 
comers pant  for  breath.  The  miners  do  not  suffer  in 
this  respect  very  much,  although  they  complain  of 
loss  of  strength  owing  to  the  extremely  rarefied  state 
of  the  atmosphere. 

These  men  live  an  exceedingly  arduous  life,  and 
thousands  of  them  break  down,  and  die  a  premature 
death.  The  ladders  by  means  of  which  they  reach  the 
bottoms  of  the  shafts,  are  placed  perpendicularly  ;  some- 
times joined  together,  one  beneath  another,  by  bands, 
sometimes  leading  to  a  series  of  platforms.  I  descended 
one  which  contained  643  steps  ;  and,  although  I  carried 
no  burden,  I  was  very  tired  when  I  returned  to  the  top. 
But  the  labourers  carry  up  loads  of  ore  which  weigh 
200  English  pounds.  It  takes  them  half  an  hour 
to  reach  the  top,  and  they  carry  up  twelve  loads  per 
man  every  day.  This  is  the  regulation  amount  of 
work,  and  no  man  is  required  to  do  more,  I  was  assured 
by  an  overseer.  I  should  think  not!  it  is  work  for 
an  elephant.  All  the  labourers  are  Indians  or  half- 
breeds  ;  and  all  classes  of  men  here,  labourers,  miners 
and  officials,  are  polite,  kind-hearted,  and  very  hos- 
pitable. 

There  are  very  few  women  in  the  city,  these  being 
mostly  the  wives  and  daughters  of  the  tradesmen.  The 


14  THE  RIVER   AMAZON 

population  is  largely  what  is  termed  floating,  and  seldom 
exceeds  a  total  of  10,000.  Sometimes  it  sinks  as 
low  as  2000.  Tradesmen  grow  rich  very  rapidly. 
Few  of  the  miners  remain  longer  than  two  or 
three  years  ;  many  are  unable  to  endure  the  rigid 
climate,  and  leave  within  a  few  months,  or  even  weeks, 
of  their  arrival.  I  have  heard  that  criminals  are  com- 
pelled to  work  in  the  mines  of  Pasco.  I  do  not  think  this 
statement  is  correct.  I  saw  nothing  of  any  prisoners 
there  ;  but  I  believe  that  some  of  the  Indian  labourers 
are  indentured,  or  bound,  in  some  way,  for  a  number  of 
years.  They  are  all  very  respectable,  obliging  fellows, 
with  nothing  of  the  criminal  type  about  them  ;  but 
there  is  a  number  of  loose  characters  lurking  about  the 
city  ;  as  there  is  in  all  the  mining  centres  of  America 
in  both  divisions  of  the  continent.  These  live  by  preying 
on  the  honest  workers,  cheating  them  at  play,  and  hocus- 
sing  them  in  various  other  ways  ;  yet  those  mortal 
quarrels  which  are  so  frequent  in  Spanish-American 
towns,  are  not  common  here  ;  and  a  police  officer  told 
me  that  years  often  passed  unsullied  by  the  committal 
of  a  murder  in  Pasco. 

The  silver  in  the  mines  is  found  in  conjunction 
with  iron,  and  there  are  traces  of  copper  and  other 
metals.  The  silver  is  smelted  on  the  spot,  but  very 
badly.  Since  my  visit  I  have  heard  that  English 
and  Scotch  mining-engineers  are  now  engaged  in  the 
conduct  of  the  mines  ;  and  many  improvements  have 
been  made. 

Lakes  are  not  numerous  in  any  part  of  South  America, 
except  saline  pools  on  the  Pampas  ;  but  there  are 
several  in  the  Knot  of  Pasco  which  resemble  Lake 


THE    UPPER   MARANON  15 

Lauricocha  in  character,  though  most  of  them  are  tarns 
of  only  a  few  hundred  acres  in  extent ;  and  some  not  a 
hundred  yards  across,  yet  they  are  very  deep,  and  never 
dry  up  or  diminish  in  area. 

I  examined  one,  situated  about  twenty  miles  from 
Lauricocha,  which  evidently  occupied  the  crater  of  an 
extinct  volcano.  The  banks  shelved  down  so  steeply 
that  it  was  dangerous  to  descend  to  the  water,  which 
was,  in  places,  nearly  300  feet  deep  close  to 
the  shores.  Thousands  of  ducks  and  other  water-fowl 
frequented  its  surface,  which  was  less  than  half  a  mile 
across  ;  and  shoals  of  tiny  fish  were  seen  swimming 
slowly  in  the  water.  If  there  were  larger  ones  they 
kept  well  out  from  the  shore,  and  persistently  refused 
to  take  the  cunningly  baited  hooks  with  which  we  tried 
its  depths. 

Other  lakes  in  the  district  were  found  to  contain 
trout-like  fish  ranging  in  weight  from  a  few  ounces  to  a 
dozen  pounds.  There  were  also  caught  fish  resembling 
the  white-fish  of  the  northern  lakes,  and  a  kind  of  bream 
of  small  size. 

All  extinct  craters,  and  deep  depressions  amongst  the 
mountains,  contained  water,  which  must  have  collected 
from  the  melting  snow.  Only  Lakes  Lauricocha  and 
Chinchaicocha,  and  one  or  two  more,  have  visible  outlets. 
Chinchaicocha  is  the  largest  lake  in  this  region,  having 
an  extent  of  surface  at  least  four  times  as  great  as  that 
of  Lauricocha.  It  appears  to  be  about  a  dozen  miles 
long,  and  three  or  four  broad  :  but  I  am  calculating  by 
appearance  to  the  eye,  as  I  had  no  opportunities  of 
taking  measurements  ;  though  the  lake  is  only  a  short 


16  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

distance  from  Pasco,  and  a  few  thousand  feet  below  it. 
it  is  not  in  any  way  connected  with  the  source  of  the 
Amazon. 

After  leaving  Lake  Lauricocha  the  Upper  Maranon 
rushes  turbulently  through  a  rocky  country  for  a  dis- 
tance of  between  twenty  and  thirty  miles.  This  part 
of  its  course  is,  by  barometric  measurement,  about 
10,000  feet  above  sea-level.  There  are  no  actual 
falls,  but  several  cascades  ;  and  the  bed  of  the  river  is 
full  of  huge  rocks  and  boulders  of  all  sizes.  The  depth 
does  not  seem  to  be  great  at  any  part  of  this  upper 
course ;  but  the  force  of  the  current  is  undoubtedly 
great,  and  no  boat  could  live  on  the  stream  for  one 
moment.  A  little  lower  down  a  few  quiet  pools  alternate 
with  the  wild  torrent ;  and  there  are  spots  where  the 
river  is  fordable.  Care  is  required  in  passing  it :  for 
there  are  often  deep  holes  in  these  pools  which  are  only 
two  or  three  yards  in  diameter,  and  though  the  water 
is  absolutely  clear,  one  does  not  see  them  until  about 
to  step  into  them.  They  are  of  the  nature  of  "  pot 
holes  "  ;  being  very  symmetrical  in  form,  and  occasion- 
ally a  dozen  feet  deep. 

At  this  point  the  scenery  surrounding  the  river  is  very 
sublime,  though  of  the  wildest  character  conceivable. 
Huge  ranges  of  mountains  tower  above  it  6000  or 
7000  feet,  and  enclose  it  on  all  sides.  These  summits 
are  snow-clad  after  every  storm-burst,  but  the  snow  does 
not  lie  long  except  there  is  a  continuance  of  bad  weather. 
The  mountains  verge  on  the  line  of  perpetual  snow,  but 
do  not,  like  Chimborazo,  Cotopaxi,  and  some  other 
mighty  summits  to  the  northward,  actually  enter  it. 
Only  occasionally  does  the  snow  lie  for  weeks  together 


THE    UPPER   MARANON  17 

on  the  extreme  summits  of  these  enclosing  moun- 
tains, which  form  a  wall  on  each  side  of  the  valley 
through  which  the  river  tumbles  and  rolls  rather  than 
runs. 

The  rocks,  both  in  the  valley  and  in  the  bed  of  the 
river,  are  often  covered  with  lichens  and  mosses  ;  but 
vegetation  of  higher  classes  is  scarce  ;  and  the  tall 
mountain  ranges  and  peaks  are  completely  bare  of  it, 
and  have  a  hard  and  austere  appearance. 

The  condor,  the  typical  bird  of  the  Andes,  may  be 
seen  any  day  soaring  in  the  sky  until  it  is  a  mere  speck. 
It  would  be  more  correct  to  write  condors  :  for  it  is  a 
rare  thing  to  see  a  solitary  bird  of  this  species,  or  even 
a  pair  of  them  alone.  It  is  a  sociable  bird,  and  flies  in 
flocks  usually  numbering  about  forty  individuals,  and 
sometimes  twice  that  number.  It  depends  on  the 
amount  of  persecution  it  has  undergone.  In  very  lonely 
places,  far  from  the  habitation  of  cruel  man,  I  have  seen 
as  many  as  300  together;  a  fine  sight  as  they  sail  majesti- 
cally round,  and  in  and  out  amongst  themselves  ;  some- 
times descending  to  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the 
spectator,  and  again  ascending  until  out  of  sight,  and 
only  betraying  their  presence  by  an  occasional  hoarse 
cry.  At  what  height  they  cease  to  be  visible  to  the 
human  eye  I  do  not  know ;  but  I  have  wratched  them 
disappear  when  I  was  standing  on  heights  so  great  that 
I  had  to  struggle  for  every  breath  I  inhaled.  They  cer- 
tainly ascend  at  least  six  miles  above  sea-level,  and 
suffer  no  inconvenience  or  loss  of  physical  power.  But 
it  should  be  mentioned  that  there  are  two  species,  of 
these  birds ;  and  the  smaller  one  does  not  fly  nearly  so 
high  as  the  larger. 


18  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

Guanacos  run  wild  on  this  part  of  the  Andes  range ; 
but  they  are  so  much  harassed  by  the  hunters  and 
others  who  visit  these  elevated  regions  in  pursuit  of 
various  callings,  that  they  are  seldom  seen.  They  must 
feed  largely,  if  not  entirely,  on  moss  and  the  few  dwarfed 
cacti  found  on  the  lower  ranges :  though  there  are  spots 
where  these  cacti  are  abundant  and  flourishing  at  much 
greater  heights  than  10,000  feet.  The  cactus  is  a  plant 
of  the  desert  and  the  desolate  mountain  range. 

A  dipper,  or  water-ouzel,  also  haunts  the  tumultuous 
Upper  Marafion.  It  is  a  bright  little  bird,  with  a  brilliant 
chestnut  breast,  and  amused  me  much  with  lively  habits, 
and  daring  ventures,  as  it  flew,  as  it  seemed,  right  into 
frothing  torrents  which  one  would  think  must  sweep  it 
under  and  away. 

No  doubt  flies  were  the  objects  of  its  pursuit ;  and  insect 
life  is  abundant  enough  in  this  bleak  valley.  Besides 
gnats,  or  mosquitoes  (always,  and  every  where,  in  America 
counted  amongst  my  chief  tormentors),  there  were 
clouds  of  a  very  minute  grey  fly,  a  mere  speck  of  a  thing, 
but  which  caused  me  much  suffering,  to  the  great  amuse- 
ment of  my  friends  the  bandits ;  for  I  was  the  only  man 
of  the  party  whom  they  attacked.  They  bit  me  cruelly 
at  the  back  of  the  neck  on  those  bosses  which,  I  believe, 
the  phrenologists  declare  denote  philoprogenitiveness  in 
the  individual,  until  these  "  bumps  "  were  swollen  to  a 
very  conspicuous  size. 

"  Why  should  they  sting  me,  but  none  of  you  ?  "  I 
enquired,  pathetically. 

"  Beef  ! "  was  the  cool  reply  of  the  chief  of  the  party ; 
an  evident  reference  to  the  size  of  my  person,  and  the 
fleshiness  thereof ;  which,  I  must  admit,  were  in  strong 


THE    UPPER   MARANON  19 

contrast  to  the  leanness  and  small  figures  of  my  com- 
panions. 

I  have  described  these  men  as  contrabandist^  the 
Spanish  word  for  smugglers,  which  is  really  what  they 
were.  I  do  not  think  they  were  worse;  but  they 
were  armed  to  the  teeth  as  the  saying  is ;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  of  what  would  have  happened  if  they  had  come 
in  contact  with  the  customs  officers  or  soldiers.  We  did, 
indeed,  receive  information  at  a  lonely  hut,  tenanted  by 
a  goatherd,  that  an  armed  force  was  on  the  look-out 
for  us ;  and  the  information  caused  us  to  hurry  through 
a  great  part  of  the  valley.  Having  a  lively  remembrance 
of  what  happened  to  me  when  I  fell  into  the  hands  of 
some  customs  officials  in  Mexico  on  a  previous  occasion, 
I  was  by  no  means  happy  for  a  day  or  two  until  the 
danger  blew  over. 

Why  was  I  found  in  the  company  of  such  characters  ? 
Travelling  alone,  or  at  most  with  one  or  two  attendants, 
and  with  very  inadequate  means,  I  often  found  it  both 
convenient  and  safe  to  join  myself  to  very  shady  char- 
acters. Such  men,  having  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
remote  parts  of  their  country,  could  guide  and  assist  me 
to  reach  places  I  should  have  been  unable  to  visit  alone. 
With  but  a  scant  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  language, 
and  not  too  well  acquainted  with  the  laws  and  customs  of 
the  land,  I  should  of  ten  have  been  stopped  and  turned  back 
if  I  had  not,  as  it  were,  squeezed  through  in  a  crowd  of 
determined  characters  who  were  sure  to  make  their  way 
by  "  force  or  cunning,"  and  often  with  a  considerable 
show  of  "  funning,'*  which  I  was  not  adverse  to  witness- 
ing. I  was  there  in  search  of  wild  scenery  and  wild 
adventures,  and  not  at  all  disposed  to  be  too  particular 


20  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

in  the  choice  of  my  associates.  Besides,  while  in  their 
company  I  was  immune  from  that  fleecing  process  they 
were  disposed  to  inflict  on  "  stray  birds,"  to  use  their 
own  phrase,  and  I  was  often  passed  on  from  band  to 
band.  How  did  I  become  acquainted  with  these  men 
and  secure  their  confidence  and  friendship  ?  I  do  not 
feel  called  on  to  reveal  this :  sufficient  to  say  I  never 
partook  of  any  action  which  I  deemed  unjust,  or  even 
dishonourable,  or  in  any  way  countenanced  unrighteous- 
ness. 

The  first  falls  on  the  Maranon  are  of  the  nature  of 
cascades,  or  rapids,  rushing  down  sharp  slopes,  generally 
for  short  distances,  but  in  some  places  for  the  length  of 
a  mile  or  more.  There  are  spots  where  the  valley  narrows 
to  a  mere  gorge ;  and  here  the  river  flows  through  canons 
which,  though  not  comparable  to  those  of  the  Colorado, 
are  grand  and  impressive  beyond  the  power  of  pen  to 
describe. 

The  river,  in  these  canons,  glides  with  a  silent  force 
which  is  misleading  to  the  eye.  Possibly  a  boat  could 
live  on  it,  and  pass  through  in  safety ;  but  though  I  have 
had  a  great  experience  in  dangerous  river  navigation  in 
all  parts  of  America,  I  should  not  care  to  risk  running 
through  any  of  the  Maranon  canons.  I  noticed  that  the 
force  of  the  current  had  cut  away  the  base  of  the  rocks 
and  undermined  them;  in  some  places  causing  heavy 
falls  which  had  partly  blocked  the  channel.  The  debris, 
and  smaller  fragments,  had  been  swept  away  ;  but  many 
huge  blocks  remained  firm  in  the  stream,  causing  the 
water  to  hiss,  boil  and  dash  into  spray,  in  a  way  that 
inspired  one  with  deep  awe  to  witness. 

The  circumstances  of  my  journey  in  this  region  pre- 


THE    UPPER   MARANON  21 

eluded  exact  measurements,  as  I  have  already  hinted ; 
but  guessing,  without  exaggeration,  I  should  state  the 
longest  canon  to  be  about  twelve  English  miles  ;  and  the 
greatest  height  of  the  environing  rocks  400  feet.  On 
an  average  they  are  200  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
water,  which  they  often  overhang.  Nowhere  is  there  a 
beach,  or  sloping  bank,  like  that  found  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Colorado  canons  :  but  every  feature  here  is  on  a  much 
smaller  scale  than  in  that  marvellous  district,  and  the 
general  features  different.  For  instance,  the  rocks  form- 
ing the  actual  sides  of  the  canon  are  placed  much  closer 
together  proportionally  than  they  are  in  the  Colorado 
river :  although  the  vast  height  of  these  last  named  have 
a  far  more  imposing  effect. 

In  the  Maranon  canons  the  rocks  are  often  not  200 
feet  apart,  giving  a  very  gloomy  effect  to  the  chasm 
between,  in  spite  of  the  brilliant  skies  and  bright  light 
above  :  but  something  must  often  be  allowed  for  the 
shadow  of  the  enclosing  mountains  of  the  outer  ranges, 
which,  in  two  or  three  places,  approach  to  within  600  or 
700  yards  of  the  river,  towering  over  it  at  least  5000  feet, 
and  perhaps  1000  or  2000  feet  more.  In  one  place, 
mountains  3000  feet  high  approach  to  within  much  less 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  top  of  the  canon,  which 
is  here  more  than  300  feet  deep. 

Through  such  regions  as  those  the  Maranon  dashes 
and  rolls  for  an  extent  of  country  which  is  said  to  be 
150  leagues  in  length,  or  more  than  400  English  miles. 
Judging  from  the  time  it  took  me  to  traverse  it,  and  the 
known  distances  between  many  places  on  the  course,  I 
should  believe  that  the  upper  reaches  of  the  stream 
extend  fully  this  distance. 


22  THE    RIVER   AMAZON 

The  gorge  where  it  leaves  the  Andes  and  drops  to  the 
low  lands  of  Brazil  is  one  of  the  wildest  I  have  seen  in 
any  of  my  wanderings  in  the  two  vast  continents  of 
America ;  and  this  is  making  a  very  strong  assertion 
indeed. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  DOWNWARD  RUSH  TO  THE  GREAT  FOREST 

A  REMARKABLE  feature  of.  the  Andes  Range  is 
-*"*-  that,  running  due  north  and  south,  or,  at  least, 
practically  so,  the  eastward  face  or  slope  is  far  more 
steep,  or  abrupt,  than  the  western.  Why  it  is  so  I  do 
not  know :  but  it  is  a  fact  that  it  is  so  :  not  here 
and  there,  but  throughout  its  entire  length  in  South 
America. 

A  result  of  this  peculiar  feature  is  that  these  rivers, 
like  the  Maranon,  taking  their  rise  in  the  elevated  valley 
before  mentioned,  and  flowing  eastward,  reach  the 
central  plains  of  the  continent  in  a  series  of  cascades 
and  falls,  many  of  which  are  of  superb  grandeur.  There 
are  not,  within  my  knowledge  (and  it  is  very  extensive) 
any  such  large  and  heavy  falls  as  are  found  in  the  Yo- 
semite  Valley,  and  Yellowstone  Park,  of  the  North  con- 
tinent ;  but  many  of  the  falls  of  the  rivers  which  form 
the  head  waters  of  the  Amazon  are  incomparable 
for  depth,  and  for  picturesque  beauty  and  wonder- 
fulness. 

The  west  wall  of  the  Andes,  in  the  valley  of  the  Upper 
Maranon,  is  the  highest ;  and  many  rivulets  and  brooks 
flow  from  it  to  the  Maranon.  Some  of  them  have  their 
origin  in  springs  in  the  rocks ;  and  others  are  formed  by 
the  overflow  of  small  lakes,  or  ponds ;  but  I  think  I  may 

23 


<24  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

safely  say  that  all  these  springs  and  ponds  are  collections 
of  snow-water.  Not  all  of  them  are  permanent ;  but  many 
are.  In  every  case  the  current  is  very  rapid ;  and  falls 
and  cascades  are  numerous.  In  the  wider  parts  of  the 
valley  some  small  rivers  have  a  course  of  fifty  or  sixty 
miles  before  joining  the  Marafion ;  and  on  one  I  saw  a 
fall  of  at  least  200  feet  in  an  unbroken  stream,  though 
the  quantity  of  the  descending  water  was  not  great.  In 
many  places  the  cascades  meet  projecting  rocks,  or 
ledges,  and  are  dashed  into  clouds  of  spray.  There  are 
also  dry  watercourses,  which  are  probably  torrents  after 
heavy  snows  and  rains :  for  tropical  showers  of  great 
violence  are  frequent :  and  I  thought  the  heavier  falls 
always  took  the  form  of  rain,  and  the  lighter  that  of 
snow.  Something,  of  course,  depends  on  height ;  but 
heavy  rains  were  experienced  at  greater  altitudes  than 
12,000  feet.  Only  one  or  two  brooks  join  the  Maranon 
on  the  east  side,  before  it  bursts  away  from  the 
Andes, 

There  are  a  number  of  isolated  huts  and  houses,  and 
a  few  small  hamlets  and  towns,  in  the  valley,  of  which 
the  chief  are  Llata,  Huari,  Caxamarquilla  and  Jaen. 
Most  of  these  places  are  engaged  in  the  mining  industry ; 
but  there  is  no  made  road  between  them  :  indeed  the 
country  is  so  high,  so  rough  and  broken,  and  so  little 
used,  that  this  circumstance  is  not  surprising. 

The  sea  is  not  more  than  100  miles,  in  a  direct  line, 
from  the  centre  of  this  valley  ;  in  some  places  it  is  not 
seventy  miles ;  and  it  is  visible  from  some  of  the  higher 
peaks  of  the  western  wall.  Such  passes  as  there  are 
hardly  deserve  the  name  of  "  secondary."  Only  fatalists, 
and  persons  with  no  particular  respect  for  the  safety  of 


Photo  Underwood  &  Underwood 
RAILWAY  TO   MINES   NEAR  THE   SOURCE   OF  THE   AMAZON 


THE   DOWNWARD    RUSH  25 

their  necks,  would  be  likely  to  attempt  them.  The  first 
regular  pass  is  that  running  from  Truxillo,  through 
Caxamarca  to  Moyobamba.  It  crosses  both  walls  of 
the  Andes  at  a  great  elevation;  and  passes  over  the 
Maranon  by  means  of  a  terribly  rickety  bridge,  which  is 
never  repaired  until  an  accident  calls  the  attention  of 
the  Peruvian  authorities  to  its  dilapidated  state.  This 
bridge  is  near  the  little  town  of  Ulco,  where  my  smuggling 
companions  left  me.  Thirty  miles  farther  on  the  river 
reaches  the  forest  ground  by  a  series  of  leaps  and  cascades 
of  great  beauty  and  grandeur,  though  only  a  few  of  them 
make  sheer  drops  of  any  great  height.  The  fall  of  Vir- 
mapantando  is  a  series  of  three  great  cascades  of  about 
100,  50  and  60  feet  respectively,  with  some  inter- 
vening torrents;  the  whole  occurring  within  about  a 
mile  and  a  half.  A  dozen  miles  lower  down  there  is 
another  cataract  of  about  thirty  feet ;  and  then  a  series 
of  rapids  which  carry  us  almost  to  the  junction  of 
the  Chito  river,  which  runs  through  Ecuadorian 
territory. 

Long  before  we  reach  this  point  boats  can  be  used  on 
the  Maranon ;  but  frequent  portages  are  necessary.  I 
have  shot  some  of  the  rapids  in  a  canoe ;  but  the  practice 
is  dangerous  here  on  account  of  the  great  number  of 
submerged  rocks  ;  and  several  treacherous  whirlpools, 
the  cause  of  which  is  very  obscure  ;  but  I  suspected  that 
some  of  them  were  formed  by  the  escape  of  water  through 
underground  channels.  After  a  very  narrow  escape  of 
drowning  I  abandoned  the  intention  of  descending  the 
river  by  boat ;  and,  in  fact,  my  knowledge  of  the  lower 
Amazon  was  acquired  in  an  ascent  of  the  river  from 
its  mouth,  in  the  years  1884-85. 


26  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

In  this  region  there  are  two  distinct  species  of  condors, 
one  being  much  smaller  than  the  other,  and  of  lighter 
plumage,  there  being  little  or  no  black  colour  about  it. 
It  resembles  the  Calif ornian  condor ;  and  farther  north 
is  the  only  kind  met  with. 

The  condor  is  a  bird  which  ought  to  be  well  known -by 
this  time ;  but  the  actual  experiences  I  have  gained  of 
it  are  greatly  at  variance  from  what  I  find  written  by 
professional  naturalists.  I  shall  not  start  an  argument ; 
nor  shall  I  directly  contradict  any  man :  but  it  must  be 
noted  that  the  information  I  give  here,  and  elsewhere, 
in  this  book  is  all  gained  at  first  hand.  It  will  be  found, 
however,  to  differ  much  from  many  almost  universally 
received  opinions.  I  am  sorry  it  is  so :  but  it  is  obvious 
that  only  two  courses  are  open  to  me.  I  must  either 
state  facts  as  they  appeared  to  me  or  fall  into  line  with 
the  herd  of  professed  naturalists,  and  repeat  the  fine  old 
fictions,  which  have  been  repeated  fifty  times  in  the 
hundred,  or  two  hundred,  years  which  have  elapsed  since 
the  first  observer  made  his  erroneous  observations,  or 
was  misled  by  the  statements  of  Indians  who  did  not 
fully  understand  the  questions  put  to  them.  Perfectly 
honest  and  truthful  men  make  mistakes,  and  grave 
ones.  A  great  many  of  the  remarks  of  Darwin  on 
South  American  natural  history  are  not  worth  the 
paper  on  which  they  are  written ;  yet  nobody  would 
think  of  accusing  that  great  man  of  intentionally 
misleading  the  public.  The  simple  fact  is  that  he 
was  not  in  the  country  long  enough,  and  had  not  a 
sufficient  general  knowledge  of  it,  to  make  exhaustive 
observations. 

However,  I  shall  say  no  more  concerning  the  mistakes 


THE    DOWNWARD    RUSH  27 

and  errors  of  others.  I  simply  give  my  experiences  ;  and 
add,  as  an  explanation,  that  if  they  differ,  or  seem  to 
differ,  from  those  who  may  be  worthy  of  as  much,  or 
more,  credence  than  I  am,  it  is  an  unfortunate  circum- 
stance. But  I  certainly  do  differ  from  many  credited 
authorities :  and,  as  a  case  in  point,  about  the  condor 
amongst  other  things. 

It  may  be  gross  nonsense  to  describe  the  bird  as  wheel- 
ing round  Chimborazo — I  believe  it  is :  but  it  ascends,  in 
its  flight,  to  a  much  greater  height  than  that  mountain, 
as  I  have  already  described.  Why  it  does  so  is  one  of 
those  problems  of  nature  that  no  man  can  solve.  So 
far  as  I  could  perceive  the  chief  object  seemed  to 
be  to  enjoy  life,  and  the  wonderful  power  of  wing 
with  which  these  magnificent  birds  are  endowed  by 
the  Almighty.  It  was  certainly  not  to  search,  or 
watch,  for  prey.  Of  that  there  can  be  no  doubt 
whatever. 

Condors  are  gregarious,  as  previously  stated ;  and  they 
usually  breed  in  one  another's  neighbourhood,  but  not 
in  association.  Near  the  spot  where  the  Maranon  passes 
through  the  mountain  barrier  there  is  a  rugged  knot 
known  as  "  Condor  Rocks,"  where  these  birds  rear  their 
young  in  great  numbers.  They  also  nest  in  the  rocky 
highlands,  which  abut  on  the  Amazon  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Chito  river,  and  south  of  it.  In  their  breeding 
habits  all  the  species,  or  varieties,  resemble  eagles ;  and 
lay  the  same  number  of  eggs,  viz.  two  or  three.  It  has 
been  asserted  that  the  Californian  condor  lays  only  one. 
I  have  repeatedly  taken  two  from  the  same  nest.  Con- 
dors sometimes  make  a  nest,  and  sometimes  do  not. 
The  Andes  condor,  which  we  may  call  the  common 


28  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

species,  since  it  has  the  greatest  range,  and  is  the  most 
numerous,  usually  lays  its  eggs  on  a  mossy  crag,  or  ledge 
of  rock  where  there  is  a  growth  of  herbage  ;  and  always 
seeks  the  shelter  of  an  overhanging  rock,  tree  or  protec- 
tive object  of  some  kind.  Sometimes  they  occupy  a 
crevice ;  or  hole,  which  has  been  scooped  out  by  some 
other  animal.  The  eggs  are  usually  described  as  white  : 
they  are  not  pure  white ;  but  a  kind  of  pale  grey,  and 
dirty  in  appearance.  Those  of  the  Californian  condor 
are  a  pale  dove-grey. 

Two  errors  concerning  the  condor  are  persistently 
repeated,  by  modern  writers.  The  first  is  that  condors 
attack  men,  and  other  animals.  I  am  sure  they  never  do 
anything  of  the  kind.  Of  course  they  may  destroy 
newly  born  animals  if  they  get  the  chance  to  do  so,  and 
they  may  commence  operations  on  moribund  creatures 
that  are  too  far  gone  to  offer  resistance :  but  this  is  the 
full  extent  of  their  depredations.  Carrion  is  their  natural 
food ;  and  they  seek  nothing  else.  The  ignorant  herds- 
men, and  other  people  of  classes  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
placing  their  beliefs  and  suppositions  in  the  place  of 
actual  knowledge,  may  assert  the  contrary  to  this ;  but 
they  are  no  more  to  be  relied  on  than  the  people  of 
Lancashire  who  believe  in  witches;  or  the  peasants  of 
Devonshire  who  consult  a  "  wise  woman  "  instead  of  a 
doctor. 

The  second  mistake,  a  piece  of  guesswork,  based  on  a 
peculiar  formation  of  the  larynx,  is  that  the  condor  has 
no  voice.  It  rarely  makes  any  sound  except  when  on 
the  wing ;  then  it  utters  a  peculiar  hoarse  cry,  which  is 
indescribable,  as  it  is  quite  unlike  that  of  any  other  bird 
I  am  acquainted  with.  It  seems  to  consist  of  a  single 


THE    DOWNWARD    RUSH  29 

note — a  prolonged  guttural  sound,  which  can  be  dis- 
tinctly heard  when  the  bird  is  at  a  very  great  height  in 
the  air. 

Before  reaching  the  forest  region  the  traveller  from  the 
Andes  towards  the  Amazon  must  pass  through  some 
curious  zones  of  vegetation.  The  region  of  lichens 
extends  nearly  to  the  summits  of  the  mountains  that 
form  the  Knot  of  Pasco,  which  may  be  put  at  16,000  or 
17,000  feet.  Elsewhere  they  are  found  on  all  parts  of 
the  rocks.  Mosses  abound  up  to  about  10,000  feet ;  and, 
in  places,  much  higher ;  and  are  often  conspicuous  owing 
to  their  profusion,  remarkable  forms  and  brilliant  colour. 
Favoured  by  the  protection  of  these  cryptogamic  growths 
several  pretty  wild  flowers  are  found  at  unusually  great 
heights  for  such  plants ;  amongst  them  several  kinds  of 
calceolaria ;  and  almost  the  first  woody-stemmed  growth 
that  is  met  with  is  a  crimson-flowered  azalea.  The 
majority  of  plants  and  flowers,  however,  were  quite 
unknown  to  me ;  many  of  them  being  now  seen  for  the 
first  time. 

It  was  very  curious  to  suddenly  drop  from  a  region 
of  flowering  shrubs  and  aromatic  plants,  to  an  inter- 
mediate zone  of  cacti  of  gigantic  size,  reminding  me  of 
the  "  Staked  Plains  "  of  Texas.  The  candelabra  cacti 
were  here  of  great  size,  denoting  a  barren  soil,  or,  perhaps, 
the  presence  of  alkalies  in  the  detritus  of  these  moun- 
tains :  for  in  the  western  states  of  the  North  I  invariably 
found  such  deposits  in  the  soil  where  cacti  flourished 
most.  "  A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing,"  sang 
the  poet  Pope.  Men  have  perished  of  thirst  amongst 
groves  of  cacti  plants.  Had  they  possessed  "  a  little 
learning,"  one  slash  of  a  knife  on  the  nearest  trunk 


30  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

would  have  furnished  them  with  several  quarts  of  excel- 
lent fluid,  and  saved  their  lives. 

How  the  cactus  attracts  and  collects  moisture  from  the 
deadly  aridness  of  the  most  desolate  deserts,  I  know  not ; 
but  I  have  found  the  taproot  of  a  candelabrum  cactus 
descend  thirty  feet  into  the  ground,  and  then  have  not 
discovered  the  end  of  it.  I  do  not  know  that  "  root  "  is 
a  proper  term  for  the  curious  prolongation  of  the  trunk 
which  is  capable  of  penetrating  ground  which  seems 
hard  as  rock  to  the  footsteps  of  man.  Why  does  Nature 
protect  this  natural  reservoir  with  thorns  long  and  strong, 
which  wound  cruelly  if  they  are  not  approached  care- 
fully ?  The  wild  horses  of  the  plains,  and  other  animals, 
guided  by  instinct,  or  reason,  know  the  value  of  the 
cacti ;  and  feed  eagerly  on  the  moist  substance  of  these 
plants ;  but  the  only  way  in  which  they  can  get  at  it  is 
to  kick  it  to  pieces  with  their  hoofs.  In  doing  this  they 
often  badly  lame  themselves. 

There  are  several  other  kinds  of  cacti  on  the  mountain 
sides;  all  growing  above  the  belt  of  forest;  but  lower 
than  the  lichens  and  mosses.  The  presence  of  cacti  on 
the  ground  seems  to  be  fatal  to  the  existence  of  the 
cryptogamia,  yet  the  two  classes  of  plants  appear  to  be 
closely  allied.  I  think  it  would  be  out  of  place  to  point 
out  here  the  numerous  similarities  between  the  two 
genera ;  but  some  of  the  cacti  have  the  creeping  habits 
which  so  greatly  distinguish  the  cryptogamia ;  and  which 
so  often  make  them  appear  like  a  disease  of  the  earth's 
surface,  insomuch  that  "  lichen  "  has  been  adopted  by 
the  medical  profession  as  the  descriptive  word  of  a  large 
class  of  skin  diseases. 

Not  that  all  lichens  and  cacti  have  a  repulsive  appear- 


THE   DOWNWARD    RUSH  31 

ance :  but  a  forest  of  the  candelabra  cacti  has  a  curious, 
and  artificial,  look  to  the  eye.  This  is  not  altogether 
displeasing ;  but  there  is  a  kind  of  low-growing  cactus 
which  resembles  a  scab ;  and  which  creeps  and  creeps 
until  it  has  covered  large  tracts  of  country  in  an  irregular, 
patchy  way ;  and  which  is  not  only  an  unsightly  thing ; 
but  is,  also,  a  source  of  much  trouble  to  the  traveller ;  as 
it  bristles  with  large  thorns  strong  enough  to  cripple  a 
horse. 

There  are  but  few  evils  unfurnished  with  a  "  compen- 
sation balance  " ;  and  this  creeping  cactus  bears  a  very 
delicious  and  refreshing  fruit.  The  fruits  of  all  cacti 
appear  as  warts,  or  excrescences,  on  the  trunks  of  the 
plants.  Some  of  them  are  well  known  as  the  "  prickly 
pears  "  of  the  shops ;  and  not  infrequently  are  exposed 
in  the  markets  of  all  European  and  American  countries. 
The  flavours  vary  much.  Most  of  them  are  sub-acid, 
like  those  of  the  currant  and  gooseberry ;  but  in  the  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona  district  there  is  a  variety  which 
tastes  much  like  a  strawberry.  Both  the  sap,  which  is 
very  abundant,  and  the  fruits  of  these  plants,  have  a 
remarkable  strengthening  effect  on  the  human  system ; 
and  I  am  surprised  that  this  fact  has  not  been  more 
noticed  than  it  seems  to  have  been.  Perhaps  this  neglect 
of  a  useful  remedy  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  cacti  grow 
only  in  very  desolate  and  unattractive  regions.  I  think 
invalids  suffering  from  consumption,  and  other  debilitat- 
ing complaints,  would  benefit  greatly  from  a  prolonged 
stay  in  a  cacti  forest. 

Not  only  are  the  curative  properties  of  cacti  ignored 
or  unknown  ;  but  their  common  uses  are  neglected  in  an 
amazing  way.  I  have  passed  through  districts  in  the 


32  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

"Wild  West"  of  the  United  States,  which  could  not 
have  been  traversed  by  a  party  unprovided  with  a 
water-cart,  were  it  not  for  the  abundance  of  these  curious 
plants. 

I  have  also  found,  and  assisted  in  the  tracking,  of 
men  who  have  perished  of  thirst  surrounded  by  an  abun- 
dant growth  of  cacti.  On  one  occasion  I  was  present  at 
the  burying  of  four  men  who  had  died  raving  mad  as  a 
result  of  drinking  the  water  of  the  "  soda  ponds  "  in  an 
insane  effort  to  relieve  their  sufferings.  They  all  lay 
under  huge  cactus  plants ;  and  one  of  my  party,  cutting 
off  a  limb  of  one  of  these  plants,  and  suspending  a  bucket 
under  it,  obtained  two  gallons  of  cool  and  refreshing 
fluid  in  less  than  half  an  hour.  So  do  men  often  perish 
with  salvation  within  reach  of  their  hands. 

The  huge  forest  which  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
South  American  continent ;  and  which,  in  spite  of  much 
wanton  destruction  on  its  outskirts,  still  occupies  at 
least  a  million  square  miles  of  surface ;  and,  allowing  for 
some  breaks,  and  its  extensions  into  Venezuela  and 
Guiana  in  the  north,  and  Bolivia  in  the  south,  may 
stretch  to  nearly  double  that  area,  climbs  some  6000  or 
7000  feet  up  the  slope  of  the  Peruvian  Andes.  The 
height  varies  in  different  districts,  for  no  perceptible 
reason.  In  the  highlands,  which  extend  into  the  interior 
about  300  miles,  along  the  whole  length  of  Peru,  and 
where  the  rivers  have  a  strong  current,  vast  quantities 
of  timber  have  been  felled,  and  sent  floating  down-stream 
to  such  places  as  Santiago  and  San  Ignacio,  on  the  Upper 
Amazon,  where  it  is  collected  into  rafts,  and  taken  down 
to  Wanta  to  be  shipped.  But  the  heart  of  the  forest  (and 
a  vast  heart  it  is)  is  impenetrable  to  the  lumber-man, 


THE    DOWNWARD    RUSH  33 

and  will  probably  long  remain  so.  Much  of  it  is  swamp 
— the  most  extensive  swamp  in  the  world :  and  where 
it  is  cut  by  large  rivers,  these  mostly  have  currents  so 
slow,  and  are  so  choked  in  places  by  the  trees,  which 
crowd  into  them,  and  environ  them  so  closely,  that  no 
breeze  strong  enough  to  fill  a  sail  ever  ruffles  their  sur- 
face. Consequently  timber  cannot  be  rafted  and  towed 
down  to  the  ports  on  the  main  river. 

Years  ago  the  Brazilian  Government  placed  a  torpedo 
gunboat  on  the  Amazon ;  and  a  sort  of  police-boat 
specially  constructed  to  steam  up  the  many  great  tribu- 
taries of  the  great  river,  and  explore  them.  But  even 
these  failed  to  effect  many  discoveries,  or  gather  materials 
for  maps.  The  difficulties  are  great  in  the  navigation  of 
rivers  with  all  sorts  of  hidden  dangers  uncleared  from 
their  channels :  and  commanders  of  torpedo  craft  are  not 
exactly  the  kind  of  gentlemen  to  explore  such  regions 
as  Matto  Grosso.  The  Brazilian  sailor  has  yet  to  learn 
the  meaning  of  such  nautical  phrases  as  "  Show  a  leg  and 
save  the  tide  " ;  and  to  do  a  thing  in  "  a  brace  of  shakes  " 
is  quite  beyond  his  capacity,  even  with  a  smart  sergeant 
of  marines  and  a  rattan  cane  behind  his  back  :  and  I 
have  seen  sailors  of  the  Brazilian  navy  caned  in  a  way 
which  one  might  have  thought  would  make  even  a 
tortoise  lively.  The  first  explorers  of  the  Matto  Grosso 
must  be  men  who,  like  myself  (let  the  boast  be  forgiven), 
can  bump  an  old  tub  over  a  mud  flat  without  spilling 
the  stores,  and  live  on  dried  monkeys'  tails  for  a  year  at 
a  stretch.  Something  of  this  sort  has  been  my  experience 
on  many  a  weary  journey  in  South  America,  and  I  have 
been  without  bread  for  so  long  a  period  as  almost  to 
forget  the  taste  of  it.  Bread,  I  should  mention,  was  not 

D 


34  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

used  by  the  Brazilians  of  the  back-lands ;  pulse  and  rice 
taking  its  place ;  and  many  families  living  entirely  on 
flesh,  with  small  quantities  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 

I  do  not  intend  to  dwell  on  the  natural  history  of  the 
Andes ;  but  I  wish  to  make  a  few  general  remarks  about 
some  of  the  birds  and  mammals  which  are  found  at  a 
great  height  in  the  range.  A  vast  mountain  range  may 
be  a  barrier  to  the  migration  of  many  species  of  creatures ; 
but  it  is  not  so  to  the  extent  that  "  systematic  natur- 
alists "  represent.  There  are  animals  on  the  Andes  to 
the  height  of  12,000  or  14,000  feet  that  one  would  not 
expect  to  find  there  considering  the  barrenness  of  the 
ground  and  the  severity  of  the  climate.  The  humming- 
bird, for  instance,  seems  to  be  out  of  its  element  in  such 
a  region,  where  flowers  are  few,  and  the  cold  bitter,  yet 
several  species  haunt  the  rocks  of  Peru  to  a  height  of 
12,000  feet  at  least.  I  am  not  sure  that  they  do  not 
even  cross  the  ridge  to  the  plains  of  the  seaboard.  At 
any  rate,  the  same  species  are  found  on  both  sides  of 
the  Andes  :  it  cannot,  therefore,  have  formed  a  barrier 
to  them. 

Mice,  too,  are  abundant  throughout  the  range, 
from  Patagonia  to  Ecuador,  and  this  in  places  where  I 
could  find  no  food  to  support  their  numbers !  They,  and 
the  humming-birds,  probably  feed  largely  on  insects, 
which  are  numerous  amongst  the  moss,  and  lurking  in 
the  cracks  and  fissures  of  the  rocks,  consisting  mostly  of 
moths  and  minute  beetles.  The  lichens  maintain  a  con- 
siderable insect  colony  of  their  own,  mostly  of  very  small 
creatures,  which  harmonize  so  well  with  their  surround- 
ings that  they  easily  escape  a  careless  human  eye.  Do 
they  escape  the  mice  and  the  humming-birds  ?  I  think 


THE    DOWNWARD    RUSH  35 

not.  These  little  creatures  know  where  to  find  their 
prey ;  and  they  find  it  in  spite  of  protective  colouring. 
They  would  soon  cease  to  exist  if  they  did  not :  and 
amongst  the  lower  creatures  existence  is  not  so  great  a 
struggle  as  we  are  taught  by  scientists,  who  must  find 
something  new  to  talk  about,  if  they  wish  to  keep  their 
names  before  the  public.  Left  to  herself,  Nature  keeps 
an  exact  balance. 

There  is  a  fox,  or  wild  dog,  of  small  size,  in  the  higher 
Andes ;  and  this  handsome  little  creature,  I  know,  feeds 
chiefly,  perhaps  entirely,  on  the  rats  and  mice.  These 
rodents  are  of  American  species.  There  appear  to  be  no 
fewer  than  six  kinds  of  mice  inhabiting  the  higher  Andes 
of  Eastern  Peru.  They  are  all  short-tailed,  "  white- 
footed  "  mice ;  and  one  species,  approximating  the 
European  brown  rat  in  size,  is  probably  confined  to  this 
region,  as  I  have  not  seen  it  in  any  other  part  of  America, 
or  in  any  museum. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  rats,  both  long-tailed :  one, 
weighing  about  a  pound,  is  scarce  (or  perhaps  nocturnal 
in  its  habits),  and  dwells  on  the  ground  occupied  by  the 
cacti  groves.  I  did  not  often  see  it ;  but  trapped  three 
or  four  specimens.  The  common  rat  of  the  Andes  is  a 
water-rat  which  is  found  in  all  parts  of  those  streams 
which  contain  fish.  It  also  preys  on  other  aquatic 
animals  and  insects ;  and  makes  a  very  beautiful  and 
symmetrical  nest  amongst  the  small  reeds  (a  kind  of 
stiff  grass)  which  grow  in  the  shallow  water  of  many  of 
the  mountain  streams.  The  entrance  to  the  nest  is  in 
the  side  ;  it  is  made  of  fine  grass,  interwoven  with  moss, 
and  sometimes  entirely  of  moss ;  and  lined  with  fur  which 
is  evidently  torn  from  the  breast  of  the  little  animal. 


36  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

The  structure  is  so  little  like  that  of  other  rats  or  mice 
that  I  mistook  it  for  a  bird's  nest  until  I  found  four 
young  rats  in  one  of  them. 

These  are  in  addition  to  the  European  rats  and  mice 
which  are  found  in  many  of  the  towns  amongst  the 
Andes,  from  Pasco  downwards,  until  they  may  be  said 
to  swarm  in  the  cities,  and  even  the  villages,  of  the 
coast-line  and  interior. 

Probably  no  animal  has  fixed  habits  which  it  never 
varies.  I  have  noticed  that  many  creatures  easily  adapt 
themselves  to  new  conditions  of  life.  Thus  many 
observers  have  fallen  into  great  errors  through  supposing 
because  they  have  never  seen  a  particular  kind  of  bird 
fly  higher  than  a  hundred  yards  that  it  never  ascends  so 
high  as  a  mile ;  because  it  has  only  been  noticed  at  the 
margins  of  pools,  that  it  never  swims  to  the  centres  of 
large  lakes. 

Large  flocks  of  birds  were  seen  flying  from  the  interior 
of  the  country  across  the  Andes.  To  do  this  they  must 
have  passed  at  an  altitude  of  at  least  three  miles. 
Amongst  them  were  dense  flocks  of  ducks,  geese,  and 
gulls;  all  probably  bound  to  the  sea  coast.  Gulls,  or 
tern,  breed  in  immense  numbers  in  the  marshes  and 
swamps  eastward  of  the  Peruvian  Andes,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Ucayali,  fully  300  miles  inland  from 
the  sea  !  Thirty  years  is  a  long  time  in  this  modern  pro- 
gressive era ;  but  about  thirty  years  ago  the  birds  had 
been  so  little  disturbed  in  the  valley  of  the  Upper 
Amazon,  that  at  the  proper  season  (when  the  breeding 
was  over)  ducks  and  gulls  might  be  seen  passing  the 
Andes  in  flocks  numbering  hundreds  of  thousands.  I 
have  seen  them  flying  all  day  in  batches  of  ten  to  twenty 


THE    DOWNWARD   RUSH  37 

thousand;  and  at  night  have  calculated  that  at  least 
2,000,000  birds  have  passed  over  my  head,  so  high  up 
that  they  appeared  as  mere  specks  though  I  was  stand- 
ing on  a  peak  16,000  feet  (three  miles)  above  sea-level ! 

Small  birds  passed  in  smaller,  yet  very  large,  flocks  ; 
and  multitudes  of  others,  the  species  of  which  could  not 
be  told  by  their  manner  of  flight. 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   UCAYALI 

rflHE  Ucayali  must  be  described  in  considerable 
-^-  detail.  It  is  not  merely  one  of  the  chief  head- 
waters of  the  Amazon  :  it  is,  in  the  opinion  of  many 
persons,  the  actual  source  of  the  main  river. 

Like  the  Mararion,  the  Ucayali  is  essentially  a  moun- 
tain stream  in  its  upper  courses ;  and  like  the  real  source 
of  the  Amazon  it  flows  through  inexpressibly  grand 
and  wild  scenery.  There  is  more  variety  in  the  country 
through  which  it  flows  than  is  the  case  in  the  Mararion ; 
and  it  is  a  much  longer  river  than  its  rival  for  chief 
honours. 

But  those  persons  who  think  the  Ucayali  is  the  source 
of  the  Amazon  are  invariably,  I  believe,  those  who 
have  not  visited  the  two  streams.  It  is  true  that  many 
Peruvians  claim  the  Ucayali  as  the  parent  of  the  Amazon ; 
but  their  opinions  are  of  little  worth,  as  they  are  those 
of  ignorant  men  who  are  guided  by  prejudice,  national 
pride,  and  any  reason  except  hard  fact. 

As  is  the  case  of  the  Maranon,  the  name  of  Ucayali 
applies  to  a  portion  of  the  stream  only — the  lower 
reaches  in  this  instance  :  and  it  is  doubtful  which  of  two 
great  branches  is  the  source  of  the  Ucayali.  These  two 
branches  run  parallel  for  a  long  distance,  divided  by  a 
lofty  range  which  forms  the  western  wall  of  the  eastern 

38 


THE    UCAYALI  39 

range  of  the  Andes :  for  here  the  mountains  divide  into 
two  huge  branches,  running,  like  the  rivers,  parallel  to 
each  other.  There  are,  besides,  subsidiary  or  outlying 
masses ;  and  the  scenery  is  of  such  a  varied  and  remark- 
able character  that  one  hardly  knows  where  to  begin  a 
description  of  it. 

The  left  branch  of  the  river,  the  one  I  believe  to  be  its 
source,  rises  in  a  vast  bend,  or  bay,  of  the  Andes  a  few 
miles  above  the  town  of  Cayllama,  through  which  it  runs. 
It  bursts  forth  from  the  mountain-side ;  but  would 
probably  be  dry  a  great  part  of  the  year,  were  it  not 
fed  by  the  melting  snow  from  the  tremendous  rocks 
which  surround  it,  from  which  a  great  number  of 
babbling  brooks  and  graceful  cascades  are  constantly 
running. 

The  people  of  Cayllama  believe  they  are  situated  at  a 
fabulous  height  above  the  coast  towns :  by  barometric 
measurement  (the  only  kind  it  was  in  my  power  to  make) 
I  made  the  place  about  9000  feet  above  the  sea.  The 
country  in  the  neighbourhood  is  a  plateau  enclosed  by 
mountains ;  and  there  is  some  cultivation  of  the  ground, 
which,  however,  is  miserably  poor,  and  unproductive  of 
the  most  necessary  things  for  man's  existence.  Terrific 
sand-storms  occur,  as  they  do  in  all  parts  of  the  elevated 
valleys  of  Peru;  and  whirlwinds  are  one  of  the  commonest 
sights  on  this  plateau.  I  have  seen  them  apparently 
from  100  to  150  feet  high ;  and  so  dense  that  I  have 
deemed  it  necessary  to  gallop  away  from  them.  The 
speed  at  which  they  travel  seems  to  be  from  six  or  seven 
to  about  twenty  miles  an  hour ;  and  they  are  often  very 
destructive.  Men  and  animals  lose  their  lives  by  being 
overtaken  and  buried  to  a  great  depth.  When  they 


40  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

break,  a  huge  cloud  of  fine  dust  rises  in  the  air,  and  can 
be  seen  a  vast  distance  away.  It  sometimes  floats  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  especially  if  a  strong  wind  continues  to 
blow  for  a  considerable  time. 

The  river  skirts  this  plateau,  running  at  the  base  of  a 
rocky  wall  as  far  as  the  little  town  of  Parura,  about 
twenty  miles  from  Cuzco,  which  is  known  to  be  nearly 
12,000  feet  above  the  sea.  It  here  takes  a  turn  to  the 
north,  the  course  at  first  being  nearly  due  east,  and 
becomes  known  as  the  Apurimac.  Lower  down  it  is 
the  Tambo;  and  it  is  not  until  its  junction  with  the 
Urubamba  (just  as  often  called  the  Vilcanota)  that  it  is 
called  the  Ucayali,  a  name  which  it  bears  to  its  junction 
with  the  Amazon. 

The  distance  to  the  meeting  of  the  Apurimac  with  the 
Urubamba  is  about  300  miles  from  Cay  llama.  Beyond 
this  point  the  Ucayali  is  a  mighty  river  with  a  total 
course  of  about  1000  miles ;  but  its  stream  is  very  tor- 
tuous and  it  has  never  been  accurately  measured. 

Its  upper  reaches  flow,  or  rather  rush,  through  a 
country  studded  with  snow-capped  peaks ;  and  as  the 
line  of  perpetual  snow  under  the  Equator  is  16,000  feet, 
these  vast  mountains  cannot  be  much  under  this  height. 
Some  of  them  undoubtedly  exceed  it. 

It  is  right  that  I  should  state  here  that  I  am  not 
acquainted  with  every  part  of  the  Ucayali's  course. 
I  simply  claim  to  know  enough  of  the  river  to  give  a 
general  description  of  it ;  and  a  particular  account  of 
certain  parts  of  it. 

The  whole  region  abounds  in  remarkable  features. 
The  country  lying  between  the  Urubamba  and  the 
Apurimac  is  entirely  occupied  by  the  remarkable  ridge 


THE    UCAYALI  41 

before  mentioned,  which  does  not  vary  much  in  height, 
and  towers  6000  or  7000  feet  above  the  valley  below  it : 
that  is  fully  14,000  feet  above  the  sea.  There  are  but 
very  few  known  passes  over  it ;  and  here  and  there  it 
rises  like  a  wall  above  either  river,  with  an  awe-inspiring 
abruptness. 

This  range  takes  its  rise  much  farther  south,  in 
Bolivia  on  the  eastern  shores  of  Lake  Titicaca,  the  largest 
lake  in  South  America.  The  cluster  of  peaks  in  this 
district  is  the  most  tremendous  in  the  whole  system  of 
the  Andes,  several  of  them  much  exceeding  20,000  feet 
in  height :  as  Serata,  Ancolum,  Illimani,  and  others ;  and 
the  whole  region  is  volcanic ;  ancient,  slumbering  and 
active. 

This  part  of  the  country  is,  however,  outside  the  scope 
of  the  present  work ;  and  I  must  confine  myself  to  the 
Apurimac  range,  often  called  the  Nevada  Cuzco,  and 
bearing  half  a  dozen  purely  local  names.  Only  a  few 
tiny  cascades  fall  from  it  into  either  of  the  rivers  which 
closely  embrace  its  base,  like  huge  ditches ;  but  at  a  spot 
on  the  Urubamba,  a  few  miles  above  the  embouchure  of 
the  Paucartambo,  there  is  an  unbroken  cascade  from 
the  rocks  which  appears  to  drop  at  least  1000  feet,  yet 
the  volume  of  water  is  so  small  that  when  the  wind 
blows  with  force  it  sweeps  it  aside  like  a  ribbon. 

The  distance  across  the  ridge  from  river  to  river  is 
from  twelve  to  thirty  miles,  above  Cuzco :  and  I  tried  to 
cross  it  at  seven  or  eight  spots  before  I  succeeded  in 
doing  so.  It  is  a  stiff  piece  of  climbing,  and  dangerous. 
Often  we  had  to  swarm  up  the  faces  of  cliffs  which 
were  as  perpendicular  AS  a  wall ;  and  for  more  than  half 
the  distance  up  a  slip  of  the  foot  would  have  meant 


42  THE    RIVER   AMAZON 

certain  death.  The  descent  on  the  other  side  was  even 
worse.  It  was  nearly  all  rope  work ;  and  we  had  often 
to  lower  one  another  100  and  150  feet ;  and  several  good 
ropes  were  lost,  as  it  was  found  to  be  impossible  to  dis- 
engage them  after  the  last  man  had  descended,  though 
one  of  the  guides  had  an  ingenious  device  for  effecting 
this  work. 

The  Apurimac  before  effecting  its  juncture  with  the 
Urubamba  becomes  the  Tambo ;  and  this  portion  of  it 
wends  its  way  through  defiles  as  gloomy  as  those  of  the 
Colorado,  though  not  so  high  and  impressive.  At  one 
place  the  canon  was  so  narrow  that  I  could  throw  a  pebble 
from  one  side  to  the  other ;  and  the  cliffs  above,  300  or 
400  feet  high,  hung  over  so  much  as  to  almost  shut  out 
the  view  of  the  sky,  and  exclude  the  daylight.  Some  of 
the  masses  above  seemed  to  be  loose ;  and  as  there  was 
plenty  of  evidence  of  heavy  and  frequent  falls  of  rock,  I 
was  quite  relieved  when  we  had  passed  through  this 
terrible  passage. 

On  the  whole  the  plateau  and  valleys  of  this  district 
seemed  to  be  more  fertile  than  those  farther  north  ;  but 
possibly  the  difference  of  season  must  be  allowed  for. 
Many  of  the  plants  and  flowers  seen  here  may  not  have 
been  in  leaf  and  bloom  at  the  time  I  visited  the  northern 
provinces.  At  any  rate,  there  were  scores  more  of 
flowers  here  than  I  saw  in  the  country  adjoining  the 
banks  of  the  Mararion.  Amongst  those  well  known  in 
Europe,  and  which  I  suppose  have  been  acclimatized  in 
the  last-named  country,  were  beds  of  heliotrope,  giving 
forth  a  delightfully  sweet  scent  as  we  tramped  through 
them.  Acres  of  the  hill-sides  were  covered  with  red  and 
yellow  calceolarias  and  verbenas ;  besides  hundreds  of 


THE    UCAYALI  43 

beautiful  blooms,  the  names  of  which  I  knew  not. 
•  Fuchsias  here  form  shrubs,  or  bushes,  fourteen  feet  high, 
and  bushy  in  proportion,  the  blooms  being  so  thick  as 
to  quite  eclipse  the  leaves,  and  almost  hide  them.  One 
splendid  flower  appears  to  be  a  dahlia ;  and  what  I  think 
is  singular,  and  almost  unique  amongst  wild  flowers, 
there  are  four  distinct  colours  in  its  blooms — yellow, 
white,  a  beautifully  rich  crimson,  and  scarlet. 

The  cultivated  plants  are  such  as  one  usually  associates 
with  a  tropical  climate,  though  the  degree  of  cold  is 
sharp,  not  only  on  the  mountains,  but  also  in  the 
sheltered  valleys ;  yet  the  coffee  and  tobacco  which  are 
raised  are  both  of  very  fine  quality ;  and  while  grain 
(except  rice)  will  often  not  ripen  or  prosper,  the  climate 
being  either  too  hot  or  too  cold,  the  sugar-cane,  and  cotton 
shrub,  both  flourish  on  the  mountain-sides ;  and  the  coca 
(not  cocoa)  plant  comes  to  perfection.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  vegetable  products  in  nature;  and 
why  it  is  not  better  known  and  more  used  in  other  parts 
of  the  world  is  very  puzzling.  Probably  the  accounts  of 
it  seem  too  marvellous  to  be  true ;  and  are  regarded  as 
"  travellers'  tales."  It  is  a  species  of  tea  which  has  the 
power  to  arrest  the  waste  of  the  human  system  to  so 
wonderful  an  extent  that  a  person  using  it  can  sustain 
severe  labour  without  other  food  for  several  days. 
Muleteers,  and  other  persons  travelling  in  the  Peruvian 
Andes,  always  carry  it  with  them ;  as  it  is  a  stimulant  of 
far  more  use  than  spirits ;  and  some  of  the  poorer  way- 
farers perform  journeys  of  several  hundred  miles  with 
scarcely  any  other  refreshment.  The  statement  seems 
an  exaggeration ;  but  it  is  not.  Bread  is  not  used  in 
Peru ;  and  the  poor  traveller  starts  on  his  journey  with 


44  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

no  other  provision  than  a  little  tobacco,  and  the  never- 
forgotten  coca  leaves — the  part  of  the  plant  in  general 
use,  though  it  flowers  and  fructifies  five  or  six  times  a 
year.  It  is  used  all  over  Brazil,  and  in  most  other  parts 
of  South  America  ;  but  chiefly  in  the  Andes. 

It  is  very  singular  to  pass  from  a  highly  cultivated 
mountain-side,  or  coffee  patch  in  a  valley ;  and  after  an 
hour  or  two's  travel  to  find  oneself  in  a  horrible  desert 
of  sand,  without  even  a  blade  of  grass  visible ;  but  it  is 
a  frequent  experience  in  the  southern  and  north-eastern 
districts  of  the  Peruvian  Andes.  That  part  of  the  elevated 
valley  which  lies  to  the  eastward  of  the  rivers  Paucar- 
tambo,  Urubamba,  and  Ucayali ;  and  also  the  Pampa  del 
Sacramento,  westward  of  the  upper  reaches  of  the  last- 
named  river,  contain  deserts  of  a  very  pronounced  type. 
Some  of  them  are  knee-deep  in  sand ;  and  several  are 
declared  to  be  impassable.  Men  have  made  the  attempt 
and  never  reappeared,  and  would-be  rescuers  who  have 
followed  them  have  also  disappeared.  I  have  myself 
penetrated  them  so  far  as  to  see  that  the  continually 
moving  clouds  of  fine  sand  must  be  a  very  real  danger 
to  man  and  horse  ;  and  I  crossed  one  of  them  with 
some  persons  who  did  not  fully  realize  the  risk  we  were 
taking.  Until  this  time  I  had  not  believed  there  were 
such  utterly  desolate  spots,  even  in  Sahara,  and  the 
central  steppes  of  Asia.  Nothing  of  life  is  found  in  them 
— no  bird  of  the  air  ever  crosses  them.  There  are  spots 
where,  though  they  are  as  dry  as  the  dust  of  Sodom, 
the  sand  is  so  loose  that  if  a  man  inadvertently  steps 
into  them  he  will  sink  and  disappear  as  readily  as  in  a 
quick-sand.  Blade  of  grass  !  The  very  lichens  refuse 
to  show  themselves  on  the  rocks,  which,  here  and  there, 


THE    UCAYALI  45 

crop  up  from  the  sand,  like  breakers  in  a  sea.  An 
absolutely  worthless  tract  of  country;  one  of  Nature's 
dust-heaps — an  elevated  Atacama,  without  the  one 
feature  which  makes  that  Chilean  wilderness  passable 
— fixity  of  soil.  A  railway  can  be  thrown  across  the 
desert  of  Atacama  ;  the  sands  of  the  desert  of  Sacra- 
mento would  swallow  up  railroad,  and  railroad  workers, 
and  its  sand-laden  winds  howl  for  more  ! 

Few  men  of  the  country  are  mad  enough  to  attempt 
the  passage  of  these  sand  deserts  :  the  people  think  it 
is  a  sign  of  insanity  to  propose  to  do  so.  Personally  my 
whole  series  of  adventures  in  South  America  were  the 
outcome  of  an  overwhelming  sorrow  which  made  me, 
not  altogether  reckless,  but  desperate,  and  careless  of 
consequences.  So  I  was  led  to  undertake,  and  do,  many 
things  that  seemed  rash ;  but  which  have,  at  any  rate, 
made  me  acquainted  with  some  little-known,  and  un- 
frequented, by-paths  of  the  world. 

It  is  strange  that  these  sand  tracts  should  exist  sur- 
rounded by  a  country  that  is  probably  the  best -watered 
region  in  the  world.  No  other  division  of  the  earth  can 
show  a  land  teeming  with  rivers  so  large,  and  so  numerous, 
as  those  which  form  the  system  of  the  mighty  Amazon : 
and  it  is  probably  only  water  that  is  wanted  to  turn 
these  barrens  of  dead  sand  into  gardens  of  Eden.  If 
one  or  two  of  the  rivers  of  the  elevated  valley  were  turned 
into  them  what  might  not  the  result  be  !  Or  the  waste 
might  gradually  be  won  by  planting  poplars  and  North 
American  pines  on  the  outskirts  of  them.  The  poplar 
has  been  introduced  into  many  parts  of  the  Andes, 
and  flourishes  apace;  but  the  pines  are  strangely 
neglected. 


46  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

After  the  junction  of  the  Urubamba  and  Tambo,  the 
river  (now  the  Ucayali)  runs  for  a  long  way  through  a 
wide  valley  which  is,  as  I  have  just  described,  bordered 
on  both  sides  by  some  of  the  worst  deserts  of  South 
America.  There  is  vegetation  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ucayali ;  but  no  tributaries  join  it  from  either  side  for 
a  distance  of  more  than  200  miles — a  very  remarkable 
circumstance.  One  river  only,  the  Pachutea,  runs  into 
it  on  the  left  bank.  Any  other  brook,  or  runnel  (nothing 
larger  can  possibly  reach  it),  that  perchance  reaches  its 
channel  is  certainly  dry  during  three-fourths  of  the  year. 
I  did  find  a  few  dry  beds  of  streams ;  but  these  could  only 
have  been  torrents  for  a  few  hours,  or  days  at  most, 
immediately  after  those  terrific  rain-storms  which  are 
common  at  the  season  we  may  term  "  the  fall  "  in  this 
region. 

The  course  of  the  Ucayali  is,  in  its  upper  reaches, 
through  rocky  channels,  which  are  only  occasionally 
deep  enough  to  be  described  as  canons.  The  stream  is 
rapid  with  shoots  and  cascades  at  frequent  intervals; 
but  as  far  as  I  know  the  river  at  this  point,  there  are  no 
falls  of  magnitude.  The  last  200  miles  of  its  course 
before  joining  the  Amazon  are  navigable  for  vessels 
larger  than  boats ;  and  there  is  much  cultivated  land  in 
this  region,  with  several  towns  and  villages  on  its  banks. 
The  last  hundred  miles,  at  least,  down  to  the  main  river, 
are  through  a  dense  primeval  forest.  Large  quantities 
of  the  timber  have  been  felled ;  but  at  the  time  of  my 
visit  these  inroads  had  not  made  any  very  perceptible 
diminution  of  the  forest  near  the  river.  The  "  back- 
woods "  were  still  impenetrable  to  any  ordinary  traveller ; 
a  tract  of  swamp  so  closely  overgrown  with  huge  trees, 


THE    UCAYALI 


47 


and  closely  knitted  vines,  that,  as  was  proved  by  an 
experiment  in  my  presence,  an  experienced  axe-man, 
after  eight  hours  of  incessant  hacking,  had  not  advanced 
twelve  yards  from  the  spot  where  he  commenced  opera- 
tions ! 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE    SEARCH   FOR   THE    HE  AD -WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS 

A  CCORDING  to  the  best  maps  I  could  procure,  the 
-^-  head-waters  of  the  Purus,  another  great  tributary 
of  the  Amazon,  are  not  more  than  thirty  miles  from 
the  junction  of  the  Tambo  with  the  Urubamba.  At 
this  time  I  had  been  up  the  Amazon  as  high  as  the 
first  cataract  (from  the  mouth  of  the  river),  and  had  also 
explored  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Purus ;  and  I 
would  have  gone  a  much  greater  distance  than  thirty 
miles  to  see  the  source  of  this  interesting  river.  So  I 
struck  inland  accompanied  only  by  a  personal  servant, 
a  Venezuelan  sailor  named  George  Maccara,  two  Peru- 
vian Spaniards  and  two  Indians  to  serve  as  carriers. 

At  this  time  I  was  not  in  a  good  state  of  health.  The 
change  of  diet  forced  upon  me  had  unpleasant  results. 
I  suffered  greatly  from  the  lack  of  bread.  After  a  time 
the  eating  of  much  fruit  and  vegetables  became  impos- 
sible, and  I  lived  almost  entirely  on  flesh  ;  but  the  meat 
of  all  kinds  in  this  part  of  South  America  is  almost 
devoid  of  fat ;  and  the  craving  for  fat  took  the  form  of 
a  disease  with  me :  so  much  so  that  when  I  obtained 
some  olive  oil  I  used  to  drink  large  quantities  of  it  daily. 
This  condition  lasted  until  I  returned  to  the  coast  towns 
and  obtained  the  food  of  civilization.  It  is  only  at  hotels, 
however,  that  bread  is  to  be  obtained,  and  that  only  at 

48 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  HEAD-WATERS         49 

hotels  frequented  by  United  States  tourists  and  Euro- 
peans. It  is  always  in  the  form  of  French  rolls — a  yard 
long.  These  remarks  apply  also  to  Brazil.  The  people 
of  the  land  eat  no  bread,  except  a  few  of  the  rich,  who 
have  acquired  the  taste  for  it  in  North  America  or  during 
their  travels  in  Europe. 

The  elevated  valley  of  Peru  stretches  farther  towards 
the  interior  than  is  shown  on  maps.  Thirty  years  ago 
there  were  no  accurate  maps  of  the  country  to  be  ob- 
tained in  Peru.  Those  published  in  the  United  States, 
and  in  England  were  better ;  but  even  these  were  of 
very  little  use  to  a  traveller.  They  were  on  much  too 
small  a  scale ;  and  were  only  approximately  correct — 
often  not  even  that.  Places  were  marked  upon  them 
which  did  not  exist,  and  many  that  did  exist  were  com- 
pletely ignored,  or  overlooked. 

Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  throughout  nearly 
the  whole  extent  of  Peru  there  is  a  double  set  of  elevated 
valleys ;  and  a  dual  set  of  enclosing  walls  also.  The  valley 
to  the  eastward  has  the  character  of  an  enclosed  plateau ; 
and  the  two  sets  of  ranges  are,  also,  divided  by  a  valley 
which  is  several  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
As  a  rule,  these  two  ranges  run  parallel  to  each  other ; 
but  there  are  many  breaks ;  and  some  conglomerations  of 
peaks  ;  the  Knot  of  Pasco,  for  instance.  In  a  general 
sense — a  very  general  sense — the  whole  country  is 
eminently  a  mountainous  one — even  more  so  than  Swit- 
zerland :  but  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  I  am  making 
a  comparison  between  the  two  countries.  No  two  moun- 
tain regions  could  be  more  dissimilar.  Glaciers  abound 
in  Switzerland ;  but  this  formation  is  almost  unknown 
in  Peru ;  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  American  country  being 

E 


50  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

situated  entirely  within  the  tropics.  Pine  forests, 
larches  and  firs  are  the  characteristic  forests  of  Switzer- 
land :  these  trees  are  unknown  in  Peru,  the  pines  of  the 
Andes  being  very  different  in  appearance  from  those  of 
Europe  and  North  America.  Neither  are  they  a  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  landscape,  as  they  are  in  other 
countries. 

The  slope  of  the  first,  or  western,  range  of  the  Peruvian 
Andes  is  more  abrupt  than  that  of  the  eastern ;  but  both 
are  far  more  steep  than  is  usual  in  other  countries.  To 
the  east,  I  found  it  difficult  to  find  a  pass  through  which 
I  could  descend  to  the  forest-covered  plain  below.  This 
part  of  the  country  is  not  occupied  permanently,  except 
by  Indians  and  a  few  isolated  planters  :  and  these  were 
singularly  ignorant  of  the  valley  country  to  the  eastward 
of  their  homes. 

The  Indians  of  this  region  are  not  so  intelligent  as  the 
red  men  of  the  North ;  and  not  so  adventurous.  They 
may  be  of  the  same  race ;  but  their  habits  and  proclivi- 
ties are  very  different ;  and  their  mental  development 
much  inferior  to  that  of  the  northern  tribes.  They  do 
not  wander  so  much;  and  I  found  both  Indians  and 
Spaniards  who  had  never  descended  to  the  forests  which 
lie  at  the  base  of  their  tremendous  mountains.  Why  ? 
After  some  time  I  met  a  Peruvian  who  could  give  a 
reason.  "I  went  once,"  he  said:  "but  it  took  me  two 
days  to  reach  the  plains.  I  went  after  gold.  An  Indian 
of  the  forest  had  come  up  to  us  to  buy  knives,  and  brought 
a  little  dust  of  the  precious  metal  to  pay  for  them.  He 
explained  where  he  found  it :  so  praying  to  our  Lady 
of  Good  Intent,  I  went  in  search  of  more.  Our  Lady 
must  have  been  angry  with  me :  for  I  found  no  gold ;  but 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  HEAD-WATERS         51 

instead  was  nearly  killed  by  a  jaguar ;  and  I  trod  upon  a 
big  snake  which  bit  me,  and  made  me  very  bad.  I 
sought  for  gold  five  or  six  months,  and  did  not  see  a 
trace  of  it ;  and  then  it  took  me  five  days  to  climb  back 
home.  As  there  is  nothing  to  be  found  I  never  went 
again." 

This  is  just  it.  "  There  is  nothing  to  be  found  " ;  and 
so  the  people,  Indians  included,  do  not  take  the  trouble 
to  go  up  and  down  the  difficult  mountain-sides.  There 
may  be  more  to  be  gained  by  a  little  enterprise  than 
these  supine  people  suppose ;  as  will  be  noticed 
presently. 

The  gentleman  whose  words  I  have  quoted  showed 
me  the  skin  of  the  jaguar  which  had  attacked  him.  It 
was  that  of  a  very  fine  animal ;  but  it  had  been  killed 
without  trouble ;  and  the  injuries  my  friend  had  sus- 
tained, as  evidenced  by  the  claw -marks  about  his  body, 
did  not  appear  to  have  been  very  severe.  I  have  seen 
men  who  had  been  mauled  to  a  much  greater  extent. 

I  induced  this  gentleman  to  go  with  me  about  twenty 
miles,  to  show  me  the  pass  by  which  he  had  descended 
to  the  plains.  We  had  first  a  stiff  climb  of  about  4000 
feet  up  the  barrier  range ;  which  was  covered  here  with 
beautiful  flowers,  shrubs,  bushes  and  small  trees,  amongst 
which  the  lauchamar  was  noticed.  The  Indians,  and 
lower-class  Peruvians  make  clothes  of  the  bark  of  this 
tree ;  which  is  first  soaked  in  water,  then  well  beaten 
with  mallets ;  and  thus  becomes  nearly  as  soft  and  elastic 
as  woollen  cloth. 

The  scenery  viewed  from  the  top  of  this  ridge  was 
superb.  It  was  clearly  seen  that  we  were  on  the  last 
eastward  barrier  of  the  Andes :  for  below  the  forest 


52  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

stretched  away  to  an  enormous  distance,  on  ground  that, 
from  our  eminence  looked  quite  flat.  No  hills,  undu- 
lations, or  other  inequalities,  could  be  perceived ;  and 
only  the  larger  rivers  gleamed  in  the  light  of  the  sun. 

The  colour  of  the  landscape  was  sombre,  with  no 
appearance  of  green  anywhere.  Greys  of  various  shades, 
with  blue  in  the  middle  distance,  and  a  pinkish  haze  on 
the  horizon,  were  the  prevalent  hues.  Here  and  there 
were  long  strips  of  blackish  shade,  and  others  of  brown  : 
in  fact,  the  whole  land  was  quite  different  in  appearance 
from  what  one  might  reasonably  expect  it  to  be;  and 
had  we  not  known  the  character  of  the  country,  nobody 
could  have  guessed  that  it  was  a  dense  forest.  There 
were  no  details,  and  no  individual  trees  distinguishable ; 
and  the  grandeur  of  the  scene  consisted  entirely  in  its 
immensity.  Broadly  it  was  similar  to  what  I  afterwards 
witnessed  500  miles  farther  north  in  Ecuador;  where, 
however,  the  colouring  was  very  different ;  which  is 
singular,  as  the  character  of  the  forest  is  the  same 
throughout  its  whole  extent.  Indeed  it  is  remarkable 
that  the  general  appearance  of  both  mountains  and 
forests  changes  but  little  throughout  the  central  parts 
of  South  America. 

Viewed  from  the  spot  where  we  were  now  standing, 
many  clouds  were  seen  floating  thousands  of  feet  below 
us,  and  obscuring  portions  of  the  distant  landscape. 
Above  the  sky  was  perfectly  clear ;  and  bright  to  the 
verge  of  dazzling  brilliance ;  yet  the  air  was  shrewd  and 
biting,  as  it  is  in  England  on  a  frosty  December  morning. 

Some  wild  guanacos  were  seen,  but  escaped  before  we 
could  get  within  shooting  distance  of  them.  I  discovered 
the  tracks  of  a  puma,  too ;  almost  the  first  I  had  seen 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  HEAD-WATERS         53 

since  I  had  been  in  these  mountains.  For  all  the  wild 
animals  are  much  persecuted ;  and  guanacos  and  pumas 
nearly  exterminated.  The  pumas  are  so  scarce  that  I 
never  actually  saw  one  in  the  highlands  of  Peru,  but 
these  animals,  and  jaguars,  I  found  to  be  exceedingly 
abundant  in  the  forests  of  the  plain,  where  no  hunters 
come  to  destroy  them.  At  the  present  time  we  could 
not  follow  the  puma  the  footmarks  of  which  were  seen 
on  account  of  the  inaccessibility  of  the  ground. 

The  descent  to  the  plains  was  down  a  gully  with  walls 
so  close  together  that  often  I  could  touch  both  at  the 
same  time  by  stretching  out  my  arms.  I  passed  through 
a  fissure  in  Ecuador  of  a  very  similar  kind,  but  far  more 
gloomy  and  difficult  of  passage  than  this  one,  the  walls  of 
which  were  seldom  more  than  forty  or  fifty  to  a  hundred 
feet  high.  The  most  difficult  part  was  a  cliff -like  drop  of 
twenty  feet,  down  which  we  clambered  by  means  of  a 
roughly  made  grass-rope  ladder ;  which  was  left  in  posi- 
tion to  assist  us  to  mount  when  we  returned. 

When  we  came  to  the  side  of  the  mountain  our  real 
difficulties  commenced;  for  it  was  covered  with  loose 
stones,  which  gave  way  beneath  our  weight,  and  dan- 
gerous rolls  and  falls  were  frequent,  the  stones  flying 
down  with  us,  and  sometimes  inflicting  nasty  cuts  and 
knocks.  Slipping,  sliding,  falling,  we  did  not  reach  firm 
ground  until  sunset.  The  forest  was  then  still  several 
thousand  feet  beneath  us,  but  we  could  distinguish  the 
trees  quite  easily,  and  smell  the  peculiar  aromatic  odour 
which  arises  from  some  of  them. 

The  moon  was  about  a  quarter  old,  and  gave  sufficient 
light  to  reveal  the  landscape  dimly  to  a  great  distance, 
and  I  remained  awake  the  greater  part  of  the  night 


54  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

viewing  the  wonderful  scene,  the  like  of  which  few  men 
have  the  privilege  of  seeing  even  once  in  the  course  of 
their  lives.  It  would  be  futile  to  attempt  to  judge  the 
distance  over  which  the  eye  could  range.  In  a  former 
work,  writing  of  the  Ecuador  Andes,  I  have  put  it  at 
hundreds  of  miles.  This  may  be  an  exaggeration,  and 
probably  is  so ;  but  the  range  of  eye  over  a  flat  country, 
from  a  height  of  10,000  to  16,000  feet,  is  enormous,  and 
quite  possibly  does  not  fall  short  of  100  miles.  There 
are  no  points,  or  natural  objects,  which  serve  to  fix  the 
distances  viewed — all  is  one  apparently  flat  expanse  of 
the  densest  forest  on  the  earth's  surface. 

Humming-birds  abound  to  the  very  summit  of  this 
outer  ridge.  Five  species  were  noted,  the  largest  not 
bigger  than  a  wren.  Parrots  and  macaws  keep  to  the 
lower  forests,  where  they  are  abundant.  Large  condors 
were  almost  continually  hovering  about  us  at  a  great 
height.  These  birds  seldom  approach  very  close  to  men ; 
but  they  do  sometimes  come  within  gunshot.  I  have 
killed  a  few  from  curiosity  and  desire  to  examine  them ; 
but  I  soon  gave  up  shooting  them,  as  their  destruction 
is  going  on  too  fast.  Prejudice  and  obstinacy  say  they 
are  mischievous  birds :  I  know  differently ;  and  the  time 
will  come  when  the  people  of  South  America  will  regret 
the  extermination  of  these  handsome  and  elegant  birds. 
A  mountainous  and  rocky  country  is  essential  to  their 
existence;  and  although  they  visit  the  plains,  they  do 
not  dwell  in  any  part  of  the  level  country. 

Small  birds  were  seen  on  the  mountain-side,  but  no 
large  ones  besides  the  condors ;  and  no  mammals  except 
mice  and  chinchillas,  which  are  marvellously  abundant. 
They  live  in  colonies ;  and  the  faces  of  the  cliffs  are  so 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  HEAD-WATERS        55 

honeycombed  with  their  holes  that  they  look  like  the 
homes  of  multitudes  of  sand-martins.  These  little 
animals  have  the  power  of  running  up  a  perpendicular 
surface,  like  a  mouse ;  and  their  holes  are  self -burro  wed 
and  of  great  depth,  and  communicate  one  with  another 
— to  a  considerable  extent,  at  any  rate.  There  are  several 
kinds  of  chinchillas ;  but  in  this  district  those  which  I 
saw  were  the  Peruvian  short-tailed  species.  They  are 
of  a  very  light  slate  colour  with  black  mottlings,  and  are 
as  active  as  squirrels.  During  my  night  watch  hundreds 
of  them  approached  our  camp,  apparently  attracted  by 
the  light  of  the  fire ;  but  on  the  slightest  movement,  or 
noise,  from  me,  they  bolted  in  a  body,  reappearing  in 
half  an  hour.  When  any  sound  came  up  from  the  forest 
below,  they  sat  up  and  evidently  listened  with  some 
anxiety,  turning  their  heads  from  side  to  side,  probably 
on  the  watch  for  enemies. 

Though  the  forest  was  fully  a  mile  beneath  us,  many 
sounds  emanated  from  it  during  the  night.  The  howling 
monkeys  were  busy,  and  kept  up  a  dismal  succession  of 
horribly  mournful  sounds — like  those  of  a  person  suffer- 
ing unutterable  torment.  Several  birds,  also,  disturbed 
the  serenity  of  the  night,  amongst  which  the  most  active 
was  probably  a  species  of  night -jar;  or  it  might  have 
been  an  owl.  Other  noises  I  could  not  allot  to  any 
particular  creature,  never  having  heard  them  before. 

It  is  singular  that  there  is  always  a  great  deal  of  noise 
in  the  Brazilian  forest  until  long  after  midnight ;  but 
during  the  day  the  silence  of  death  reigns  in  all  parts  of 
it.  The  monkeys  are  responsible,  mostly,  for  these  night 
noises.  The  howlers  mourn,  and  groan,  and  yell  in  a  very 
human-like  tone  of  voice ;  but  every  now  and  then  a 


56  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

sharp  scream  of  mingled  pain  and  horror  announces 
that  the  jaguar  has  pounced  upon  an  unfortunate  simian ; 
or  that  it  has  become  the  victim  of  a  lurking  boa-con- 
strictor. The  jaguar  makes  short  work  of  its  prey :  but 
the  horrid,  creeping  serpent,  never  active  but  during 
the  momentary  dart  on  its  victim,  is  as  cruel  as  a  cat 
with  a  mouse;  and  the  screams  of  a  monkey,  as  it  is 
slowly  crushed  to  death,  are  dreadful  to  listen  to. 

Continuing  our  journey  down  the  mountain-side  we 
came  to  an  extensive  cane-brake,  which  was  so  thick 
that  we  had  frequently  to  cut  our  way  through  it.  This 
was  easily  done,  and  did  not  delay  us  much ;  but  it  was 
afternoon  before  we  reached  the  lower  slopes  of  the 
mountain.  There  are  no  foot-hills,  but  the  actual  base 
slopes  down  gradually  to  the  lower  ground ;  and  cannot 
be  described  as  steep  for  the  last  2000  feet.  The  forest 
belt  here  ascends  from  4000  to  5000  feet.  It  would 
undoubtedly  grow  much  higher  up  ;  but  above  5000  feet 
the  cliff-like  face  is  too  perpendicular  to  afford  the  trees 
a  root-hold.  A  few  odd  ones,  and  some  clumps,  may  be 
seen  here  and  there,  where  the  winds  or  the  birds  have 
carried  up  the  seeds  to  ledges  and  crevices ;  but  these 
find  so  little  soil  for  their  support,  that  they  are  always 
small,  and  of  puny  development. 

The  forest  proper  is  simply  magnificent,  and  differs 
from  all  other  arboreal  tracts  on  earth.  As  is  well  known, 
in  all  countries,  North  American,  Asiatic  and  European, 
one  species  of  tree  supplants  another ;  and  thus  we  get 
forests  of  one  particular  kind,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
others.  But  in  this  vast  tract — Matto  Grosso— The 
Great  Forest — there  is  nothing  of  this  kind ;  but  the 
variety  of  trees  is  endless,  all  growing  together  in  mag- 


Photo  Underwood  &  Underwood 

A   "BELL-LLAMA"   LEADING   A   HERD  THROUGH   THE   INDIAN   STREET 

OF   PASCO 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  HEAD-WATERS         57 

nificent  confusion :  and  nowhere,  so  far  as  I  have  seen, 
does  one  species  predominate  over  more  than  a  few 
acres ;  and  even  such  instances  as  this  are  of  rare  occur- 
rence. 

To  name  the  trees  which  compose  this  wonderful 
forest,  even  those  of  the  commonest  kinds,  is  a  task  of 
which  I  am  incapable.  Many  of  them  are  quite  "  un- 
known to  science" ;  hundreds  are  well  known  to  botanists, 
and  have  been  described  by  more  competent  hands  than 
mine.  Some  of  the  more  curious  will  be  described  from 
time  to  time  in  this  book,  as  circumstances  bring  them 
into  prominent  notice.  Here  I  can  only  record  that  some 
of  the  largest  I  met  with  in  Matto  Grosso  were  found 
at  the  foot  of  the  Peruvian  Eastern  Andes.  It  is  not 
for  height,  so  much  as  for  extent,  for  bushiness,  that  they 
are  noticeable,  though  many  are  giants.  Trees  of  200 
feet  in  height  are  numerous ;  and  this  is  a  very  con- 
siderable size :  as  trees  exceeding  100  feet  are  very  rare 
in  most  wooded  countries. 

Branches  and  boughs  of  these  trees  often  exceed  100 
feet  in  length  and  are  eight  feet  in  diameter,  the  parent 
trunk  being  sometimes  as  much  as  twenty  in  diameter. 
Probably  the  weight  of  the  whole  tree  would  be  several 
hundred  tons.  Many  of  them  are  miniature  forests  in 
themselves,  supporting  large  trunks  of  other  species  as 
parasites,  the  whole  bound  together  by  creeping  plants 
of  huge  growth,  the  bines  of  which  exceed  a  foot  in 
diameter.  These  tremendous  vines  are  the  boa-con- 
strictor of  the  vegetable  world.  It  may  take  years, 
perhaps  ages,  but  in  due  course  they  crush  to  death  the 
mighty  trunks  they  embrace.  One  reads  about  the 
immense  creeping  and  climbing  plants  of  the  African 


58  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

forests,  and  sees  pictures  of  them ;  but  they  do  not  seem 
to  attain  so  vast  a  size  as  those  of  Brazil.  To  measure 
them,  except  the  girth  of  the  stem,  is  impossible  ;  but 
as  they  turn  and  twist  in  convolutions  that  must  do 
much  more  than  double  the  length ;  and  as  they  climb 
to  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,  a  fine  specimen  is  probably 
at  least  600  feet  long.  These  huge  vines  ramify,  and 
throw  off  hundreds  of  shoots  and  bines ;  so  they  are  plants 
remarkable  for  size  in  themselves.  Some  of  them  bear 
splendid  blossoms,  as  the  trumpet-flower,  which  is  so 
large  that  the  Indian  children  and  women  wear  them 
on  their  heads  like  helmets.  The  naturalist  Bates  was, 
I  believe,  the  first  to  notice  this  fact.  Trumpet-flower 
is  not,  however,  a  good  name  for  these  flowers :  for  there 
are  at  least  half  a  dozen  kinds  of  them,  borne  on  plants 
which  differ  very  widely  in  their  characters 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE   HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE   PURUS 

fTIHE  first  night  we  passed  in  this  region  we  camped 
-•-  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountains;  and  in  the 
morning  at  daybreak  one  of  the  Indians  called  my 
attention  to  a  herd  of  guanacos  up  among  the  rocks  at  a 
height  of  fully  1000  feet  (about  350  yards)  above  our 
heads.  I  shot  at  them  five  times  before  I  struck  one. 
The  sound  of  a  rifle  must  have  been  new  to  these 
animals :  for  at  the  first  shot  they  only  remained  still 
with  their  heads  stretched  up  to  listen.  At  the  next 
discharge  some  of  them  moved  a  little;  but  others 
resumed  their  munching  at  the  dry  herbage  on  the 
rocks. 

The  one  that  was  struck  tumbled  off  the  ledge  where 
it  was  standing,  and  slipped  and  rolled  almost  down  to 
our  feet.  It  frequently  caught  against  projecting  crags ; 
but  none  of  these  were  large  enough  to  prevent  its 
descent ;  and  the  carcass  was  a  good  deal  cut  and  rent 
by  the  sharp  points  and  stones ;  but  it  afforded  us  an 
abundant  supply  of  excellent  meat. 

Guanacos,  vicunas,  alpacas  and  llamas  are  all  closely 
allied  to  one  another,  being  simply  varieties  of  the  same 
species.  Llamas  are  domesticated  guanacos ;  and  there 
are  many  breeds  of  them,  just  as  there  are  of  horses  and 
sheep ;  and  the  alpaca  is  one  of  these  breeds.  There  is 

59 


60  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

no  more  difference  between  alpacas  and  llamas  and 
guanacos  than  there  is  between  south  downs  and 
merinos.  The  vicuna,  or  vicugna,  is  a  local  variety  of 
the  guanaco.  It  was  probably  a  mountain  guanaco, 
the  last-named  species  taking  to  the  mountains  at  a 
much  later  period  than  the  former.  The  larger  guanaco 
is  found  wild  in  the  pampas,  or  plains,  which  the  vicuna 
never  is.  Vicuna  is  the  Spanish  form  of  spelling  of  the 
name — I  do  not  know  on  what  authority  modern  writers 
have  changed  it  to  vicugna. 

The  guanaco,  and  all  its  varieties,  are  certainly  camels ; 
and  have  all  the  habits,  as  well  as  the  nasty  temper,  of 
these  "  ships  of  the  desert."  All  describers  of  the 
animal  notice  its  revolting  trick  of  "  spitting  "  at  per- 
sons who  approach  it  or  stand  near  to  watch 
it.  The  "  spitting "  is  really  a  blowing  out  of  the 
mucus  of  the  nose;  and  why  there  should  be  any 
fastidiousness  in  plainly  saying  so  I  cannot  conceive. 
They  have  another  nasty  habit  of  emitting  the  urine 
at  one,  in  a  straight  stream  like  the  fluid  of  a  skunk  : 
they  also  pair  in  quite  a  different  way  from  that  of  other 
animals.  All  of  them,  domestic  and  wild,  are  surly  and 
spiteful,  and  bite  and  kick  without  any  provocation ;  and 
they  are  incessantly  quarrelling  amongst  themselves, 
and  fight  as  viciously  as  dogs.  But  the  flesh  of  all  is 
excellent  food — the  best  meat  of  any  animals  in  South 
America.  In  the  elevated  valleys  of  the  Central  Andes, 
including  the  whole  of  Peru  and  Ecuador,  and  a  great 
part  of  Chile,  there  are  numerous  herds  of  llamas  and 
alpacas — the  largest  I  have  seen  contained  about  7000 
animals.  The  wild  guanacos  and  vicunas  number  about 
ten  to  twenty  per  herd,  except  in  the  uninhabited 


Photo  Underwood  &  Uuderwond 
A   HERD   OF   PACK-LLAMAS   AND   INDIAN   ATTENDANT 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          61 

wildernesses,  where  they  congregate  in  much  greater 
numbers. 

To  number  and  describe  all  the  animals  and  plants 
of  the  luxuriant  district  which  gives  birth  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Purus,  would  be  to  write  a  natural  history. 
It  may  be  noticed,  however,  that  owing  to  the  forest 
being  on  much  drier  ground  than  that  it  occupies  farther 
northward  and  eastward,  there  is  some  modification  of 
both  flora  and  fauna.  Monkeys  and  sloths  are  more 
abundant,  and  serpents  less  numerous ;  and  caimans,  or 
alligators,  altogether  absent :  but  these  reptiles  may 
have  been  estivating,  or  enjoying  their  summer  sleep, 
at  the  time  of  my  visit. 

Though  serpents  are  not  numerous  here,  I  saw  several 
of  large  size.  One  monstrous-looking  creature  was 
dragging  itself  from  tree  to  tree  a  hundred  feet  overhead, 
and  as  it  stretched  its  repulsive  body  almost  in  a  straight 
line,  I  thought  it  appeared  to  be  quite  sixteen  feet  long. 

I  nearly  walked  over  another  as  it  lay  semi-dormant 
in  the  herbage  at  the  foot  of  some  trees.  To  avoid 
accidents  I  destroyed  this  creature,  and  it  proved  to  be 
nearly  thirteen  feet  long.  A  bullet  through  the  head 
was  not  sufficient  to  quiet  it ;  and  it  was  finally  killed 
by  cutting  through  its  spine  with  an  axe.  Both  these 
snakes  were  boas. 

The  tender  spot  in  a  serpent  is  the  tail.  If  it  is  cut 
through  in  this  quarter  it  is  rendered  quite  incapable 
of  rising  to  attack,  or  of  writhing  away ;  and  will  not 
long  survive. 

The  ground  immediately  eastward  of  the  Peruvian 
Andes  has  a  gentle,  and  almost  imperceptible,  slope  to 
the  north-east,  and  the  country  is  full  of  brooks  and 


62  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

rivulets  with  beds  of  mingled  pebbles  and  sand.  The 
grass  on  the  banks  is  green,  and  the  ground  meadow- 
like  ;  but  generally  the  water-courses  run  through  a 
thick  canopy  of  foliage,  many  of  the  trees  being  heavily 
laden  with  fruits  and  flowers.  Very  few  of  the  streams 
in  this  neighbourhood  are  too  deep  to  be  fordable ;  but 
some  of  them  have  deep  holes  in  their  beds ;  and  most 
of  them  pretty  rapids  and  cascades  of  no  great  size. 
The  babbling  of  brooks  is  incessant ;  and  the  songs  of 
birds  greet  the  ear  in  the  early  morning  and  late  at  night. 
For  several  species  of  the  birds  of  the  district  have  charm- 
ing songs ;  and  a  kind  of  bell-bird  is  very  frequently  to 
be  heard  tolling.  Tolling  is  a  good  word  to  express  the 
sound  this  most  extraordinary  creature  makes :  for  the 
notes  are  not  produced  in  very  quick  succession — at  any 
rate  by  this  species,  which  is  about  the  size  of  a  black- 
bird and  of  a  mottled  brown  colour. 

It  differs  much  from  those  I  have  seen  in  eastern 
Brazil,  which  are  mostly  white-plumaged.  The  species 
which  I  am  now  describing  is  furnished  with  a  long,  horn- 
shaped  appendage  at  the  base  of  the  upper  beak,  which 
is  not,  so  far  as  I  could  perceive,  erectile;  and  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  remarkable  sounds  the  bird  produces, 
which  are  very  similar  to  those  of  a  musically  toned  bell, 
of  considerable  size. 

I  am  afraid  no  words  of  mine  can  describe  these  sounds, 
and  the  extraordinary  effect  they  have  on  the  human  ear 
when  heard  in  the  solitudes  of  a  vast  forest,  so  far  re- 
moved from  human  habitations  that  one  easily  feels  as 
lonely  as  a  modern  Adam.  No  person  hearing  the  notes 
for  the  first  time,  and  unacquainted  with  their  origin, 
could  possibly  guess  that  they  proceeded  from  the  throat 


HEAD-WATERS    OF    THE    PURUS          63 

of  a  tiny  songster.  "  Tong  !  tong  !  tong  !  "  then  a 
pause.  "  Tong  !  tong  !  tong  !  "  followed  by  a  dozen 
more  notes,  none  of  them  uttered  in  quick  succession ; 
but  with  an  interval,  like  the  notes  of  a  slowly  rung  bell. 

The  bird  seems  to  be  strictly  arboreal,  as  I  have  never 
seen  it  on  the  ground.  It  keeps  at  a  good  height,  up 
amongst  the  densely  growing  leaves;  which  makes  it 
difficult  to  see ;  but  I  have,  on  several  occasions,  wit- 
nessed it  in  the  act  of  tolling.  The  head  is  thrown  back, 
the  body  stretched  upward  and  the  beak  opened  widely, 
while  the  sound  is  emitted. 

The  bell-birds  are  decidedly  shy  little  creatures ;  and 
are  always  difficult  to  discover,  even  though  the  plumage 
of  some  of  them  is  pure  white ;  a  circumstance  that  shows 
that  Nature  is  under  no  necessity  to  clothe  an  animal 
in  "  protective  "  garb  to  render  it  safe  from  the  attacks 
of  its  enemies  :  for  no  hues  could  be  less  likely  to  secure 
an  animal's  immunity  to  danger,  than  the  pure  white 
of  some  of  the  bell-birds,  the  scarlet  of  the  macaws,  and 
the  black  of  the  toucans. 

The  fact  is  that  in  one  set  of  circumstances,  and  under  a 
peculiar  class  of  conditions,  not  only  are  the  fur,  feather 
and  scales  of  any  and  every  living  creature  imitative  of 
its  surroundings ;  but  there  is  no  object,  animate  or  in- 
animate, that  does  not,  also,  in  a  particular  set  of  circum- 
stances, and  under  peculiar  circumstances,  closely 
resemble  some  other  object.  The  very  clouds  are  often 
mistaken  for  mountains;  and  -"  Sheep's  Tor"  means 
that  the  Devonshire  rustic  found  some  difficulty  in  dis- 
tinguishing his  flock  from  the  boulders  of  his  native 
downs. 

Difficulties,  and  lack  of  means,  prevented  me  from 


64  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

penetrating  farther  into  the  interior  of  the  forest  than 
about  fifty  English  miles.  To  do  this  I  followed  the 
courses  of  the  streams,  usually  walking  in  a  foot  or  two 
of  water.  For  though  the  forest  is  not  so  dense  as  it  is 
towards  the  heart  of  Matto  Grosso,  and  for  hundreds  of 
miles  inland  from  the  banks  of  the  great  rivers,  it  is 
thick  enough  to  prevent  the  free  progress  of  men. 

In  some  of  the  "  leafy  tunnels  "  passed  through,  and 
in  which  we  walked  distances  of  twenty  miles,  or  more, 
without  seeing  the  clouds,  the  gloom  was  so  great  that 
all  objects  appeared  only  as  shadows.  To  prevent  acci- 
dents we  advanced  in  file,  roped  together,  like  moun- 
taineers ;  so  if  the  leading  man  stepped  into  a  hole,  a 
mischance  that  often  occurred,  the  others  were  warned, 
and  pulled  him  on  to  his  feet  again.  The  rearmost  of 
the  party  carried  the  arms,  ammunition  and  other 
articles  that  a  wetting  would  spoil ;  and  the  vicinity  of 
dangerous  animals  was  announced  by  the  barking  of 
three  or  four  dogs  which  we  had  with  us ;  one  of  which 
fell  a  victim  to  a  puma  or  a  jaguar,  we  could  not  tell 
which  in  the  prevalent  dimness. 

Both  pumas  and  jaguars  were  unpleasantly  numerous. 
We  could  hear  them  crying  and  screaming  at  night ;  and 
they  often  came  so  close  to  our  camp  that  we  could  hear 
them  purring ;  for  all  three  sounds  are  uttered  by  both 
jaguars  and  pumas.  The  screaming  sound,  much  like 
that  of  the  domestic  cat  when  it  is  quarrelling  with 
others,  indicated  that  these  larger  animals  were  also 
settling  their  disputes  with  tooth  and  claw. 

According  to  the  book-naturalist  the  puma  is  not  a 
dangerous  animal ;  but  I  am  afraid  he  has  never  met  it 
in  the  wilds :  at  any  rate  all  writers  are  pretty  well  agreed 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          65 

that  the  jaguar  is  a  creature  not  to  be  played  with.  It 
has  the  very  dangerous  habit  of  lying  stretched  on  the 
limb  of  some  great  tree,  where  it  is  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish it;  not  so  much  because  its  "protective  colour- 
ing harmonizes  with  the  rough  bark  and  mosses  of  the 
trunk  "  as  because  it  takes  care  to  keep  the  body  of  the 
bough  between  itself  and  the  passing  victims  for  which 
it  is  watching.  It  is  not  at  all  particular  what  this 
victim  is.  It  usually  has  to  put  up  with  some  forlorn 
spider-monkey,  or  howler ;  and  perhaps  with  a  dry  old 
sloth ;  or  still  drier  ant-eater;  but  it  is  partial  to  domestic 
animals  of  all  kinds ;  especially  dogs  and  men :  and  though 
it  is  true  that  carnivorous  animals  are  slow  to  attack 
men  as  a  rule,  unless  they  are  provoked,  the  jaguar  is 
one  of  the  exceptions  that  prove  the  rule :  and  if  a  plump 
specimen  of  the  family  Primates,  genus  homo,  happens 
to  pass  under  its  favourite  lurking  tree,  it  drops  silently, 
and  swift  as  a  lightning  stroke,  on  the  back  and 
shoulders  of  that  unfortunate  lord  of  creation ;  and  then 
there  is  a  tragedy  in  which  the  best  man  is  the  victim, 
thus  proving  that  the  victory  is  not  always  to  the  strong; 
though,  in  this  case,  the  race  is  certainly  to  the  swift. 

For,  I  have  actually  seen  a  jaguar  pounce  on  its  prey ; 
and  the  swiftness  and  suddenness  with  which  it  descends 
are  certainly  amazing.  The  animal  resembles  a  flash  of 
light,  rather  than  a  springing  body ;  and  the  death  of  the 
victim  is  assured ;  for  the  position  of  the  jaguar  on  its 
back,  renders  resistance  impossible.  The  assailant  is  a 
brutal  enemy,  too.  It  is  never  in  a  hurry  to  put  its  prey 
out  of  its  misery ;  but  likes  to  suck  the  blood  from  the 
living  animal.  I  once  saw  a  living  monkey  in  the  clutches 
of  a  jaguar.  I  was  not  aware  of  the  near  neighbourhood 
F 


66  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

of  the  beast  of  prey  until  the  screams  of  the  monkey 
called  my  attention  to  them  both  as  they  struggled  in 
a  tree  seventy  feet  above  my  head.  The  jaguar  was 
holding  the  victim  down  with  one  paw,  and  growling 
over  it ;  while  I  was  nearly  helpless,  as  I  was  shooting 
birds  and  had  only  a  fowling-piece  and  a  revolver  with 
me.  However,  I  fired  both  barrels  into  the  brute's 
flanks ;  and  was  drawing  the  revolver  with  the  intention 
of  giving  it  a  further  peppering;  but  it  did  not  wait. 
Giving  me  a  startled  look,  it  bolted  higher  up  the  tree 
where  I  could  not  see  it.  The  monkey  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  was  quite  dead  when  I  picked  it  up ;  but  the  poor 
little  animal's  cries  rang  in  my  ears  for  days  afterwards. 

Pumas  are  not  so  dangerous  as  jaguars;  but  the 
gentlemen  who  write  of  them  as  gentle  and  harmless 
beasts,  etc.,  have  evidently  never  seen  them,  except  in 
cages.  Both  animals  will  fight  desperately  if  wounded 
and  unable  to  escape ;  and  the  jaguar  is  ever  ready  to 
pounce  on  man  if  it  can  take  him  unawares  :  indeed 
there  are  reliable  accounts  of  its  having  boldly  faced  men 
and  destroyed  them  in  broad  daylight. 

Which  of  the  streams  that  rise  in  the  lower  mountain 
slopes  of  this  region  is  actually  the  Purus  I  am  unable 
to  say :  nor  is  it  likely  that  it  could  be  ascertained  with- 
out following  it  down  to  some  known  point ;  but  of  the 
twenty,  or  more,  that  I  examined,  it  is  probable  that  all 
find  their  way  into  the  main  stream  as  tributaries. 
They  are  all  remarkably  similar  in  character  and  dimen- 
sion— all  equally  beautiful  to  the  eye :  and  this  district 
is  one  of  the  most  delightful  and  Eden-like  of  any  I  saw 
in  South  America.  The  trees  were  often  masses  of 
bloom,  white  or  crimson ;  and  the  ground  studded  with 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          67 

flowers  of  a  hundred  kinds,  and  a  hundred  tints,  wherever 
they  could  find  light  and  air  enough  to  exist.  But  in  the 
thick  forest  creeping  plants  usurp  what  little  space  is 
left  by  the  close-growing  trees.  These  also  bear  curious 
and  splendidly  coloured  blossoms ;  and  there  are  a 
multitude  of  orchids,  mostly  white  or  light  purple 
in  hue. 

Here  I  saw  the  cannon-ball  tree,  a  kind  of  calabash, 
I  think.  Its  huge  round  fruit  is  hollow,  and  bursts  with 
a  loud  noise,  like  an  explosion,  when  it  drops  to  the 
ground.  Fern  trees  and  palms  were  exceedingly  abun- 
dant in  places ;  though  these  seemed  to  be  choked  out 
of  existence  in  the  dense  forest. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  spider-monkeys  inhabiting 
the  woods,  one  of  which,  remarkable  for  its  length  and 
extreme  slenderness  of  limb,  was  quite  new  to  me :  and 
I  never  saw  it  in  any  other  part  of  the  continent.  The 
howler  was  a  large  animal,  and  powerful  of  lungs ;  and 
seemed  to  be  very  plentiful,  judging  from  the  noises 
they  made  every  evening  and  far  into  the  night :  but  no 
matter  how  numerous  monkeys  may  be  in  the  forests, 
it  is  difficult  to  see  many  of  them.  They  are  cautious 
in  showing  themselves  too  freely ;  and  usually  remain  all 
day  in  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,  where  the  leaves  com- 
pletely enshroud  them.  No  doubt  this  is  their  safest 
place ;  as  snakes  cannot  ascend  to  the  extreme  tops  of 
the  trees  without  being  seen ;  and  the  branches  are  too 
slender  to  support  the  weight  of  their  arch-enemy  the 
jaguar.  The  safety  of  the  sloths  also  is  assured  by  their 
habit  of  keeping  to  slender  branches ;  though  they  do 
sometimes  get  surprised  by  their  wily  enemies.  Of  sloths 
there  are  many  in  the  Peruvian  forests.  I  often  saw 


68  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

them  clinging  to  the  boughs.  They  always  hang  back 
downwards :  and  are  never  seen  in  any  other  position, 
except  when  climbing  upwards,  or  shuffling  along  the 
ground.  But  their  visits  to  the  earth  are  very  few  and 
far  between.  In  the  trees  they  can  be  so  active  as  to 
show  that  the  word  "  sloth  "  applied  to  them  is  a  gross 
misnomer:  on  the  ground  they  are  so  helpless,  that  I 
am  not  sure  the  tortoise  could  not  out  race  them.  They 
are  most  harmless  and  helpless  creatures ;  and  if  cap- 
tured make  no  attempt  to  defend  themselves.  It  is  a 
fact  that  they  weep  piteously,  and  make  a  moaning  noise, 
when  they  find  themselves  in  the  hands  of  that  universal 
destroyer  of  all  things,  living  or  otherwise — man :  and 
I  should  think  they  are  the  most  tenacious  of  life  of  all 
mammals.  The  Indians  are  often  very  cruel  to  them ; 
and  when  one  was  brained  and  cut  open,  I  noticed  that 
its  heart  and  lungs  were  still  working.  If  they  are  shot 
as  they  hang  to  the  branches  they  are  seldom  or  never 
killed :  if  they  die  afterwards,  the  carcass  remains 
clinging  to  the  bough.  It  may  fall,  many  hours  after- 
wards, when  the  muscles  relax ;  but  this  is  exceptional ; 
and  the  Indians  of  Guiana,  and  North  Brazil,  who  shoot 
them  with  poisoned  arrows,  always  climb  the  trees  after 
them.  The  wourali  poison  is  as  fatal  to  sloths  as  it  is 
to  all  other  animals.  Bates'  assertion  that  he  has  seen 
a  sloth  swim  500  yards  across  a  river,  I  do  not  believe. 
He  must  have  been  mistaken ;  and  the  beautiful  fiction 
that  all  animals,  except  man,  swim  naturally,  should  be 
classed  with  those  funny  illusions,  the  barnacle  goose 
and  the  Scythian  lamb. 

The  sloth  has  a  great  dislike  to  water,  or  even  damp- 
ness ;  and  is  found  only  in  the  drier  parts  of  the  forest ; 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          69 

and  if  surprised  in  an  isolated  tree,  and  driven  to  the 
extremity  of  a  branch,  it  will  suffer  itself  to  be  captured 
rather  than  drop  into  a  river,  or  pool:  and  that  this 
reluctance  to  drop  is  not  the  result  of  fear  of  the  conse- 
quences of  a  fall  is  shown  from  the  fact  that  rather  than 
be  at  the  trouble  of  descending  a  large  trunk  where  its 
hold  is  never  very  firm,  it  will  precipitate  itself  from  a 
considerable  height.  I  have  known  one  drop  forty  feet 
to  hard  ground  to  avoid  capture,  and  sustain  no  injury 
whatever. 

It  is  not  correct  that  the  sloth  completely  strips  a  tree 
of  leaves  before  proceeding  to  another,  nor  does  it  live 
entirely  on  leafage ;  but  fruits  enter  into  its  diet.  •  They 
eat  the  young  leaves  and  buds ;  and  must  be  destructive 
to  trees.  They  also  consume  an  apple-like  fruit  of  a 
rank  acrid  taste ;  and  the  berries  and  gourds  of  several 
vines,  and  other  wild  fruits  of  the  forest,  all  of  which 
are  known  to  me  only  by  their  Indian,  or  local  Spanish, 
names ;  and  none  of  which  are  in  much  repute  among  the 
people  of  the  country.  The  sloth  seems  to  delight  in 
strong  acrid  flavours.  Observing  that  it  is  very  fre- 
quently found  in  a  particular  tree,  I  tasted  the  leaves 
of  it,  and  found  them  quite  biting  to  the  tongue,  with  a 
strong  acid  flavour.  It  is  much  the  same  with  the 
berries  and  fruits  they  esteem  :  they  are  all  harsh, 
rough,  or  biting  to  the  human  palate ;  and  I  never  saw 
them  eat  sweet  fruits  of  any  kind. 

The  sloth,  when  reposing  quietly  in  a  tree,  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  a  large  bird's  nest,  or  a  growth  of 
dry  moss  or  lichen.  The  same  remark  applies  to  several 
other  animals  in  these  forests :  the  great  ant-eater,  for 
instance :  and  the  circumstance,  at  first  sight,  seems  to 


70  THE    RIVER  AMAZON 

be  a  strong  point  in  favour  of  the  "  protective  colouring  " 
and  "  mimicry  "  theory  of  the  naturalist.  Unfortunately 
for  the  speculative  tenets  of  these  gentlemen,  I  have 
placed  it  beyond  doubt  that  colour  and  mimicry  do  not 
protect  an  animal  from  its  natural  enemies ;  though  it 
is  possible  that  these  attributes  serve  to  guard  it  to  some 
extent  from  wanton  destruction.  That  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  wanton  destruction  in  nature  is  another  error 
of  those  exponents  of  wild  life  who  have  not  acquired 
their  knowledge  at  the  fountain-head.  Monkeys  catch 
hundreds  of  birds,  and  destroy  hundreds  of  nests  con- 
taining young,  for  no  purpose  whatever  but  the  love  of 
mischief  :  the  otter  of  this  region  (a  huge  creature  three 
times  the  size  of  the  European  species)  destroys  ten 
times  more  fish  than  it  can  eat :  the  jaguarondi,  and  a 
species  of  wild  cat  in  this  region,  destroy  any  small 
animal  they  meet,  whether  they  are  hungry  or  not,  and 
often  leave  it  on  the  spot  where  it  is  killed :  there  is  a 
species  of  large  wasp,  or  hornet,  here,  which  has  the  same 
habit  as  the  common  wasp,  of  shearing  off  the  legs  and 
wings  of  captured  flies,  and  then  dropping  the  writhing 
carcass  :  and  it  is  almost  a  proverb  that  a  well-fed  Tom 
Mouser  is  the  best  catcher  of  rats  and  mice,  destroying 
them  "  in  sport."  Nor  does  this  end  the  list.  I  could 
enumerate  hundreds  of  wild  creatures  which  kill  in 
wantonness. 

Now  for  a  few  final  words  on  "  protection  "  and 
"  mimicry."  The  first  time  I  saw  a  tree  porcupine  I 
mistook  it  for  a  bird's  nest :  and  on  another  occasion  I 
thought  a  great  ant-eater,  with  its  tail  over  its  back, 
was  a  tuft  of  dried  grass;  but  having  discovered  my 
mistakes  I  never  afterwards  was  deceived.  Nor  is  the 


HEAD-WATERS    OF    THE    PURUS          71 

Indian  enemy  of  these  two  animals  ever  misled  in  the 
least  degree.  When  his  stomach  cries  cupboard,  he  goes 
straight  to  their  haunts,  sees  them  in  one  moment  and 
bags  them  in  another.  It  is  the  same  with  the  cunning 
puma  and  sly  jaguar.  These  gentlemen  of  "  the  wild  " 
know  all  about  protection  and  mimicry.  The  jaguar 
looks  up  into  a  tree  and  perceives  the  sleeping  sloth. 
"  Bird's  nest,  or  tuft  of  brown  moss  !  "  Far  more  likely 
he  muses  thus :  "  Not  exactly  what  I  want.  Not  much 
juice  in  this  old  stager;  but  pot-luck  is  better  than  an 
empty  stomach  :  so  here  goes  !  " 

Silently  as  the  Shadow  of  Death  the  spotted  villain 
glides  up  the  tree ;  and  the  first  intimation  the  poor 
sleeping  leaf-eater  has  of  danger  is  a  terrific  blow  on  the 
side.  It  does  not  kill  him :  for  he  is  tougher  than  leather. 
But  he  is  cuffed — clawed  up  into  convenient  position 
for  the  murderer  to  finish  his  work.  In  vain  the  wretched 
victim  sighs  and  weeps  (as  do  all  his  kind  when  in  tribu- 
lation). He  is  in  the  paws  of  one  of  the  most  merciless 
of  all  cats;  and  his  sufferings  are  not  so  very  much 
prolonged — if  the  jaguar  is  keen  set.  "  Not  so  bad, 
after  all,"  exclaims  the  rascal  (in  the  cat  language,  of 
course)  as  he  drops  a  few  fragments  of  his  victim's 
hairy  hide,  and  licks  clean  his  blood- wetted  whiskers. 
"  '  Protection  '  and  '  Mimicry  '  !  Oh  !  ah  !  my  bright 
amber  coat  with  velvet  spots  is  quite  invisible  amongst 
the  dark  leaves;  or  looks  like  an  old  lady's  shoulder- 
shawl  against  the  black  trunk  !  Just  so.  I'll  try  that 
dodge  again  some  day." 

A  "  stick  insect  "  and  a  "  leaf  butterfly  "  are  freaks 
of  Nature  like  a  "mandrake  carrot,"  and  the  "Death's- 
head  turnip,"  and  the  "ghosts, nun's- veils,  weeping  ladies 


72  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

and  old  man's  heads,"  which  are  so  numerous  in  the 
caves  and  mountains  of  North  America ;  and  so  exactly 
like  the  objects  after  which  they  are  named  as  to 
arouse  the  wonder  of  all  who  see  them. 

Although  not  strictly  a  part  of  the  declared  object  of 
this  work,  I  should  like  to  say  a  few  more  words  about 
the  cats  of  this  region ;  and  it  will  not  be  altogether  out 
of  place,  since  they  abound  greatly  on  the  banks  of  the 
Amazon  and  all  its  tributaries,  great  and  small. 

The  word  "  jaguar  "  is  pronounced  "  ya'wah,"  which 
is  the  Indian  name  of  the  creature,  just  as  puma 
("  poo'mah  ")  is  that  of  its  cousin,  or  brother :  for  there  is 
not  a  halfpenny  worth  of  difference  between  them,  except 
outwardly,  in  colour.  The  jaguar  is  simply  a  leopard. 
I  very  much  doubt  if  a  "trained,"  or  "professional," 
naturalist  could  pick  out  with  certainty  the  American 
animals  from  a  mixed  band  of  jaguars  and  African 
leopards — in  fact,  I  am  sure  he  could  not.  There  is  said 
to  be  a  characteristic  "  boss  "  on  the  skull  of  the  jaguar. 
Of  that  I  know  nothing  and  care  less.  I  believe  that 
a  "  separate  genus  was  established  "  for  the  tinamou 
(South  American  partridge)  because  a  "  bump  "  was 
discovered  on  its  skull,  which  no  ordinary  eye  could 
perceive  without  the  aid  of  a  magnifying  glass !  Such 
finical  nonsense  may  amuse  the  book-naturalist :  it 
cannot  carry  much  weight  with  those  who  are  acquainted 
with  something  more  than  the  skin  and  bones  of  an 
animal. 

I  have  never. seen  a  Senegal  maneless  lion;  but  judging 
from  pictures  of  the  animal  there  is  absolutely  no  differ- 
ence between  it  and  a  puma.  A  gentleman  from  the 
shires  went  up  to  London  to  hear  Mr.  Joseph  Chamber- 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          73 

lain  speak.  "  I  were  towld,"  said  he,  "  that  I  should 
know  Joe  by  the  orchard  [orchid]  in  his  button-hole; 
and  blow  me  'twer'n't  nothin'  but  a  tater  blossom  !  " 

This  gentleman,  I  am  sure,  would  be  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish the  differences  between  a  jaguar  and  a  leopard ; 
and  a  puma  and  a  maneless  lion. 

The  most  remarkable  circumstance,  or  characteristic, 
of  the  two  largest  American  cats  is  the  curious  variation 
in  size  of  fully  grown  animals  of  both  species.  If  large 
pumas  were  found  in  the  north  and  small  in  the  south 
the  divergence  in  size  would  not  be  so  surprising;  but 
the  pumas,  and  also  the  jaguars,  of  a  given  district 
may  vary  in  size  so  much  as  fifty  per  cent,  or  even 
more. 

A  full-grown  animal,  indeed,  an  old  one,  as  evidenced 
by  the  condition  of  its  teeth,  shot  by  me  in  Arizona, 
was  only  thirty-four  inches  in  length  from  the  nose  to 
the  root  of  the  tail ;  while  another  killed  in  South 
Nevada  was  six  feet  two  and  a  half  inches  from  snout 
to  tail.  It  is  the  custom  to  include  the  tail  in  the  total 
length  of  a  beast  of  prey.  This  should  never  be  done, 
as  the  tail  varies  in  length  more  than  the  animal ;  and 
a  very  small  specimen  may  have  a  very  long  tail ;  and 
vice  versa. 

Six  feet,  within  an  inch  or  two,  is  the  maximum  length 
for  both  jaguars  and  pumas ;  but  the  puma  is,  on  the 
whole,  and  in  the  generality  of  specimens,  much  the 
smaller  animal.  Otherwise  the  two  animals  differ  in 
habits,  and  mode  of  life,  in  only  a  few  particulars ;  though 
a  number  of  misstatements  and  errors  have,  not  crept,  but 
been  boldly  thrust  into  natural  histories  by  book-makers ; 
and  these  mendacities  have  been  repeated  and  copied 


74  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

by  credulous,  and  ignorant,  though  possibly  honest, 
naturalists  to  a  lamentable  extent ;  insomuch  that  one 
feels  he  can  trust  no  modern  work  on  the  subject. 

The  chief  differences  between  these  two  felines  are 
that  the  jaguar  is  more  restricted  in  its  habitat,  by  fully 
one  half,  than  the  puma;  and  is  a  forest -haunting  animal. 
It  appears  in  the  open  country,  and  in  cultivated  districts ; 
but  only  in  very  limited  numbers.  The  puma,  on  the 
other  hand,  frequents  pampas,  the  deserts  of  the  north, 
and  bleak  and  bare  mountain-sides ;  as  well  as  dense 
forests.  It  has  been  disputed  that  the  puma  does  fre- 
quent forests  to  any  great  extent.  Against  these  dispu- 
tatious statements  there  are  the  assertions  of  this  book : 
that  is  all  I  have  to  say  on  the  matter. 

Another  statement  of  mine,  appearing  in  a  former 
work,  provoked  a  gentleman  of  some  position  in  the 
naturalist  world  to  write  and  ask,  with  evident  scepti- 
cism in  his  tone,  if  I  had  not  made  a  mistake.  This  was 
the  account  I  gave  of  seeing  a  jaguarondi  kill  a  great  ant- 
eater  by  breaking  its  neck.  There  is  no  mistake  what- 
ever in  the  statement.  The  jaguarondi  is  a  large  and 
powerful  cat,  nearly,  and,  perhaps,  sometimes  quite,  three 
feet  in  length  not  including  the  tail ;  and  I  should  be  very 
loth  to  approach  one  which  was  not  completely  disabled. 
The  muscular  strength  of  all  the  cats  is  enormous,  com- 
pared with  that  of  herbivorous  animals ;  and  both 
jaguars  and  pumas  are  capable  of  pulling  down  the 
largest  animals  in  America.  It  is  only  their  cowardice 
that  prevents  them  from  openly  attacking  the  horned 
cattle  at  the  haciendas  and  ranches.  Horns  are  nasty 
things  to  be  progged  with,  and  a  bull  with  its  "  dander 
up,"  as  my  American  friends  would  say,  is  a  "  lively  cuss ; 


HEAD- WATERS  OF  THE  PURUS    75 

and  well  able  to  write  his  ten  commandments  on  any 
cat's  hide." 

The  courage  of  jaguars,  pumas,  jaguarondis,  all  the 
smaller  wild  cats,  and  lynxes,  is  that  of  the  domestic 
tabby.  Hurt  or  frightened,  and  driven  into  a  corner, 
they  will  show  the  fury  of  fear :  they  have  no  real  cour- 
age. The  jaguar  is  more  sly  and  cunning  than  the  puma, 
but  in  no  degree  bolder :  the  jaguar  habitually  resorts 
to  trees ;  the  puma  only  occasionally  does  so ;  and  most 
frequently  to  avoid  pursuers. 

The  jaguarondi  also  climbs  trees ;  and  is  more  strictly 
a  forest  animal  than  either  of  its  larger  congeners.  It 
runs  the  lynx  a  close  race  for  third  place  amongst  the 
American  cats ;  and  is  certainly  the  third  largest  in 
South  America.  I  have  not  seen  a  great  deal  of  it,  and 
all  I  can  state  about  it  is  embodied  in  my  "  Great 
Mountains  and  Forests  of  South  America." 

The  small  wild  cats  of  the  Amazonian  forests  are  very 
shy  little  animals ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  learn  much  of 
their  habits.  The  moment  that  they  observe  a  person 
watching  them,  they  disappear;  and  as  they  are  not 
only  lynx-eyed,  but  gifted,  also,  with  acute  powers  of 
scent,  it  is  not  much  use  concealing  oneself  near  their 
haunts.  What  they  cannot  see,  they  sniff ;  and  guess  the 
rest,  I  think.  All  I  can  say  with  certainty  is  that  they 
prey  chiefly  on  birds,  catching  some  in  the  trees,  and 
some  pretty  large  ones  on  the  ground.  One  that  I  shot 
weighed  less  than  four  pounds ;  but  it  had  a  rail  which 
weighed  two  in  its  jaws  at  the  time,  and  was  running 
pretty  quickly.  It  was  much  the  same  colour  as  a 
domestic  tabby  cat ;  but  was  profusely  spotted  with 
black. 


76  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

All  the  wild  cats  of  the  Amazonian  region  which  I 
saw  were  spotted,  though  the  ground  colour  varied 
much,  some  species  being  bluish  or  slaty,  one  dark 
grey,  another  sandy  or  fox-coloured,  and  a  fourth  nearly 
white,  with  dark  brown  spots.  It  is  a  little  strange,  I 
think,  but  I  never  saw  a  South  American  cat  with  a 
striped  skin. 

Jaguars  and  pumas,  if  taken  when  young,  are  easily 
tamed;  and  become  much  attached  to  their  masters. 
I  never  heard  of  their  becoming  treacherous ;  as  tame 
lions  and  tigers  are  said  to  sometimes  be. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

MORE   ABOUT  THE   HEAD-WATERS   OF  THE   PURUS 

A  LIVELY  gentleman  whom  I  once  knew,  describing 
•*"•*-  the  passengers  on  board  a  South  American  steamer, 
said  that  amongst  them  were  twelve  Spanish  soldiers, 
very  small  of  person,  very  fierce  of  countenance,  re- 
turning from  a  revolution,  or  going  somewhere  to  make 
one — he  was  not  very  clear  which.  Nobody  can  be  very 
clear  about  South  American  revolutions ;  and  this  must 
be  my  excuse  for  ignorance  of  circumstances  in  the 
political  history  of  the  countries  I  am  now  concerned 
with. 

Studying  my  old  maps,  and  more  modern  ones  recently 
procured,  I  perceive  that  some  South  American  editions 
of  Prince  von  Bismarck  have  been  at  work,  making 
annexations,  and  rectifying  frontiers  with  a  liberal  hand. 
Places  which,  in  my  time,  were  in  Ecuador,  are  now  in 
Peru ;  and  others  which  were  claimed  by  the  land  of 
Pizarro,  are  now  included  in  Brazilian  territory  ;  but  in 
one  thing  I  must  disagree  with  the  latest  maps.  Even 
admitting  the  modern  frontier,  the  head-waters  of  the 
Purus  are  within  Peruvian  limits.  Of  that  fact  I  am 
well  assured :  but  the  maps  place  them  within  Brazil ; 
and  instead  of  showing  more  than  twenty  streams, 
indicate  only  a  dozen  or  so.  This  seems  strange,  because 
I  know  the  Peruvian  Government  has  sent  several 

77 


78  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

expeditions  to  explore  the  country  I  am  now  describing ; 
and  many  European  travellers  must  have  visited  it 
since  I  was  there  twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight  years 
ago. 

I  have  said  that  all  these  streams  have  similar  char- 
acteristics ;  and  that  none  of  them  take  their  origin  in 
lakes  or  pools.  Some  rise  from  springs  welling  from  the 
earth ;  and  some  gush  from  fissures  in  the  rocks.  One  or 
two  run  from  marshes  in  the  low  ground  :  none  seem 
to  rise  at  a  greater  height  above  sea-level  than  1300  or 
1400  feet.  Snow-water  must  occasionally  augment  the 
volume  of  these  streams :  for  most  of  them  are  near  the 
mountain  ridge ;  but  I  do  not  think  there  are  any 
glaciers  in  this  part  of  the  Andes.  The  only  ones  I  saw 
in  any  part  of  Peru,  were  very  small,  and  situated  in  the 
highest  parts  of  the  range :  in  fact,  I  suspected  that  none 
of  them  were  permanent,  but  subject  to  disappearance 
in  exceptional  seasons.  However  this  may  be  there  is  no 
permanent  stream  flowing  eastward  from  the  higher 
range ;  and  the  few  cascades  that  descend  from  a  greater 
height  than  1400  feet,  run,  or  fall,  only  in  the  rainy 
season. 

Having  proceeded  as  far  into  the  heart  of  the  country 
as  I  felt  to  be  safe  with  my  slender  provisions,  I  halted 
for  a  time  at  the  village  of  a  band  of  Indians,  who  received 
us  with  great  hospitality  and  kindness,  as  these  people 
usually  do  in  districts  where  they  are  well  treated. 
At  this  time,  at  any  rate,  the  Indians  were  not  much 
interfered  with  eastward  of  the  Andes ;  and  the  Peruvians, 
I  believe,  have  always  in  modern  times  treated  them 
well.  The  people  of  this  country  act  up  to  their  pro- 
fession of  republicans ;  and  all  persons,  except  those  who 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          ?9 

may  justly  be  classed  and  treated  as  vagabonds,  are 
granted  the  rights  of  citizenship  without  reference  to 
breed  or  creed :  and,  in  a  word,  Peru  is  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  honest  and  high-principled  countries  of 
South  America. 

The  Indians  of  the  village  here  mentioned  number 
about  fifty,  viz.  sixteen  men,  twenty  women,  and  thirteen 
children  under  the  apparent  age  of  fourteen  years. 
Children  are  never  numerous  amongst  the  Indians ;  and 
I  fear  that  many  babies  are  destroyed.  Parents,  too,  are 
not  so  prolific  as  those  in  civilized  countries.  Few  of 
the  Indian  women  have  more  than  four  or  five  children 
before  they  cease  bearing ;  and  many  of  them  only  two 
or  three. 

In  the  towns,  and  settled  portions  of  the  country,  a 
certain  amount  of  respect  for  decency  is  enforced ;  but  in 
the  wilds  and  woods  the  Indians  are  a  law  unto  them- 
selves and  do  pretty  much  as  they  like,  or  as  their 
pee-ai-men  enjoin.  They  go  about  unclothed,  and  per- 
form their  superstitious  rites  in  pools  of  blood.  For 
instance,  an  abominable  doctrine,  preached  from  one 
side  of  the  country  to  the  other,  is  that  if  a  woman  has 
twin  children  she  must  have  committed  adultery  with 
the  devil,  who  is  the  father  of  one  of  them.  As  the  pee- 
ai-man  cannot  tell  which  is  the  black  soul,  both  must 
be  burnt ;  and  the  woman,  likewise,  as  a  punishment  for 
her  supposed  sin.  It  is  rare  for  Indian  women,  in  either 
the  north  or  the  south,  to  bear  twins,  but  a  few  painful 
instances  have  come  under  my  notice. 

About  two  years  ago  I  saw  a  paragraph  in  a  news- 
paper to  the  effect  that  a  pee-ai-man  named  "  George  " 
had  been  sent  down  to  Georgetown,  British  Guiana,  to 


80  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

be  tried  for  murder — I  presume  some  such  case  as  that 
I  have  mentioned. 

Many  years  ago  I  offered  to  blow  the  brains  out  of 
this  scoundrel,  for  the  benefit  of  his  tribesmen ;  and  to 
save  the  lives  of  a  poor  woman  and  her  newly  born 
babes ;  but  the  people  were  horrified  and  begged  me  not 
to  do  so,  as  George's  spirit  would  haunt  them,  and  they 
would  have  to  slay  me  to  appease  it.  So,  as  there  were 
no  police  within  call,  or  Europeans  to  help  me  stop  the 
horrid  act,  I  took  my  gun  and  went  off  into  the  woods 
that  I  might  not  hear  the  cries  of  the  doomed.  When 
I  came  back  I  found  the  red-eyed  husband  glaring  at  a 
heap  of  ashes  and  a  few  white  bones,  all  that  remained 
of  his  home  and  family. 

No  untoward  incident  marked  my  stay  at  the  Peru- 
vian Indian  village.  Indian  encampments  never  have 
a  name :  the  Peruvians  refer  to  them  by  the  name  of  the 
chief,  or  pee-ai-man.  In  this  case  (not  an  infrequent 
one)  the  pee-ai-man  was  the  chief,  and  he  rejoiced  in  a 
cognomen  which  ran  to  fifteen  words,  and  eighty-three 
letters  as  I  spelled  it,  the  meaning  of  which  was  that  he 
was  father  of  all  the  snowy  hills  of  the  west.  He  was 
otherwise  a  much-married  man ;  as  he  had  four  wives 
but  only  two  children.  I  called  him  "Snow  Hill,"  as  I 
found  my  tongue  unequal  to  the  task  of  drawling  out 
his  patronymic  :  and  as  he,  on  his  part,  was  ignorant 
of  the  irreverent  brevity  of  the  sobriquet,  he  took  it  as 
a  great  compliment,  which  perhaps  it  was,  viewed  in 
the  light  of  the  customs  and  prejudices  of  these  people. 
For  it  is  considered  an  insult  to  ask  an  Indian,  of  any 
rank,  his  name ;  and  to  confer  a  fresh  one  on  him  is 
equivalent  to  acknowledging  that  his  actual  name  is 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          81 

too  exalted  to  be  lightly  mentioned.  In  his  turn  he 
conferred  on  me  the  title  of  "  Big  Mountain  " — whether 
in  reference  to  my  physical  or  moral  attributes  he  left 
me  to  surmise. 

Indian  villages  are  not  usually  permanent :  it  depends 
on  the  abundance  of  food  in  the  districts  where  they 
are  situated ;  and  sometimes  on  the  interference  of  the 
lords  of  the  sail — the  so-called  white  men.  The  wigwam 
is  a  form  of  dwelling  unknown  among  the  South  Ameri- 
can Indians.  Their  huts  are  never  tent-shaped ;  but 
usually  square  or  oblong,  with  roofs  which  are  as  often  flat, 
or  nearly  so,  as  sloping.  In  a  warm  country,  with  rain 
as  the  only  vicissitude  of  climate  to  guard  against,  light 
materials  suffice  for  the  erection  of  the  huts ;  and  the 
frameworks  are  made  of  boughs  of  trees,  and  the  walls 
and  roofs  are  packed  with  grass,  reeds  or  large  palm 
leaves,  and  similar  materials.  The  size  depends  on  the 
taste  and  industry  of  the  occupier  and  his  family.  The 
women,  and  larger  children,  do  a  great  part  of  the  build- 
ing ;  and  often  the  whole  of  it :  for  the  head  of  the  family 
is  a  gentleman  who  has  a  great  disinclination  to  over- 
exertion  ;  and  thinks,  if  he  provides  game  for  food,  he 
has  well  performed  his  share  of  the  duty  of  life. 

The  food  of  these  children  of  the  forest  consists  of 
such  fruit  as  they  find  growing  in  the  woods,  wild  rice, 
and  several  nutritious  piths  of  the  tapioca  kind,  roots 
and  game.  This  last,  consisting  of  any  bird  or  beast  of 
the  forest  the  hunter  is  fortunate  enough  to  capture, 
is  obtained  in  various  ways — by  shooting  with  bows 
and  arrows,  by  trapping,  and  by  spearing  when  driven 
within  a  narrow  enclosure. 

The  bow  and  arrows  do  not  seem  to  have  been  a 
G 


82  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

favourite  weapon  with  the  South  American  Indians : 
at  any  rate  none  of  them  I  have  met  with  ever  showed 
much  skill  in  its  use.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  much 
evidence  of  the  degree  of  perfection  to  which  our  ances- 
tors brought  the  art  of  archery ;  but  according  to  a  book 
published  by  the  Messrs.  Longman  "  twelve  score,"  i.e. 
of  yards,  was  considered  a  long  shot  in  the  days  when 
bows  were  used  in  the  British  army.  The  statement 
seems  to  me  extraordinary,  because  I  have  actually 
seen  an  arrow  sent  double  that  distance  by  a  North 
American  Indian.  If  the  statements  in  the  "  Bad- 
minton "  book  on  archery  are  reliable,  then  the  Ameri- 
can red  men  must  have  been  the  strongest  and  most 
skilful  bowmen  that  ever  existed.  But  would  an  arrow 
sent  with  a  force  that  would  carry  it  only  "  twelve 
score,"  or  240  yards,  be  able  to  penetrate  iron  armour  ? 
And  does  "  twelve  score  "  (an  expression  confined  to 
Shakespeare,  I  believe)  mean  twelve  score  yards  ?  The 
arrow  of  an  Indian  would  not  penetrate  sheet -iron 
the  eighth  of  an  inch  thick.  I  have  had  the  experiment 
tried  many  times  by  the  most  powerful  bowmen  I  could 
find.  At  long  ranges  the  arrow  was  always  stopped  or 
turned :  at  short  distances  it  was  crumpled  up  like  a 
piece  of  straw  :  yet  we  find  it  repeated  hundreds  of 
times  that  the  arrows  of  the  British  bowmen  easily 
pierced  the  armour  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

As  to  distances,  300  to  350  English  yards  was  a  fair 
shot  for  a  Red  warrior ;  exceptionally  strong  and  skilful 
shots  have  sent  it  about  500  yards  in  my  presence. 
Shooting  with  the  bow  was  very  uncertain  at  distances 
exceeding  100  yards  ;  and  none  of  the  yarns  of  splitting 
sticks,  hitting  dollar  pieces,  and  "  barking  "  squirrels  at 


I 


HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE    PURUS          83 

the  tops  of  tall  trees,  have  any  truth  in  them.  They 
cannot  be  true,  since  the  red  men  always  approached  as 
close  as  possible  to  an  object  before  shooting  at  it ;  and 
though  they  could  send  an  arrow  completely  through 
the  fore-quarters  of  a  bison,  a  feat  I  have  known  a  rifle- 
ball  fail  to  do,  they  could  not  be  sure  of  hitting  the 
animal  at  all  at  a  greater  distance  than  from  eighty  to 
a  hundred  yards. 

Here,  in  eastern  Peru,  the  savages  could  not  approach 
to  such  strength  and  skill  as  those  I  have  described  as 
distinguishing  their  northern  brethren.  Few  of  them 
could  send  an  arrow  more  than  120  yards ;  and  the  best 
man  amongst  them  sent  one  only  155  yards,  after  a  dozen 
tries.  They  could  not  hit  an  object  the  size  of  a  man  at 
eighty  yards,  except  by  what  was  evidently  mere  chance : 
and  shots  were  so  feebly  delivered  that  none  of  the 
hunters  relied  upon  them  to  stop  animals  exceeding  a 
monkey  in  size.  They  attempt  to  poison  their  arrows, 
but  not  with  wourali  poison ;  which  is  unknown  among 
them,  even  by  repute. 

The  favourite  way  of  taking  large  animals,  such  as 
the  small  deer  of  the  region,  capivaras  and  pacas,  is  to 
surround  them  with  a  large  party  of  men  and  boys,  and 
gradually  close  in  on  them.  They  are  speared  as  they 
attempt  to  escape  from  the  circle.  The  inhabitants  of 
several  villages  usually  join  in  forming  the  ring ;  and  a 
hunt  seldom  fails  in  producing  a  plentiful  supply  of 
game. 

How  the  Peruvian  gentleman  referred  to  in  a  previous 
page  failed  to  find  traces  of  gold  in  this  country  I  cannot 
imagine.  He  must  have  gone  in  the  wrong  direction. 
For  I  found  dust  in  nearly  all  the  streams ;  and  indica- 


84  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

tions  of  there  being  extensive,  if  not  plentiful,  quantities 
of  it.  I  mean  that  in  this  region  there  is  gold  scattered 
over  a  wide  area.  I  discovered  several  large  quartz 
reefs ;  but  could  not,  of  course,  say  how  rich  in  metal 
they  were :  probably  not  more  than  six  or  eight  ounces 
to  the  ton ;  but  this  is  a  good  paying  quantity. 

Where  there  is  reef  mining,  there  is  also  placer  mining, 
especially  where  the  streams  show  good  signs  of  the 
precious  metal ;  but  though  I  searched  long  and  diligently, 
I  found  nothing  to  reward  my  labour.  Placers  are  always 
miner's  luck.  That  is,  one  man  may  find  half  a  dozen  of 
them,  and  clear  several  thousand  pounds ;  and  a  score 
of  his  mates  search  the  land  for  months,  and  not  obtain 
a  piece  as  big  as  a  pea  ! 

Finding  it  impossible  to  do  more  in  this  region  I 
returned  to  the  highlands  by  the  same  route  I  had  come 
hither.  I  thought,  at  one  time,  that  I  would  risk  every- 
thing, and,  making  a  canoe,  drop  down  the  stream  to 
the  Amazon.  But  consideration  convinced  me  that  the 
scheme  was  too  desperate  to  be  put  into  execution. 
The  current  is  sluggish,  and  progress  could  not  be  great : 
and  the  country  through  which  the  river  passes  was,  I 
knew,  inundated  for  a  great  distance  on  both  sides, 
therefore,  game  difficult  to  be  procured,  and  I  could  not 
collect  more  than  a  week's  provisions  for  two  men — 
myself  and  servant :  for  I  could  not  take  either  Peru- 
vians or  Indians  so  far  from  their  homes.  And,  above  all, 
I  had  not  fifty  charges  of  ammunition  left.  So  back  to 
Peru's  elevated  valleys  I  went. 


I 


CHAPTER   IX 

SOME   OTHER   HEAD-WATERS    OF   THE   AMAZON 

rilO  avoid  monotony  I  must  group  together  a  number 
•  of  interesting  descriptions  of  streams  which  form 
the  sources  of  a  great  number  of  the  north-western  tribu- 
taries of  the  Amazon.  These  all  rise  on  the  eastern 
slopes  of  the  Andes  in  Ecuador  and  Colombia,  there 
generally  spoken  of  as  the  Granadian  Confederation, 
and  extend  over  nearly  nine  degrees  of  latitude  in  the 
very  centre  of  the  tropics — from  5°  S.  to  4°  N. 

No  map  in  existence  indicates  a  tithe  of  the  streams 
which  rush  south,  and  south-eastward,  to  swell  the 
mighty  current  of  the  Amazon.  Without  including 
the  courses  which  cannot  claim  to  be  more  than  brooks, 
they  number  hundreds  of  them.  The  great  rivers,  with 
courses  of  at  least  400  to  1500  miles,  are  the  Rio  Negro, 
with  a  dozen  different  names  ;  the  Caqueta,  the  lea 
and  the  Napo.  Other  rivers  of  this  system,  all  of  which 
exceed  the  Thames  in  length  and  size,  are  the  Guaviare, 
Ipaminare,  Gujazu,  Aguarico,  Curaray,  Tigre,  Chambira 
and  Morona. 

The  beginnings  of  all  these  rivers  are  in  turmoil  and 
rushing  torrents.  Some  of  the  finest  and  most  pictur- 
esque falls  in  the  world  are  found  in  their  upper  courses  ; 
but  they  are  at  present  little  known,  or  known  not  at 
all.  These  falls  are  remarkable  for  their  height,  or  the 

85 


86  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

depth  they  descend  ;  which  is  not  strange  when  we 
consider  that  Ecuador  contains  a  huge  knot  of  the  loftiest 
summits  in  the  Andes,  as  Chimborazo,  21,424  feet ; 
Gayamba,  19,536  ;  Antisana,  19,137  ;  and  Cotopaxi, 
18,877. 

There  are  others  verging  on  these  heights  ;  and  the 
eastern  wall  of  the  Andes,  here  even  steeper,  and  more 
rugged  and  abrupt  than  in  Peru,  must  often  be  nearly 
14,000  to  16,000  feet  in  height ;  and  is  full  of  the  most 
dizzy  and  appalling  passes,  canons,  and  valleys  of  any 
I  have  ever  seen,  Colorado  itself  scarcely  excepted. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  Napo  rises  on  the 
very  slope  of  Cotopaxi,  the  snow-water  of  which  drains 
into  it  on  the  north-eastern  side,  a  circumstance  of  much 
danger  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  river  valley  :  for  when 
by  accident  the  snow  of  Cotopaxi's  cone  suddenly  melts, 
the  river  rises  with  overwhelming  rapidity.  That  heat 
should  penetrate  the  vast  mass,  in  its  lower  section  at 
least  three  or  four  miles  thick,  and  melt  the  snows  and 
glaciers  of  generations  in  a  few  hours,  shows  clearly  the 
frightful  intensity  of  Cotopaxi's  heat. 

Some  of  the  huge  crevasses  which  seam  the  mountain's 
side  are  occupied  by  glaciers  of  immense  thickness,  the 
whole  cone  being  enveloped  in  snow  from  twenty  to 
sixty  feet  deep,  and  running  6000  feet  down  the  slope. 
In  the  year  1803  all  this  melted  in  one  night ;  and  the 
Napo  became  a  raging  torrent.  Whole  villages  were 
swept  away,  and  hundreds  of  people  were  drowned,  or 
dashed  to  death,  in  a  moment. 

The  effects  of  Cotopaxi's  eruptions  are  always  awful 
beyond  compare  with  those  of  other  volcanoes.  Its 
explosions  have  been  distinctly  heard  at  places  500 


Pliot o  Underwood  &  Underwood 
A   GLACIER   IN  THE   ANDES   NEAR  OROZA 


SOME    OTHER   HEAD-WATERS  87 

miles  distant ;  and  its  flames  have  been  seen  to  shoot 
up  to  a  height  much  exceeding  half  a  mile.  The  floods 
brought  about  by  the  sudden  thawing  of  its  snows  have 
caused  destruction  of  life  and  property  at  towns  and 
villages  300  miles  distant ;  and  the  ashes  have  travelled 
as  far. 

Snow,  and  especially  glaciers,  are,  however,  not  com- 
mon in  these  mountains,  even  on  the  high  peaks.  Being 
situated  under  the  Equator,  or  within  a  degree  or  two  of 
it,  the  line  of  perpetual  snow  is  very  high  ;  and  rather 
variable,  I  may  add.  Of  course,  there  is  always  snow 
on  the  summits  of  those  gigantic  peaks  which  rear  their 
crests  20,000  feet ;  but  the  amount  certainly  varies  : 
and  taking  Chimborazo  as  an  instance,  I  do  not  think 
there  is  a  glacier  on  it  that  descends  2000  feet  from  the 
summit.  There  is  snow  lower  down  ;  sometimes  as  low 
as  about  10,000  feet ;  but  it  only  remains  a  few  hours. 
It  falls  at  night ;  by  midday  on  the  following  morning 
it  is  nearly  all  gone  ! 

It  is  probably  these  sudden  thaws  which  seam  the 
mountain-sides  so  deeply  with  ravines,  and  cover  them 
with  loose  stones  ;  one  of  the  great  difficulties  the 
mountaineers  have  to  contend  with  in  the  peaks  of  the 
Andes.  The  rainfall  in  these  regions  is  often  very  erratic. 
There  are  spots  in  the  elevated  valley  where  it  never 
rains.  These  are  dreadful  sand  deserts,  where  death 
lurks  slyly  for  the  unwary  traveller,  sometimes  slaying 
him  with  fiery  thirst,  at  other  times  choking  him  with 
almost  impalpable  dust.  It  is  surprising  that  we  hear 
so  little  of  these  deadly  deserts  ;  but  I  suspect  that  few 
adventurers  visit  them,  or  stay  long  enough  to  learn 
their  real  character. 


88  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

As  a  set-off  to  these  remarkable  instances  of  dryness, 
I  may  mention  that  there  are  other  spots  in  these  valleys 
where  rain  at  the  rate  of  an  inch  an  hour  is  not  un- 
common ;  and  I  have  known  thirty  inches  fall  in  a  day 
and  a  night.  The  result  is  torrents  of  tremendous  size 
and  power,  which  sweep  everything  before  them,  and 
leave  great  rocks  in  their  channels  which  are  sometimes 
hundreds  of  tons  in  weight. 

For  the  beds  of  most  of  the  larger  torrents  are  dry 
three  parts  of  the  year — that  is  in  the  absence  of  the 
wet  season,  which  is  often  erratic  in  its  appearance, 
coming  as  much  as  two  months  behind  the  usual  time. 

Some  of  these  mountain  streams  empty  themselves 
into  the  head-water  streams,  which  thus  vary  their 
actual  sources  :  others  dry  up  entirely  ;  and  have  water 
in  them  only  two  or  three  months  in  a  year — in  the 
winter  season  of  these  regions. 

It  is  possible  to  look  down  from  the  Ecuador  Andes 
and  see  a  dozen  of  these  head-waters  from  one  spot  ; 
and  trace  their  courses  for  an  immense  distance.  Clouds 
may  be  cumulative  a  mile  beneath  you,  but  you  see  over 
them ;  and  the  atmosphere  is  so  bright  and  clear  that 
there  seems  to  be  hardly  space  between  you  and 
objects  known  to  be  fifty  miles  distant.  Fifty  miles  is 
certainly  a  comparatively  short  distance  to  view  over 
from  a  "  coign  of  vantage."  Probably  one  can  see  at 
least  double  that  distance ;  but  the  landscape  fades  to  dull 
streaks  of  neutral  tints,  blue-greys,  purple-greys,  light 
browns,  tawny  hues,  and  an  endless  number  of  tones. 
Here  and  there  one  of  the  larger  rivers  reveals  a  gleaming 
reach ;  and  one  can  realize  what  a  splendid  view  of 
lakes  it  would  be  a  privilege  to  view  from  such  an  alti- 


Photo  Underwood  S  Underwood 

CHAUPICHACA   RAILWAY   AND   BRIDGE;    9,472  FEET,   PROBABLY  THE 
HIGHEST  IN  THE  WORLD 


SOME   OTHER   HEAD-WATERS  89 

tude  ;  but  lakes  of  any  size  do  not  exist  here  ;  and  no 
large  sheet  of  water  is  visible.  Cities,  towns  and  villages, 
too  far  off  to  be  seen  in  detail,  are  revealed  by  the  clouds 
of  haze  (dust  and  smoke,  I  suppose)  which  float  over 
them.  On  one  occasion  a  balloon  was  seen,  rising  from 
some  fete  in  an  interior  town.  It  seemed  to  be  miles 
below  us,  and  never  rose  to  anything  near  the  level  of 
our  feet,  and  it  remained  in  view  an  hour  before  it 
dwindled  to  an  undiscernible  speck.  I  mention  the 
fact ;  but  the  sight  seemed  to  be  so  singularly  out  of 
place  in  such  surroundings  that  it  had  quite  a  disturbing 
effect  on  my  mind. 

Roads  there  are  in  these  mountains  ;  but  such  roads  ! 
Now  a  mere  track,  with  an  occasional  cross  of  small  size 
and  rough  workmanship  by  its  side,  to  mark  the  spot 
where  a  brutal  murder  has  been  committed  ;  and  with 
more  frequent  crosses,  of  larger  size,  and  decorated  with 
tawdry  pictures  of  the  Virgin,  or  some  saint,  to  invite 
good  Catholics  to  prayer,  the  road  presently  crosses  an 
awful  chasm,  with  a  torrent  rushing  and  thundering  at 
the  bottom,  so  far  down  that  it  is  lost  in  the  mist  which 
lurks  in  the  deep,  narrow  gorges  ;  crossed,  I  say,  by  a 
narrow  suspension-bridge  constructed  of  poles,  reed- 
matting  and  ropes,  all  apparently  rotten,  and  with 
interstices  between  the  flooring  through  which  one 
catches  glimpses  of  the  terrible  gulf  below.  The  bridge 
sways,  and  its  side  poles  shift  position  as  one  tests  its 
stability  with  the  foot.  It  is  too  awful ;  and  all  our  little 
party,  fearful  that  it  will  not  bear  the  weight  of  a  mounted 
man,  look  about  for  materials  to  mend  it.  These  are 
bought  from  a  guanaco  herdsman  who  lives  in  a  tiny 
hut  a  mile  away  ;  and  nearly  the  whole  day  is  consumed 


90  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

in  the  work.  The  herdsman  comes  to  watch  and  grin  : 
for  the  much-needed  repairs  will  benefit  him  ;  and  he 
is  well  paid  into  the  bargain.  Thus,  by  private  enter- 
prise, are  most  of  the  mountain  bridges  of  this  region 
kept  from  falling  bodily  into  the  gulfs  they  span,  per- 
haps with  a  man  or  two  on  them.  Such  accidents  do 
happen. 

The  narrow  gulfs  which  are  thus  bridged  seem  to  be 
cracks  occasioned  by  volcanic  commotions.  When  they 
are  of  great  depth  they  are  invariably  traversed  by  a 
water -course  with  a  turbulent  current.  Probably  they 
were  mere  crevices,  not  a  foot  wide,  at  their  beginnings 
and  torrential  rains  are  responsible  for  their  more  or  less 
rapid  increase.  That  they  are  all  much  water-worn  is 
obvious  to  any  eye.  In  some  cases  they  are  wider  at 
the  bottom  than  at  the  top,  and  the  rocks  bulge,  or 
overhang,  the  water  below.  Sometimes  they  are  so  wide, 
and  the  sides  so  rugged,  that  it  is  possible  to  climb  down 
the  canons  :  but  this  is  always  a  dangerous,  and  generally 
an  impossible,  feat.  A  slip  could  not  be  recovered,  and 
the  fall  would  be  almost  sheer. 

Some  of  these  canons  form  passes  across  the  range, 
from  side  to  side.  In  this  case  they  are  always  larger,  or 
wider  ;  but  not  necessarily  deeper  than  those  I  have  just 
described.  Where  they  form  passes  they,  of  course,  run 
down  the  slopes  of  the  mountains,  and  have  no  water 
in  them  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  They  are 
liable  to  be  blocked  by  snow ;  or  deluged  by  sudden 
rain-storms  ;  and  if  a  traveller  is  caught  in  one  of  them 
his  fate  is  sealed.  The  snow  fills  the  crevasse,  in  some 
places  where  it  is  narrow,  to  the  depth  of  100  feet,  or 
even  more  ;  and  the  doomed  man  is  caught  like  a  mouse 


SOME    OTHER   HEAD-WATERS  91 

in  a  trap.  It  is  still  more  dangerous  to  be  overtaken 
by  a  storm-burst,  even  of  moderate  boisterousness. 
The  water  collects  so  rapidly,  and  runs  from  the  hills 
in  such  quantities,  that  the  torrent  is  formed  in  a  few 
minutes,  and  sweeps  everything  before  it.  Rocks  above, 
loosened  by  previous  tempests,  or  by  earthquakes,  fall 
with  a  crash, and  are  dashed  into  thousands  of  fragments; 
from  those  no  larger  than  grains  of  sand,  to  masses 
weighing  tons  :  and  all  are  rolled  and  bounced  along 
like  balls,  beating  overtaken  men  and  animals  into  a 
sodden  pulp. 

Seismic  action  is  almost  continual  in  all  parts  of  the 
Andes,  I  think.  It  certainly  is  here  ;  and  I  have  felt  as 
many  as  seven  or  eight  shocks  in  one  day  :  and  heard 
rumblings  and  sharper  noises,  which  were  alarming 
enough  at  first ;  but,  like  the  inhabitants  of  the  country, 
I  got  used  to  them.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence 
for  men,  horses,  and  even  the  sure-footed  mules  and 
guanacos  to  stumble  and  fall,  from  the  effects  of  shocks. 
If  I  remember  right,  Darwin  was  thrown  down  on  one 
occasion  :  and  in  both  Peru  and  Ecuador  I  have  heard 
parents  ask  their  children  "  What  made  you  tumble  ? 
Did  the  earth  roll  ?  "  Localisms  often  correctly  describe 
objects  and  effects.  "  Earth  roll  "  is  the  usual  descrip- 
tion of  an  earthquake  among  the  people  of  this  region  ; 
and  it  more  correctly  describes  the  phenomenon  than 
"  quake."  The  earth  does  seem  to  roll  from  beneath 
one's  feet ;  and  it  is  very  difficult,  and  often  quite 
impossible,  to  avoid  being  thrown  down. 

This  may  seem  a  very  terrifying  state  of  things  to 
people  living  in  Europe  and  the  eastern  parts  of  North 
America  :  but  the  reverse  of  this  is  the  case  in  Peru, 


92  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

and  other  countries  in  the  Central  Andes,  and  the  cessa- 
tion of  these  shocks  is  a  cause  of  terror :  for  it  has  been 
well  established  that  before  one  of  those  awful  eruptions 
which  devastate  hundreds  of  miles  of  country,  and 
destroy  thousands  of  persons,  there  is  a  complete 
cessation  of  all  minor  convulsions.  This  circumstance 
is  well  known  to  the  people  of  the  land  ;  and  those  who 
are  timid,  or  wise,  or  cautious,  make  preparations  for 
the  safety  of  themselves  and  their  property,  whenever 
there  is  a  prolonged  period  of  quiet.  "  I  have  not  noticed 
a  shock  for  a  week :  have  you  ?  "  I  heard  one  rancher o 
ask  of  another.  "  No,"  was  the  reply.  "  Ah  !  that  is 
bad  !  "  And  these  men  were  delighted  when,  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  there  was  a  series  of  explosions  like 
the  firing  of  a  battery,  and  pots  and  pans  were  tumbled 
about  in  the  hut  in  wild  confusion.  "  Pedro  has  blown 
off  his  gas  !  "  said  one  fellow  to  me  quite  cheerfully. 
Amongst  the  lower  classes,  and  herdsmen  in  particular, 
the  spirit  who  presides  over  subterranean  fires  is  always 
alluded  to  as  Pedro — why  I  could  never  learn.  Perhaps 
a  sailor  of  the  old  school  could  not  have  told  who  "  Davy 
Jones  "  was,  though  of  the  existence  of  that  personage 
(or  spiritage  !)  he  would  have  no  doubt.  Possibly,  like 
"  Chucks  the  marine,"  he  is  a  widow's  man ;  i.e.  has 
only  a  mythical  existence. 

In  this  region  vegetation,  in  the  form  of  herbage  and 
bushes,  attains  to  a  greater  elevation  than  in  other  parts 
of  the  Andes  ;  but,  probably  owing  to  the  extreme 
steepness  of  the  barrier  range,  the  forest  does  not  ascend 
higher  than  about  7000  feet.  Odd  trees  are  found  up 
to  10,000  feet :  and  many  which  are  exotic  to  the  region 
have  been  planted  in  the  elevated  valley,  and  flourish 


o 

3 
o 
o 


SOME    OTHER   HEAD-WATERS  93 

well.  Fuchsias,  calceolarias,  and  flowers  which  I  sup- 
posed to  be  species  of  dahlias,  peonies,  verbenas  and 
azaleas  appeared  in  so  great  profusion  amongst  the  wild 
flowers  that  many  of  the  rocks  presented  a  magnificent 
sight. 

The  higher  peaks,  for  a  few  thousand  feet  below  the 
snow-line,  were  generally  bare  of  all  vegetation  except 
mosses  and  lichens  ;  but  there  were  some  exceptions. 
On  Cotopaxi  and  Antisana,  for  instance,  there  is  a  creep- 
ing plant  bearing  a  pretty  blue  flower  with  a  white 
centre,  found  as  far  up  the  slopes  of  those  two  moun- 
tains as  I  could  reach  ;  and  where  no  other  plant  exists 
higher  in  the  botanical  world  than  a  lichen.  That  it 
should  exist  on  Cotopaxi  at  all  seemed  to  me  to  be  a 
wonderful  thing.  Every  time  that  King  of  Terrors 
revolts,  and  streams  out  his  fiery  death  and  destruction, 
all  things  on  his  sides  must  be  burnt  to  cinders.  The 
sides  of  this  mountain  are  actually  calcined  to  an  immense 
depth  if  not  right  through  to  the  volcanic  throat :  and 
all  roots,  large  or  small,  must  be  completely  destroyed 
every  time  an  eruption  takes  place  ;  though  I  was  not 
impressed  with  the  quantity  of  lava  on  Cotopaxi's  sides. 
It  appeared  to  me  from  what  I  saw  and  heard,  that  the 
principal  ejecta  from  this  remarkable  volcano  are  ashes 
and  stones.  The  water  from  the  melted  ice  and  snow 
must  be  boiling  hot  when  it  runs  from  the  great  crevasses 
that  seam  the  mountain-sides ;  but  owing  to  the  extreme 
steepness  of  the  cone  it  runs  down  in  such  heavy  streams 
that  it  washes  the  cinders  and  other  volcanic  matter 
into  the  valleys  at  the  base  of  the  mount,  where 
rich  crops  of  various  kinds  are  raised  upon  it — par- 
ticularly potatoes,  which,  my  informant  declared,  in 


94  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

this  country  always  do  well  on  "burnt  ground  of  any 
kind." 

But  as  several  of  the  large  tributaries  of  the  Amazon 
take  their  rise  on  the  bases  of  the  great  mountains  of 
this  district,  it  cannot  be  out  of  place  to  give  a  particular 
description  of  some  of  them  ;  and  this  I  can  best  do  by 
narrating  my  attempts  to  ascend  them. 


Plioto  Underwood  &  Underwood 
UNDER  THE   EQUATOR   IN   THE   ANDES:    PEAK  OF   PINCHINCA 


CHAPTER   X 

ATTEMPTED  ASCENTS  OF  MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA 

"  l^TOBODY    ever  has   ascended   to   the  crater   of 

-*-^  Cotopaxi ;  nobody  ever  will  succeed  in  doing 
so,"  I  was  told.  I  had  a  good  look  at  the  mount ;  and 
was  disposed  to  agree  with  this  dictum  :  its  ascent  would 
be  on  all  fours  with  an  attempt  to  climb  a  huge  sugar- 
loaf,  I  thought.  Still,  if  everybody  argued  in  this  way 
the  thing  would  assuredly  never  be  done  ;  so  I  deter- 
mined to  have  a  try. 

I  am  thankful  that  the  natural  modesty  which  is  so 
conspicuous  in  travellers  and  naturalists  generally,  and 
in  myself  in  particular,  except  when  I  am  "  darning  up  " 
those  dear  old  ladies  the  Natural  Selectionists,  induced 
me  to  make  my  preparations  very  quietly  and  secretly. 

I  was  never  very  fit  for  the  heavy  work  of  mountain 
climbing,  as  I  always  suffered  from  a  physical  infirmity 
which  hampered  me  heavily.  But  "  where  there  is  a  will 
there  is  a  way,"  is  one  of  my  favourite  maxims,  which  I 
like  none  the  less  for  its  extreme  homeliness.  So  I  sent 
George,  my  servant,  to  find  guides  of  some  sort,  and 
gain  as  much  general  information  as  he  could. 

The  Spanish  American  is  a  fatalist.  "  Who  knows ! 
What  then  !  How  can  !  "  are  amongst  the  most  fre- 
quent expressions  heard  from  his  lips — not  as  enquiries, 
but  as  lackadaisical  exclamations.  Could  Cotopaxi  be 

95 


96  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

ascended  ?  Who  knows,  and  who  cares  !  Would  he 
make  the  attempt  ?  What  for?  What  good  !  Well,  he 
might  like  to  earn  a  few  dollars  !  Oh  !  to  be  sure  :  a 
few  dollars  would  be  welcome.  What  could  he  do  for 
the  Senor  ?  Show  him  the  best  side  to  attempt  Coto- 
paxi !  What  an  idea  !  But  of  course  he  could,  and 
would,  point  out  the  most  likely  point  to  ascend  the 
sleeping  Pedro  ;  and  straightway  pockets  the  dollars, 
and  leads  one  to  a  spot  where  nothing  less  nimble  than 
a  fly  could  find  a  foothold. 

Having  been  victimized  by  several  of  these  apathetic, 
but  knowing,  gentlemen,  George  suggested  that  I  should 
leave  the  matter  in  his  hands.  Then  he  found  an  old 
shepherd  who  had  driven  a  flock  of  merino -sheep  about 
the  Quito  district  for  nearly  forty  years  ;  and  told  him 
if  he  could  find  an  efficient  guide  he  would  be  paid  by 
results  :  the  higher  the  guide  got  the  greater  the  number 
of  dollars  that  would  find  their  way  into  the  old  boy's 
palm. 

He  accepted  the  bargain ;  "  and  who  so  fit  for  the 
task  as  his  grandson,  Jesus  !  "  [The  names  of  the  Lord 
are  frequently  conferred  on  children  by  Spaniards  and 
Portuguese  :  and  even  in  the  Protestant  countries  of 
Europe,  modified  into  Jesse  and  Christopher.  The  last- 
mentioned  form  is  often  adopted  by  Spaniards,  though 
it  is  of  Italian  origin.  But  Christo,  or  Cristo,  is  common 
enough  in  Brazil.] 

The  boy  on  being  interviewed  proved  to  be  a  stripling 
of  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  ;  but  bright -featured  and 
strong.  He  agreed  to  take  us  as  high  up  as  he  ever  had 
been  ;  but  said  he  would  be  afraid  to  go  higher  :  and, 
in  fact,  I  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  reaching  the  crater 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA         97 

before  I  started  ;  the  task  was  so  obviously  impossible. 
But  I  wished  to  see  as  much  of  the  character  and  forma- 
tion of  the  mount  as  was  practicable  ;  and  two  more 
peasants  having  volunteered  to  accompany  us  I  left 
Quito  and  took  up  quarters  at  the  Rancho  of  San 
Jeronymo  on  the  road  between  Quito  and  Riobamba. 
The  rancho  is  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountain  ;  well 
up  on  the  slope  in  fact ;  and  a  magnificent  view  of 
Chimborazo,  and  the  mountains  which  cluster  in  all 
directions,  was  obtained  from  it. 

The  ranchero  was  made  acquainted  with  my  intention 
and  offered  to  accompany  me  for  his  own  pleasure.  I 
was  only  too  glad  to  have  this  valuable  addition  to  my 
little  party,  especially  when  I  learned  that  he  had  made 
many  attempts  to  climb  to  the  cone.  He  scouted  the 
possibility  of  the  attempt  succeeding ;  but  was  in 
sympathy  with  my  desire  to  get  as  high  as  possible  ; 
and  was  one  of  the  very  few  Spaniards  I  met  with  who 
were  lovers  of  Nature,  and  willing  to  put  themselves  to 
pain  and  trouble  to  witness  one  of  her  fine  sights. 

Acting  on  the  advice  of  my  host,  I  deferred  the 
attempt  for  three  days,  until  some  heavy  white  clouds 
dispersed.  These  clouds  completely  hid  the  cone,  but 
were  in  themselves  a  splendid  sight  at  sunset  and  sun- 
rise, running  rapidly  through  a  series  of  magnificent 
colour  shadows — light  and  deep  orange,  and  reds  in 
the  morning,  crimsons,  fiery  copper  colour  and  light 
green  at  night.  Words  cannot  convey  a  sense  of  the 
beautiful  gradations  of  change,  and  the  awe  of  the  sights 
which  surrounded  us  ;  but  to  see  them  once  is  to  have 
them  printed  on  the  brain  for  the  remainder  of  life. 

All  I  could  see  of  Cotopaxi  during  these  three  days 


98  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

was  a  massive  grey  slope  running  up  into  the  clouds  at 
an  unusually  steep  angle,  even  for  an  Andes  mountain. 
I  was  not  idle  ;  but  accompanied  by  the  boy  wandered 
up  to  a  considerable  height ;  and  surveyed  the  difficulties 
I  intended  to  attack.  Water-worn  and  rugged,  the  moun- 
tain-side was  almost  destitute  of  vegetation,  lichens 
excepted.  There  was  no  moss,  and  the  little  blue  flower 
described  just  now  does  not  appear  until  a  height  of 
at  least  3000  feet  is  reached.  Besides  jagged  rocks,  and 
deep  ravines  into  which  one  could  not  descend  without 
the  help  of  companions  well  furnished  with  ropes,  there 
were  tracts  covered  with  loose  stones  varying  in  size 
from  that  of  pebbles  to  masses  one  could  not  lift :  but 
the  smaller  stones  prevailed  to  so  great  an  extent  that 
it  was  difficult  to  walk  over  them.  They  shifted  position 
and  slipped  back  ;  so  that  we  were  frequently  brought 
down  to  our  knees  ;  and  sometimes  had  worse  falls.  I 
took  care,  after  some  experience,  to  well  pad  my  elbows 
and  knees  in  preparation  for  the  grand  attempt,  and  to 
make  an  alpenstock,  which  I  found  of  great  use  in  arrest- 
ing a  slip. 

On  the  eventful  day  we  started  before  daybreak,  the 
clouds  having  dispersed  the  previous  evening.  There 
was  a  heavy  mist  lying  on  the  mountain -side  ;  but  this 
dispersed  as  the  sun  arose  ;  and  was  followed  by  a  clear 
and  beautiful  morning  ;  with  an  atmosphere  which  was 
perfectly  calm  and  still.  The  sun,  about  ten  o'clock, 
had  power  sufficient,  notwithstanding  our  altitude,  to 
cause  us  to  perspire  freely  ;  but  there  was  no  ground 
heat,  and  no  smoke  issuing  from  the  numerous  rents  and 
fissures  which  scored  the  slope.  Above,  the  crater, 
which  we  could  plainly  see  from  our  position,  was  send- 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA         99 

ing  up  a  thin  column  of  black  smoke,  as  it  was  always 
doing  during  my  stay  in  the  neighbourhood.  It  ascends 
for  an  immense  distance  before  dispersing — several 
miles  at  least :  and  it  gives  one  a  curious  sensation  to 
look  up  the  dark  and  rugged  slope,  and  see  it  surmounted 
by  an  enormous  crest  of  black  vapour.  I  say  rugged 
slope  :  for  a  near  sight  of  Cotopaxi  is  very  different 
from  a  distant  view.  Seen  from  any  point  between  ten 
and  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  the  cone  looks  dazzling  white, 
and  perfectly  smooth  in  contour.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
though  perfect  in  general  outline,  the  sides  are  exceed- 
ingly rough  and  steep.  Some  of  the  ravines,  or  crevasses, 
run  up  to  the  actual  crest  of  the  crater ;  but  it  is  not 
possible  to  ascend  them  :  they  are  blocked  with  snow, 
stones  and  masses  of  rock,  which  it  is  impossible  to 
burrow  through,  or  climb  over  by  any  ordinary  means. 
What  the  gentlemen  with  the  aeroplanes  may  do  we 
shall  see  some  day  :  and  if  Peter  Botte  could  be  con- 
quered there  seems  no  reason  why  Cotopaxi  should  not 
be.  The  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  however,  are  enor- 
mous ;  and  insuperable  to  a  small  party. 

Had  I  possessed  the  means  I  should  have  made  an 
attempt  at  the  head  of  150  men,  with  at  least  a  score  of 
long  ladders.  What  appears  to  be  the  worst  place 
might  be  surmounted  by  a  ladder  of  ninety  feet.  Shorter 
lengths  could  be  carried  up  to  the  spot  and  lashed  to- 
gether. Other  ladders  could  be  hauled  up  these,  and  so 
on  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  plenty  of  ropes,  plenty  of  men, 
and  plenty  of  pluck  I  think  the  summit  might  be  attained. 
The  greatest  fear  I  should  have  would  be  that  of  dis- 
lodging huge  masses  of  overhanging  snow,  which  would 
sweep  everything  before  them.  This  would  be  a  very 


100  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

real  danger  ;  but  it  could  be  risked.  Peril  is  an  element 
of  all  mountain  climbing,  as  the  newspaper  accounts 
inform  us  every  year  ;  and  the  peril  here  would  be 
considerably  above  the  average.  But  nobody  would 
attempt  to  surmount  Cotopaxi  who  was  not  prepared 
to  put  his  life  in  his  hand. 

The  ascent  must  be  by  one  of  the  huge  rents,  or 
gullies,  which  seam  the  cone  on  all  sides.  The  separating 
ridges  are  certainly  impracticable.  The  snow  cape 
which  covers  the  cone  comes  down  about  6000  feet ; 
but  there  are  small  glaciers  which  descend  lower  than 
this  and  overlap  the  gullies,  in  some  cases  to  such  an 
extent  that  we  could  crawl  nearly  a  hundred  yards  under 
them.  Water  was  trickling  from  the  one  where  we  per- 
formed this  feat ;  and  formed  a  runnel  which  lower  down 
dashed  over  the  rocks  in  many  small  cascades.  Occa- 
sionally the  thaw  is  so  great  that  it  would  not  be  possible 
to  ascend  this  gully  on  account  of  the  quantity  and  force 
of  the  water ;  but  the  dry  season  would  certainly  be 
chosen  for  an  ascent  by  any  traveller  who  did  not  intend 
to  deliberately  court  disaster.  Probably  immediately 
after  an  eruption,  as  soon  as  the  stones  were  cool  enough, 
would  be  the  best  time  for  an  ascent.  There  would 
then  be  no  snow  or  ice  to  impede  the  traveller's  progress. 

From  the  rancho  to  the  snow-line  was  about  6000  feet 
— 2000  yards — not  much  more  than  a  mile  (in  height) 
yet  it  took  us  all  day  to  attain  this  elevation.  Early  in 
the  afternoon  it  became  evident  that  we  could  not  reach 
the  snow-limit  before  nightfall.  My  companions  wished 
to  return  ;  but  at  my  earnest  entreaty  some  of  them 
consented  to  go  on.  The  boy,  who  was  timid,  and  two 
of  the  peasants  went  back ;  but  the  proprietor  of  the 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       101 

little  farm,  my  servant,  and  three  other  peasants  who 
were  with  us  persevered,  though  it  meant  spending  a 
night  in  the  open  in  the  most  uncomfortable  circum- 
stances that  could  occur  in  such  a  region.  Fortunately 
we  had  all  brought  our  thick  ponchos,  or  cloaks,  with 
us  ;  and  we  borrowed  those  of  the  returning  peasants. 
We  were  also  well  supplied  with  provisions  :  I  had  seen 
to  that :  for  I  am  convinced  that  nothing  will  cause  the 
failure  of  an  expedition,  great  or  small,  sooner  than  the 
breakdown  of  the  commissariat. 

The  sun  was  a  fiery  red  ball  in  the  west  when  we 
reached  the  snow-line  ;  and  found  ourselves  abruptly 
stopped.  It  is  not  the  snow  that  prevents  a  farther 
ascent ;  but  at  this  point  the  steepness  and  ruggedness 
of  the  cone  ;  and  also  the  other  obstacles,  greatly  in- 
crease ;  and  there  is  a  ragged  fringe  of  ice  where  the 
snow  has  melted  and  refrozen  ;  and  which  could  in 
no  case  be  passed  until  a  way  had  been  cut  through  it, 
a  task  impossible  to  four  or  five  men  in  a  limited  time. 

So  at  this  point  we  prepared  to  pass  the  night.  A  fire 
could  not  be  made :  for  there  is  nothing  here  that  will 
burn,  except  in  the  fervent  heat  of  an  eruption.  We 
were  surrounded  by  calcined  rocks  and  stones ;  but  not 
a  scrap  of  dry  vegetation  could  be  seen  anywhere.  The 
little  blue  flowers,  mentioned  twice  before,  were  scattered 
about,  though  very  sparsely;  and  this  was  absolutely 
the  only  plant  I  could  find.  The  lichens  made  the  rock 
masses  look  singular,  rather  than  gay,  in  red,  yellow 
and  black  stains  ;  and  there  was  one  very  remarkable 
cryptogamous  growth  lining  the  under  sides  of  masses 
of  rocks  and  stones  which  had  lodged  together  in  such 
a  way  as  to  form  grottoes.  This  was  a  sign  of  dampness 


102  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

low  down,  where  the  snow-water  had  percolated  amongst 
the  loose  stones.  The  lichen  appeared  on  the  stone  as 
a  dark  green  slime  thickly  studded  with  minute  bright 
blue  pedicels,  which  turn  yellow  as  they  die  off.  A  trifle, 
perhaps  ;  but  one  worth  notice  since  it  was  made,  or 
evolved,  by  a  Master  Mind  of  some  kind,  and  placed  in  a 
position  where  trifles  are  wonders  on  account  of  their 
rarity. 

I  know  that  many  unsuccessful  attempts  have  been 
made  to  reach  the  crater  of  Cotopaxi ;  but  I  have  never 
read  an  account  of  any  of  them,  nor  heard  them  described ; 
and  I  do  not  even  know  if  any  adventurer  has  succeeded 
in  getting  higher  than  the  snow-line.  I  should  think  not. 
For  I  have  tried  the  ascent  on  three  sides,  and  could 
neither  find,  nor  see,  any  pass  so  good  as  the  one  on  the 
west  side.  Here,  and  here  only,  did  I  succeed  in  approach- 
ing the  snow-level.  In  many  minor  attempts  I  was 
turned  back  by  insurmountable  obstacles  when  I  had 
ascended  only  1000,  2000,  or,  at  most,  3000  feet.  This, 
on  the  eastern  side,  where  the  base-ground,  and  con- 
sequently the  starting-point,  is  higher,  meant  that  I 
got  within  2000  feet  of  the  snow  :  and  it  should  be  noted 
that  the  frigid-line  is  1000  feet  lower  in  the  winter  (that 
is  the  wet  season)  than  it  is  in  the  summer.  It  is  the 
snow  that  is  the  chief  barrier  ;  but  supposing  this  all 
cleared  away,  I  am  convinced  that  only  a  very  large 
and  well-found  party  would  have  the  slightest  chance 
of  reaching  the  crater.  Long  and  heavy  ladders  are 
essential ;  and  some  of  these  would  have  to  be  left  in 
the  positions  where  they  were  first  planted  :  and  the 
ground  above  6000  or  7000  feet  is  so  ticklish  that  only 
large  numbers  of  men  could  handle  even  moderate 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       103 

weights  without  grave  risk  of  accident.  It  is  unneces- 
sary, and  useless,  to  dwell  on  details  ;  but  I  may  say 
that  as  each  man  ascended  he  would  have  to  be  guarded 
and  guided  by  rope-parties  on  the  flanks  as  well  as 
above  :  and  very  elaborate  precautions  would  have  to 
be  taken  in  many  spots. 

We  passed  the  night  huddled  together  amongst  the 
stones  with  which  we  erected  a  low  wall,  as  some  shelter 
against  an  icy  cold  breeze  which  began  to  blow  im- 
mediately after  sunset.  No  man  of  us  attempted  to 
sleep  ;  and  we  passed  the  time  in  smoking  and  chatting, 
with  an  occasional  nip  of  good  old  rum  to  counteract 
the  effects  of  the  rasping  air  which  seemed  to  freeze  in 
our  throats.  I  am  no  tippler,  and  no  defender  of  the 
bottle  :  neither  am  I  an  admirer  of  the  non-alcohol 
fanatic.  Midnight  6000  feet  below  the  crest  of  a  freezing 
mountain  is  not  the  time  to  think  of  total  abstinence — 
or  even  moderation.  And  it  was  freezing  on  Cotopaxi. 
Our  breath  formed  little  clouds,  and  icicles  an  inch  long 
formed  on  our  moustaches.  Our  respiration  sounded 
like  the  wheezings  of  an  old  pump  ;  and  to  draw  breath 
at  all  was  a  painful  exertion.  I  prayed  fervently  for 
morning  ;  but  the  night  seemed  to  be  interminable. 
There  was  a  young  moon  ;  but  it  did  not  give  sufficient 
light  to  reveal  surrounding  objects  :  and  though  there 
are  ranches  and  hamlets  in  the  valley  below,  not  too 
far  distant  for  noises  to  be  heard  half-way  up  Cotopaxi, 
not  a  sound  reached  our  ears.  From  sunset  to  sunrise 
a  dead  silence  prevailed.  Once  or  twice  I  did  hear  the 
wind  moan  as  it  blew  over  the  jagged  rocks  :  but  the 
sound  was  momentary,  and  hardly  worth  noticing.' 

Daylight  came  quite  suddenly.    The  rising  of  the  sun 


104  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

was  a  grand  sight ;  but  I  have  seen  it  under  more  mag- 
nificent conditions  elsewhere — in  the  Colorado  valley 
for  instance.  The  reflections  on  Chimborazo  and  other 
peaks  were  very  fine ;  the  snow  turning  a  bright  crimson, 
changing  rapidly  to  light  red,  and  pale  pink.  It  is  not 
until  the  sun  has  been  up  several  hours  that  the  snow 
appears  of  that  dazzling  whiteness  which  is  so  great  a 
characteristic  of  the  higher  peaks  of  the  Andes. 

From  our  highest  point  we  could  not  see  the  cone  of 
Cotopaxi,  owing  to  intervening  and  overhanging  rocks 
and  snow.  The  smoke  overhanging  the  mountain  could 
be  seen  at  an  immense  height,  appearing  of  a  sooty 
brown  colour.  There  is  always  more  or  less  smoke 
issuing  from  the  crater  ;  its  cessation  is  said  to  be  a  sure 
sign  of  an  impending  eruption. 

The  volume  of  smoke  which  rises  from  the  crater  is 
very  great,  but  it  disperses  without  clouding  the  atmo- 
sphere. One  of  the  wonders  of  this  country  is  the  mar- 
vellously clear  air.  Objects  are  seen  an  immense  dis- 
tance, and  appear  comparatively  close  when  they  are  a 
long  distance  off.  For  instance  when  I  caught  my  first 
sight  of  Cotopaxi  from  the  Napo  river,  and  was  told  it 
was  fully  sixty  English  miles  away  I  could  not  believe  it. 
It  appeared  to  be  reachable  in  a  few  hours  ;  but  after 
travelling  towards  it  two  whole  days,  I  did  not  seem  to 
have  made  any  appreciable  progress  in  its  direction  ! 
Sketches  I  made  during  the  journey  were  practically 
the  same  so  far  as  the  mountain  in  the  background  was 
concerned. 

With  the  return  of  day  my  courage  increased,  and  I 
wished  to  try  to  climb  a  little  higher  ;  but  my  com- 
panions were  not  to  be  persuaded  to  make  further 


I 


Photo  Underwood  &  Underwood 
CHIMBORAZO:    ABOUT  20,500  FEET   HIGH 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       105 

exertions  ;  and  I  could  not  go  alone.  There  was  an 
ugly -looking  rock,  or  mass  of  calcined  matter,  half 
buried  in  snow,  a  hundred  feet  above  our  heads,  which 
hung  over  ominously.  "  How  are  you  going  to  get  over 
that  ?  "  enquired  the  gentleman  who  was  my  host. 
The  enquiry  was  a  conclusive  argument ;  and  regret- 
fully I  consented  to  climb  down,  quite  as  ticklish  a  busi- 
ness as  ascending,  though  performed  more  quickly.  By 
midday  we  had  reached  the  rancho  ;  and  were  very 
glad  of  a  refreshing  cup  of  hot  coffee  ;  the  berries  which 
were  used  having  been  grown  on  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tains to  westward,  not  a  dozen  miles  from  the  spot 
where  we  enjoyed  their  stimulating  fragrance. 

Animal  life  is  not  absent  from  the  sides  of  Cotopaxi, 
if  it  is  not  abundant.  Formerly  guanacos  roamed  round 
its  base  ;  but  these  had  been  exterminated  at  the  time 
of  my  visit.  The  last  puma  was  seen  here  as  late  as 
1860,  I  was  told  by  my  old  friend  the  shepherd ;  but  it 
is  many  years  since  the  Quito  valley  was  a  happy  hunt- 
ing-ground for  these  animals.  At  present  there  is  a 
species  of  American  mouse,  and  a  kind  of  marmot  (not 
the  common  prairie  dog)  on  the  lower  slopes,  ascending 
2000  or  3000  feet.  These  are  the  only  mammals  which 
came  under  my  observation. 

There  are  several  small  birds  found  to  a  considerable 
height ;  but  the  only  one  I  need  notice  here  is  a  hum- 
ming-bird, which  I  saw  quite  up  to  the  snow-level,  though 
what  attracted  it  to  that  inhospitable  height  I  do  not 
know  and  cannot  conjecture.  I  asked  my  companions  if 
they  knew.  They  shrugged  their  shoulders ;  and  looked 
their  contempt  of  the  question.  "  Who  knows  !  "  Who 
indeed  ! 


106  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

It  is  a  pretty  little  bird,  green  in  colour  with  a  blue 
throat  and  a  white  breast.  I  shot  one  or  two  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  what  food  they  were  seeking  on 
the  mountain,  and  so  proved  that  their  diet  was  insecti- 
vorous ;  and  seemed  to  consist  entirely  of  minute  flies, 
which  are  abundant  enough  on  all  parts  of  the  mountain 
where  there  is  vegetation.  The  opinion  that  humming- 
birds and  flowers  are  inseparable  is  an  erroneous  one. 
Many  of  the  humming-birds  inhabit  desolate  regions, 
and  live  on  small  flies  and  beetles  ;  nevertheless  there 
are  plenty  of  flowers  about  the  base  of  Cotopaxi,  and  in 
the  adjoining  valley. 

Condors  sail  round  the  volcano,  and  perhaps  over  it ; 
but  they  are  not  numerous.  The  herdsmen  are  greatly 
prejudiced  against  them  ;  and  destroy  them  whenever 
they  get  a  chance  to  do  so.  The  lad  who  acted  as  one 
of  our  guides  had  made  himself  acquainted  with  the 
mountain  during  his  search  for  these  birds,  which  breed 
on  it.  He  obtained  a  reward  for  every  egg  and  young 
bird  he  brought  down.  At  what  height  they  breed  on 
Cotopaxi  I  did  not  ascertain  ;  but  my  young  friend  ad- 
mitted that  many  of  the  eyries  were  situated  far  out  of 
his  reach.  I  saw  condors  in  pairs,  perched  on  crags 
which  looked  like  breeding-places,  just  under  the 
snow-line  ;  but  as  these  birds  seldom  make  a  nest, 
and  choose  positions  under  rocks  and  beetling  cliffs, 
it  is  difficult  to  discover  their  breeding  -  sites  from 
below. 

It  is  true  that  condors  often  dispense  with  a  nest ; 
but  they  sometimes  construct  a  platform  of  dry  herbage, 
and  cover  it  with  fragments  of  skin,  feathers,  etc.,  from 
the  creatures  whose  carcasses  they  prey  on.  When  there 


Photo  Underwood  &  Underwood 
COUNTRY   NEAR  COTOPAXI  :    VOLCANO   HIDDEN   BEHIND   CLOUDS 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       107 

is  a  nest,  therefore,  the  stench  arising  from  it  is  unen- 
durable to  human  nostrils. 

Failing  to  scale  Cotopaxi,  I  next  assailed  Antisana ; 
but  though  I  passed  two  days  and  nights  on  the  east 
side  of  this  mountain,  I  failed  to  reach  the  top  by  several 
thousand  feet.  The  difficulties  are  similar  to  those  on 
Cotopaxi ;  and  although  there  is  no  steep  cone  to  sur- 
mount, deep  ravines,  jagged  rocks,  and  overhanging 
cliffs  render  it  impossible  for  an  ordinary  individual, 
unprovided  with  a  proper  outfit,  and  without  a  sufficient 
number  of  assistants,  to  climb  these  stupendous  peaks. 
The  areas  of  loose  stones  are  greater  on  Antisana  than 
on  Cotopaxi ;  and  there  is  a  far  greater  amount  of  vege- 
tation on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  first-named  mountain, 
including  bushes,  shrubs  and  a  few  trees.  Large  tracts 
of  the  sides  are  gorgeous  with  wild  flowers  of  beautiful 
tints ;  and  amongst  the  shrubs  are  a  few  fuchsias 
covered  so  thickly  with  small  red  blooms  that  no 
leaves  appear. 

Several  runnels  trickle  down  the  mountain-sides,  with 
deep  channels,  proclaiming  that  they  are  rushing  torrents 
in  the  rainy  season  ;  and  there  are  rents  in  the  sides 
through  which  smoke  or  steam  slowly  rises  more  or  less 
frequently,  showing  that  Antisana  is  only  dozing,  and 
may  awake  with  a  bellow  any  day. 

There  is,  also,  the  same  kind  of  humming-bird  on  this 
mountain  as  that  which  haunts  the  slopes  of  Cotopaxi ; 
as  well  as  two  other  species,  which  are  common  in  the 
valley.  It  is  asserted  that  all  the  great  peaks  here, 
Pinchincha,  Gayamba,  Antisana,  Cotopaxi  and  Chim- 
borazo,  have  their  own  species  of  humming-birds.  I  saw 
no  evidence  of  this  ;  but  there  are  certainly  several 


108  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

species  confined  to  the  mountains  which  are  not  found 
in  the  valleys  below,  nor  in  any  other  district,  so  far  as 
I  know.  Many  of  the  humming-birds,  of  which  there 
are  about  900  species,  are  local ;  but  it  is  not  likely  that 
they  are  so  very  local  as  to  be  confined  to  one  mountain. 
One  remarkable  feature  in  these  beautiful  little  birds 
I  noticed,  and  that  is  that  the  mountain  species  have 
shorter  and  straighter  beaks  than  those  inhabiting  the 
plains  of  Brazil.  The  reason  seems  to  be  obvious.  The 
flowers  in  the  mountains  are  smaller  and  less  deep  than 
those  of  the  lowlands  ;  and  the  beaks  of  the  humming- 
birds are  used  to  probe  the  bells  of  flowers — not  in 
search  of  nectar  as  the  popular  idea  imagines,  but  to 
capture  the  insects  which  lurk  deep  down  in  the  tubular 
blossoms. 

I  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  careful,  in  writing  of  the  locali- 
zation of  humming-birds,  as  it  seems  pretty  certain 
that  many  of  the  valleys  in  the  Andes  have  species 
peculiar  to  them.  They  were  not  very  abundant  any- 
where ;  and  this  is  clearly  due  to  the  numbers  which 
have  been  trapped  and  killed  to  make  decorations  for 
ladies'  hats  and  bonnets.  Round  some  of  the  better- 
peopled  countries  of  the  Peruvian  and  Ecuadorian  Andes 
they  had  been  nearly  exterminated  at  the  time  of  my 
visit.  I  am  afraid  I  destroyed  my  quota  :  for  I  was 
anxious  to  make  a  collection  of  as  many  species  as  pos- 
sible. Ultimately  I  got  together  157  species,  besides 
about  forty  which  I  classed  as  varieties.  My  whole 
collection  of  American  birds,  insects,  etc.  etc.,  was 
afterwards  purchased  by  the  Emperor  of  Brazil  for  his 
private  museum.  I  was  sorry  to  part  with  them  ;  but 
the  Fates  were  against  me  ;  and  I  often  had  enough  to 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       109 

do  to  convey  myself  from  place  to  place  without  being 
encumbered  with  many  possessions.  At  one  time  I 
hoped  to  obtain  sufficient  means  from  the  sales  of  speci- 
mens to  enable  me  to  work  on  a  larger  and  more  im- 
portant scale  ;  but  I  soon  awoke  from  that  dream. 
Specimen-hunting  as  a  business  means  rags  and  poverty. 
I  was  once  recommended  to  a  "  merchant  "  who  it  was 
thought  would  buy  my  specimens.  He  looked  at  them 
with  contempt  in  his  eye.  "  These  are  no  use  to  me. 
I  don't  want  twos  and  threes.  Catch  'em  wholesale 
4  fines,  middles,  coarse.'  Here's  a  list  of  the  kinds  and 
colours  I  want.  See  ?  Heads,  legs,  wings  and  tails. 
Do  what  you  like  with  the  bodies.  Eat  'em  if  they  are 
big  enough." 

The  man  was  a  purveyor  for  French  milliners.  Green 
is  the  prevailing  colour  in  the  plumage  of  humming- 
birds ;  but  they  are  found  of  nearly  all  hues,  brown, 
black,  blue,  and,  in  one  instance  at  least,  scarlet,  or 
bright  crimson.  White,  yellow  and  reds  generally  are 
subsidiary  colours,  appearing  in  small  markings,  etc. 

In  size,  also,  humming-birds  vary  greatly.  Some  are 
so  large,  and  have  so  few  distinctive  characteristics,  that 
I  should  not  have  been  able  to  say  with  certainty  that 
they  were  humming-birds  had  it  not  been  for  their 
peculiar  flight.  The  flight  of  all  humming-birds,  without 
a  known  exception,  is  quite  different  from  that  of 
other  birds  ;  but  is  exactly  like  that  of  insects.  It  has 
been  described  so  often — sometimes  correctly,  quite  as 
often  incorrectly— that  I  do  not  intend  to  say  much  about 
it  here,  except  that,  having  watched  it  for  hours  and 
days,  and  under  every  possible  circumstance,  I  think 
I  may  venture  to  state  a  few  facts  about  it  without  hesi- 


110  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

tation  or  doubt.  The  wings  vibrate  so  rapidly  that  they 
appear  like  gossamer,  and  it  is  quite  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish their  colour  or  markings  while  the  bird  is  in 
flight.  While  the  wings  are  in  motion  the  bird  can  re- 
main perfectly  stationary  in  front  of  a  flower,  or  any 
other  object.  It  can  dart  upwards,  downwards,  or  to 
either  side  ;  and  also  backwards  as  much  as  six  or  eight 
feet.  Some  naturalists  have  attempted  to  show  that 
this  last  motion  is  impossible.  It  is  not  only  possible  ; 
it  is  a  common  motion  of  all  humming-birds.  Sustained 
flight,  like  that  of  a  rook,  a  pigeon,  or  even  an  undulating 
flight  similar  to  that  of  many  short -winged  small  birds 
is  quite  impossible  with  humming-birds.  They  dart 
from  flower  to  flower,  or  from  tree  to  tree,  just  like  swift- 
flying  insects.  On  the  open  pampas,  or  llanos,  they  can 
easily  be  run  down,  and  captured  with  a  butterfly  net : 
for  though  they  do  not  perch  they  make  pauses  between 
each  dart,  as  if  gathering  strength  for  it ;  or  hesitating 
which  direction  to  take.  They  generally  turn  in  a  fresh 
direction  at  each  successive  dart.  They  squeak  when 
captured,  and  struggle  violently,  and  will  not  live  in 
captivity.  The  stories  of  their  having  been  fed  with 
sugar  and  water,  and  honey,  placed  in  paper  cups,  I  do 
not  believe.  Honey,  sap  and  pollen  may  be  taken  as 
part  of  the  food  of  some  humming-birds,  and  I  believe 
it  is  so  ;  but  the  whole  family  is  insectivorous  ;  and 
insects  form  the  bulk  of  the  food  of  all  of  them ;  and 
the  entire  diet  of  most  of  them.  Assertions  to  the 
contrary  are  speculations,  guesses,  theories,  anything 
but  the  experiences  of  eye-witnesses. 

Humming-birds  never  attempt  to  conceal  their  nests  : 
and  so  it  happens  that  I  have  seen  and  examined  a 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       111 

multitude  of  them.  They  are  always  placed  on  some- 
thing pendulous,  the  end  of  a  twig,  or  a  blade  of  grass. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  this  position  is  chosen  as  a 
protection  from  monkeys  and  snakes  :  and  I  think  it 
not  unlikely  that  this  may  be  so.  The  chief  enemy  of 
the  humming-bird  is  the  huge  bird-eating  spider — I  was 
on  the  point  of  making  something  like  a  bull,  and  writing 
"  bird-sucking."  As  a  fact  the  spider  does  not  actually 
eat  the  bird,  but  sucks  every  drop  of  blood  and  juice 
from  the  poor  little  carcass.  I  have  seen  these  horrid 
spiders,  on  two  occasions,  crawl  down  towards  nests, 
and  when  they  could  get  no  farther  deliberately  drop 
on  to  the  young.  I  have  repeatedly  tried  to  rescue  birds 
from  these  spiders,  but  the  dreadful  creatures  are  fur- 
nished with  poison  fangs.  Though  I  have  had  the  bird  in 
my  hand  immediately  after  it  was  seized  it  was  always 
in  a  dying  state — eyes  glazed  and  wings  rigid,  and  the 
whole  body  apparently  paralysed.  I  am  not  writing  of 
humming-birds  only,  but  all  kinds  of  small  birds  ;  and 
on  one  occasion  I  took  a  bird  the  size  of  a  thrush  from 
a  spider.  It  is  generally  young  birds  which  are  seized  ; 
but  it  depends  on  the  species  of  spider.  There  seem  to 
be  at  least  three  species  of  bird-eaters — one  which  is 
"  a  hunter  "  pure  and  simple  ;  a  similar  species  which 
spins  a  lurking-place  under  the  limbs  of  decayed  trees, 
etc.,  and  one  which  spins  a  web  for  the  capture  of  small 
birds  and  large  insects.  The  first  is  the  largest.  It  was 
a  French  lady  who  first  drew  attention  to,  and  described, 
the  web-spinning  species — she  does  not  seem  to  have 
seen  the  others.  Doubt  and  ridicule  were  cast  on  her 
stories  ;  but  all  travellers  have  to  endure  a  certain 
amount  of  impertinence  from  gentlemen  afflicted  with 


112  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

the  smile  sardonic.  This  is  not  the  place  to  describe 
these  spiders,  which  must  be  referred  to  in  the  district 
where  they  are  most  numerous  and  grow  to  the  largest 
size — the  heart  of  the  Brazilian  forest.  Incidentally, 
also,  other  humming-birds  must  be  noticed  ;  but  here  I 
may  say  that  these  lovely  living  gems,  as  they  have  justly 
been  called,  are  found  in  all  parts  of  South  America  ; 
and,  indeed,  practically  throughout  the  continent. 
They  touch  Canada  in  the  summer  season,  are  quite 
common  in  some  of  the  southern  states,  abound  in 
Mexico  and  Central  America,  and  are  found  as  far  south 
as  Tierra  del  Fuego — at  least  so  it  is  said  on  first-class 
authority — although  when  I  was  there  in  '92  or  '93  I 
never  saw  any  during  a  daily  search  of  the  country 
which  lasted  several  weeks.  But  probably  they  are 
migrants  in  so  low  a  latitude,  and  may  have  been  absent 
during  my  visit. 

Where  they  have  not  been  persecuted  they  are  abun- 
dant ;  but  in  some  of  the  long-settled  portions  of  the 
country  they  are  nearly  exterminated.  During  the 
time  of  my  travels  there  was  no  protection  for  birds  or 
game  of  any  sort  in  South  America,  and  not  much  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  continent.  Now  there  are 
pretty  (and  sometimes  very)  stringent  game-laws  in  the 
north  ;  and  protection  for  small  birds  and  rare  species  : 
but  I  believe  that  anywhere  in  the  southern  division  of 
the  continent,  an  idle  rascal  may  commit  as  much  bird- 
murder  as  he  likes,  in  any  way  he  thinks  proper.  Cruelty 
to  animals  never  shocks  a  Spaniard. 

On  the  slopes  of  Antisana  I  found  the  green  motmot; 
and    this    interesting    bird   is    plentifully    distributed 
throughout  the   eastern   flanks   of  the   Peruvian   and 


MOUNTS  COTOPAXI  AND  ANTISANA       113 

Ecuadorian  Andes.  I  do  not  say  it  is  not  found  on  the 
western  slopes  also.  I  do  not  know.  The  bulk  of  the 
towns  and  cities  are  on  the  west ;  and  I  have  so  much 
of  the  savage  about  me  that  I  do  not  like  towns  and 
cities — nor  the  false  science  and  theories  that  dwell  in 
them! 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  PLAINS  OF  ECUADOR  AND  COLOMBIA 

FT! HE  tributaries  which  join  the  Amazon  from  the 
-*-  Andes  of  Ecuador  and  Colombia  (formerly 
Granadian  Confederation)  have  generally  a  south- 
eastern course  ;  and  are  always  described  as  flowing 
through  plains.  The  plains  have,  however,  a  very 
decided  dip  towards  the  main  river  ;  and  it  is  not  until 
the  73rd  degree  of  longitude  W.  is  passed  that  the 
Amazon  flows  through  what  appears  to  be  a  flat  country. 
Of  this  there  is  more  to  be  said  hereafter.  For  the 
present  I  may  say  that  there  are  no  mountain  ranges  in 
the  interior  of  Ecuador  ;  and  very  few  groups  of  hills 
of  any  noticeable  eminence  :  still  the  country  gradually 
and  almost  imperceptibly  makes  a  very  considerable  dip 
towards  the  south-east,  as  much  as  2000  to  2500  feet  in 
a  distance  of  300  miles.  The  few  hills  that  are  met  with 
are  isolated  ;  and  never  form  connected  ridges. 

There  is  a  parallel  range  of  the  Andes  running  north- 
eastward in  Colombia,  enclosing  a  valley  of  considerable 
width  ;  as  much  as,  and  more  than,  a  hundred  miles  in 
places,  through  which  runs  the  Rio  Magdalena,  one  of 
the  very  few  large  rivers  of  the  earth  which  empty 
themselves  into  the  sea  in  a  due  north  direction.  But 
this  region  is  quite  out  of  our  scheme,  and  cannot  be 
described  here. 

114 


THE    PLAINS    OF   ECUADOR  115 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  all  the  navigable  rivers  of 
South  America,  the  Magdalena  excepted,  empty  them- 
selves on  the  east  coast  of  the  continent ;  and  more  than 
half  the  entire  system  is  connected  with  the  Amazon  : 
and  by  means  of  the  Amazon,  its  tributaries,  and  the 
Orinoco,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  the  cross-cutting 
Rio  Casiquiare,  and  the  Rio  Negro,  two-thirds  of  the 
entire  southern  continent  may  be  reached !  It  is 
probably  the  eastward  flow  of  South  American  waters 
which  tends  to  increase  the  size  of  the  Amazon — I  mean 
because  there  is  no  dividing  ridge  to  divert  part  of  the 
flow  to  other  directions.  A  similar  remark  is  applicable 
to  the  northern  continent  of  America. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  unexplored  country  in  the 
extreme  east  of  both  the  republics  mentioned  in  this 
chapter,  though  there  are  several  towns  on  the  Napo, 
and  others  on  the  lea  :  but  these  have  their  trade 
almost  entirely  via  the  Amazon  ;  and  Peru  has  now 
possessed  herself  of  the  most  important  of  them.  The 
country  between  the  Napo  and  the  lea  ;  and  between 
the  lea  and  the  Caqueta,  was  almost  unknown  thirty 
years  ago.  A  few  small  towns  and  ranches  on  the  larger 
rivers  were  the  only  inhabited  spots  ;  but  a  good  deal 
of  the  wood  had  been  felled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  streams 
and  floated  down  to  the  Amazon  to  be  shipped  for 
Europe  :  and  parties  of  men  wandered  in  the  forests 
collecting  wild  cinchona  bark,  cork  and  rubber,  destroy- 
ing the  trees  in  so  doing  :  for  the  people  of  these 
countries  are  usually  very  careless  and  improvident. 

The  rivers  and  streams  in  the  east  of  Ecuador  are 
very  numerous,  and  they  all  drain  into  the  Amazon  ; 
and  possibly  this  country  could  be  made  one  of  the  most 


116  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

prolific  in  South  America  ;  but  the  Andes  are  a  barrier 
to  its  development,  as  they  are  to  all  the  western  states. 
The  rivers  on  the  Pacific  coast  are  simply  rivulets  ;  and 
many  of  them  are  dry,  or  partially  so,  in  the  summer 
season  :  and  there  is  not  one  that  serves  as  a  water- 
way into  the  interior  of  the  country,  or  ever  can  do  so  : 
the  tremendous  range  of  mountains  being  an  effectual 
barrier  to  inland  water  communication. 

Before  leaving  the  Andes  region  I  would  state  that 
there  are  districts  on  the  eastern  slopes,  where  not  only 
gold,  but  several  kinds  of  precious  stones,  are  found,  if 
they  are  not  abundant.  I  found  several  diamonds,  but 
fear  of  provoking  trouble  with  the  local  authorities  pre- 
vented me  from  making  a  thorough  search.  I  had  hopes 
of  making  terms,  or  getting  a  concession  ;  but  I  never 
saw  the  way  clear  to  the  fulfilment  of  these  hopes.  A 
person  must  have  been  in  this,  the  most  priest-ridden 
country  in  the  world,  to  understand  my  position.  At 
the  time  of  which  I  am  writing  there  was  an  entire 
absence  of  public  morality  in  Ecuador.  If  it  had  been 
known  that  I  was  in  possession  of  a  valuable  secret,  I 
should  have  been  required  to  give  it  up  to  the  priestly 
rulers  of  the  land.  If  it  had  been  merely  suspected  that 
I  knew  of  the  existence  of  precious  metals,  and  precious 
stones,  I  should  have  been  detained  in  prison  until  I  had 
revealed  all  my  knowledge,  and  more.  For  the  rapa- 
cious priests  would  never  have  believed  that  I  had  told 
them  all.  Everything  in  Ecuador  was  controlled  by  the 
priests  ;  and  where  their  interests  were  concerned,  or 
where  there  was  a  chance  of  acquiring  wealth,  the  liberty, 
property  and  life  of  an  individual  were  accounted  of 
no  value.  A  solitary,  unknown  wanderer,  without  an 


THE    PLAINS   OF   ECUADOR  117 

interest,  or  friends,  in  the  country ;  and  with  no  certainty 
that  I  would  be  able  to  communicate  with  a  consul  in 
case  of  need,  I  thought  it  desirable  that  I  should  be 
extremely  careful  what  I  did  or  said.  At  any  rate  I 
determined  to  get  out  of  the  country  before  I  opened 
negotiations  with  any  person  within  its  frontiers.  So 
far  nothing  has  come  of  the  knowledge  I  acquired. 
Capital,  and  safety  for  that  capital,  are  two  indispen- 
sable preliminaries  ;  and  I  found  no  American  friends 
very  anxious  to  risk  their  dollars  in  such  a  country  as 
Ecuador.  I  believe  some  attempt  to  approach  the 
Ecuadorian  executive  was  made,  but  fell  through 
because  the  first  demand  of  that  body  was  that  the 
situation  of  the  supposed  diamond  and  gold  mines 
should  be  revealed  to  them.  I  absolutely  refused  to 
comply  with  this  demand  until  my  rights  were  satis- 
factorily settled.  There  the  matter  rests. 

The  number  of  diamonds  I  actually  found  was  twenty- 
three  ;  and  eighteen  rubies.  The  rubies  were  found  in 
the  bed  of  a  stream,  the  gravel  of  which  was  highly 
auriferous  ;  but  I  failed  to  find  any  nuggets  of  the  metal. 
The  reef  is  certainly  much  richer  than  the  one  described 
as  being  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Purus.  Probably 
a  great  deal  of  gold-dust  could  be  washed  out  of  the 
gravel  of  the  stream  ;  but  as  I  thought  I  was  being 
watched,  and  should  lose  the  benefits  of  my  discovery, 
I  did  not  attempt  to  make  a  present  use  of  it.  A  cradle 
is  a  noisy  instrument ;  and  a  man  cannot  even  "  pan 
out  "  without  attracting  the  notice  of  every  passer-by. 

Years  afterwards  I  offered  my  uncut  diamonds,  and 
rubies  for  sale.  I  was  assured  that  the  diamonds  were 
of  poor  quality.  For  the  largest  I  obtained  £8  English 


118  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

money.  The  remainder  fetched  very  low  prices  ;  but 
for  the  rubies  I  obtained  £35  although  they  were  small. 
It  is  possible  that  the  rubies  of  Ecuador  may  prove  of 
more  value  than  the  diamond  mines.  Nearly  thirty  years 
have  elapsed  since  these  few  stones  were  picked  up  ;  but 
I  have  never  heard  that  Ecuador  has  yet  discovered  the 
wealth  that  lies  at  the  feet  of  her  mighty  rocks  ;  which 
is  a  strange  circumstance.  No  doubt  these  precious 
things  require  looking  for  ;  but  there  are  always  indica- 
tions of  the  presence  in  the  rocks  of  gold  and  diamonds  ; 
and  some  practised  eye  ought  to  have  seen  these  long 
ago. 

I  did  not  pass  down  the  Amazon  at  this  time  ;  but 
having  searched  the  country  to  the  extent  my  time  and 
outfit  would  permit,  passed  back  into  Peru  ;  and,  later 
still,  into  Bolivia.  But  as  the  drainage  of  Ecuador  is 
entirely  into  the  Amazon,  and  the  quantity  of  water 
which  is  daily  poured  from  that  country  into  the  main 
stream  enormous,  I  think  I  am  justified  in  devoting 
some  space  to  a  description  of  the  productions  of  the 
country. 

The  forest  is  of  the  same  general  features  as  that  of 
Matto  Grosso  ;  but  it  is  not  so  damp  :  in  fact  there  are 
thousands  of  square  miles  of  it  in  which  no  swamp  is  to 
be  found.  This  is  a  very  unusual  feature  in  Matto  Grosso, 
where  the  reverse  of  this  is  the  usual  case  ;  and  not 
thousands  merely,  but  tens  of  thousands  of  square  miles 
are  constantly  underwater  ;  and  I  have  been  puzzled 
to  know  how  it  is  that  the  wet  does  not  kill  the  trees. 
Either  they  are  of  species  which  thrive  in  moisture,  or 
they  have  "  evolved  themselves "  and  "  acquired 
aquatic  habits." 


THE    PLAINS    OF    ECUADOR  119 

I  am  rather  afraid  to  write  much  about  the  trees  of 
Ecuador,  as  I  am  no  botanist  :  and  as  a  naturalist,  I 
suppose,  stand  to  the  spick-and-span  professor  in  much 
the  same  relationship  as  that  of  "  an  old  bodging  tailor  " 
to  the  "  practical  man."  Let  it  not  be  thought  that 
modesty,  or  humility,  leads  to  this  confession.  Not  so. 
I  think  that  the  old  fellow  who  can  neatly  clap  a  patch 
on  your  what-do-you-call-'em  is  often  of  more  use,  and 
more  welcome,  than  "  Slasher,  late  with  Dasher,  of  New 
Bond  Street."  So  I  will  rush  into  a  description  of  the 
trees  of  Ecuador,  and  chance  whether  I  blunder  much 
in  my  accounts  of  them.  To  avoid  serious  misdescrip- 
tions  the  best  way  will  be  to  give  the  native  names  and 
make  no  attempts  to  classify  them. 

One  of  the  finest  trees  in  the  country,  and  throughout 
Northern  and  Central  Brazil,  is  the  mora.  It  usually 
grows  to  a  height  of  150  feet ;  and  fine  specimens,  in 
favourable  positions,  attain  to  200  feet.  I  think  I  need 
hardly  say  this  is  a  great  height  for  a  forest  tree,  even 
in  the  tropics,  where  most  of  the  trees  are  large  and  well 
developed.  I  have  rarely  seen  this  tree  without  flowers : 
it  must,  therefore,  be  in  bloom  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year.  The  blossoms  appear  in  large  clusters,  and 
are  of  a  brilliant  scarlet  colour  :  so  that  the  tree,  from 
a  short  distance,  and  with  the  sun  shining  brilliantly 
upon  it,  has  the  appearance  of  a  mass  of  glowing  fire — 
for  few  of  the  leaves  can  be  seen,  so  thickly  does  it 
bloom.  The  mora  is  not  only  a  tall  tree  ;  it  is,  also,  very 
bushy  ;  the  distance  through  from  outer  branch  to 
outer  branch  being  sometimes  as  much  as  fifty  yards — 
this  is,  of  course,  where  the  tree  has  room  to  spread. 
In  close  forests,  it  still  seems  able  to  elbow  more  room 


120  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

for  itself  than  most  trees  ;  and  even  miles  deep  in  the 
heart  of  the  forest  it  is  one  of  the  largest,  as  well  as  the 
tallest,  of  trees. 

Monkeys  are  fond  of  harbouring  in  the  mora  ;  but 
sloths  eschew  it,  I  cannot  tell,  or  guess,  for  what  reason  : 
but  I  have  noticed  the  fact  that  two  species  of  mammals, 
or  birds,  never  occupy  the  same  tree  ;  and  quite  often 
a  particular  kind  of  tree  is  entirely  avoided  by  some 
genus,  or  family,  of  animals.  Why  an  inquisitive,  mis- 
chievous creature,  like  the  monkey,  should  avoid  trees 
in  which  sloths  are  feeding,  or  sleeping,  is  a  mystery  of 
Nature  which  I  cannot  explain.  It  is  even  more  mys- 
terious that  they  seem  always  to  know  when  a  sloth 
has  possession  of  a  tree,  in  spite  of  mimicry  and  protec- 
tive colouring ;  but  seldom  perceive  the  approach  of 
their  arch-enemies,  the  boa,  anaconda  and  jaguar, 
though  it  cannot  be  pretended,  with  a  shadow  of  truth, 
that  the  "  colouring  "  or  "  mimicry  "  of  any  of  these 
creatures  at  all  approaches  to  that  of  the  sloth.  The 
fact  is  that  it  is  not  colour,  or  similarity  to  some  other 
object,  that  enables  the  serpent  and  the  huge  cat  to 
approach  their  victims  ;  but  silent  cunning  and  craft. 
The  monkey  sees  not,  knows  not,  until  the  death-dealing 
paw  pins  him  down  ;  or  the  darting,  fang-furnished 
head  shoots  down  on  him.  The  case  is  exactly  on  all 
fours  with  that  of  the  prowling  Zulu  savages  who  sur- 
prised the  Prince  Imperial's  party  in  South  Africa.  In 
all  cases,  in  nature,  as  in  war,  it  is  the  same.  Cunning, 
or  enterprise  (not  necessarily  superior  cunning  or  enter- 
prise), wins  the  prize  from  carelessness,  or  forgetfulness. 
It  is  always  so,  according  to  my  experiences,  with  crea- 
tures of  prey.  They  surprise  their  victims  ;  and  if 


THE    PLAINS    OF    ECUADOR  121 

they  fail  to  do  this  ;  if  they  inadvertently  make  the 
least  noise,  or  reveal  an  inch  of  their  spotted  hides,  off 
go  their  victims  ;  and  the  would-be  slayers  have  nothing 
left  but  to  lick  their  chops,  and  sneak  disappointed  and 
supperless  to  their  lairs. 

The  monkeys  which  favour  the  mora  as  a  habitation 
are  of  the  "  spider  "  kind  ;  but  I  am  not  able  to  indicate 
with  precision  which  particular  species.  They  go  in 
troops  numbering  from  fifty  to  eighty,  are  lively  and 
noisy  ;  but  do  not  show  themselves  to  a  spectator  if  they 
can  avoid  doing  so  :  in  fact,  I  have  heard  them  in  a 
tree  near  my  camp  for  days  together  without  seeing  one. 
It  is  only  by  concealing  oneself  and  patiently  watching, 
that  a  glimpse  of  them  can  be  obtained.  It  is  worth  the 
trouble  and  expenditure  of  time,  however  :  for  they  are 
most  interesting  and  entertaining  creatures. 

American  monkeys  are  not  so  mischievous  and  spite- 
ful as  those  of  Asia  and  Africa.  I  have  kept  them  as 
pets  ;  and  I  never  knew  them  purloin  or  destroy  any 
article  ;  or  bite  any  person  who  was  not  actually  doing 
them  an  injury.  In  a  wild  state  the  mother  carries  her 
young  one  in  her  arms  much  like  a  human  parent.  When 
she  jumps  or  runs  the  little  creature  clings  to  her  chest, 
and  never  to  the  back.  The  leaps  these  spider-monkeys 
take  are  tremendous  ;  but  nearly  always  downwards, 
from  a  higher  branch  to  a  lower  one.  Of  course  one  can 
only  guess  the  distance  travelled  ;  but  I  am  sure  it  often 
exceeds  sixty  feet ;  yet  the  monkey  never  misses  its 
hold.  They  also  spring  laterally  a  good  distance  ;  I 
should  think  fully  twelve  feet ;  but  I  have  never  seen 
one  leap  upwards  to  a  higher  bough,  more  than  six  or 
seven  f ee t .  They  never  drop,  not  even  to  avoid  an  enemy ; 


122  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

but  always  leap  :  and  they  always  go  to  slender  branches 
where  their  heavier  pursuers  cannot  follow  them  :  and 
as  soon  as  they  are  in  safety  scold  him  with  noisy  energy. 
They  are  all  noisy  ;  but  the  monkeys  known  as  howlers 
make  a  monstrous  hubbub,  apparently  without  any 
cause  whatever.  Their  cries  at  night  are  often  unendur- 
able ;  and  I  have  sometimes  got  up  and  shot  into  the 
air  to  frighten  them  away — not  always  with  success. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  confirm  the  assertion,  made 
by  some  writers,  that  howler-monkeys  are  natural 
ventriloquists  ;  but  I  think  that  it  is  very  likely  that 
they  are  :  and  it  is  just  as  likely  that  one  howler  is 
answered  by  several  others  occupying  trees  at  various 
distances.  I  think  it  was  the  Rev.  J.  Wood  who  first 
promulgated  the  theory  that  the  voice  of  this  monkey 
is  ventriloquial.  All  I  can  say  with  certainty  is,  that 
when  a  howler  commences  his  charming  serenade,  he  is 
answered  by  similar  melancholy  sounds  from  the  sur- 
rounding forest  far  and  near.  The  noise  itself  is  in- 
describable with  any  degree  of  exactitude.  It  usually 
starts  with  a  sound  that  fully  justifies  its  popular  name 
of  howler — it  is  a  howl,  rising  or  falling  (I  cannot  say 
which)  to  a  noise  that  resembles  a  scream.  The  intensity 
of  the  sound  varies.  Sometimes  it  rises  to  a  yell  that 
causes  one's  ears  to  quiver  :  then  it  drops  to  a  low  moan. 
This  rises  to  a  scream  again,  emanating,  it  seems,  from 
a  distant  part  of  the  forest ;  but  this  may  be  an  act  of 
ventriloquism  on  the  part  of  the  first  howler.  I  can 
hardly  think  so,  however,  and  I  incline  to  the  opinion 
that  these  monkeys  answer  one  another  from  great 
distances — as  far  as  they  can  hear,  in  fact. 

So  little  is  known  of  American  monkeys  generally, 


THE    PLAINS    OF    ECUADOR  123 

and  the  howler  tribe  in  particular,  that  modern  com- 
pilers of  "  popular  natural  histories  "  still  resort  to  the 
information  given  by  Baron  von  Humboldt,  which  is 
extremely  misleading.  These  monkeys  do  not  hang  by 
the  tail  and  swing  themselves  until  they  gain  sufficient 
momentum  to  catch  the  branches  of  an  adjoining  tree. 
They  are  strictly  inhabitants  of  the  dense  forest ;  and 
leap  from  branch  to  branch  like  other  monkeys  ;  but 
they  are  not  nearly  so  agile  as  the  spider-monkeys. 
Neither  do  "  a  number  of  females  follow  the  male  in 
solemn  procession  "  as  asserted  by  the  Baron.  In  fact 
we  need  not  follow  the  lively  German  any  further — his 
work  "  Voyage  aux  Regions  Equinoxiales  du  Nouveau 
Continent1'  is  very  unreliable  in  a  great  many  particu- 
lars ;  especially  where  he  attempts  to  describe  the 
habits  of  birds  and  mammals. 

Howlers  differ  in  the  colour  of  their  fur,  and  in  very 
little  else.  The  habits  of  them  all  are  alike  ;  they  all 
inhabit  dense  forest,  and  all  howl  in  the  same  intolerable 
way.  There  is  a  black  species,  and  a  brown,  and  a  tawny, 
and  one  at  least  in  which  two  or  more  shades  of  colour 
are  intermingled.  They  are  all  much  stouter  built  than 
the  spiders  ;  and  many  of  them  have  more  human-like 
countenances.  When  sitting  on  boughs  of  trees  they 
nurse  their  young  huddled  into  their  bosoms  ;  and  when 
in  motion  the  little  ones  cling  round  the  bodies  of  the 
mothers  with  the  chest  pressed  closely  to  theirs.  Neither 
these,  nor  any  other  American  monkeys,  carry  their 
young  on  their  backs  when  running  or  leaping  ;  but  the 
little  ones  perch  on  the  backs  of  both  males  and  females 
when  they  are  at  rest  in  the  trees,  or  moving  slowly 
amongst  the  branches.  Perhaps  the  males  also  carry 


124  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

them  when  leaping.  It  is  very  difficult  to  tell  the  sexes 
of  monkeys  when  they  are  moving  rapidly  in  tall  trees  : 
indeed,  it  is  only  occasionally  that  more  than  a  passing 
glimpse  of  them  can  be  obtained.  I  have  no  recollection 
of  having  seen  a  female  with  two  young  ones  in  her  arms  ; 
but  as  they  do  occasionally  have  two,  it  is  probable  that 
the  male  carries  one.  As  a  rule,  American  monkeys  do 
not  have  more  than  one  or  two  at  a  birth  :  the  majority 
of  the  species  probably  never  have  more  than  one, 
except,  at  any  rate,  very  exceptionally. 

Monkeys  seem  to  agree  pretty  well  on  the  whole  ; 
but  squabbles  and  fights  do  occasionally  occur,  pro- 
voked, usually,  by  an  attempt  of  a  party  of  quite  a 
different  family  to  take  possession  of  trees  already 
occupied.  Some  of  the  animals  lose  their  lives  in  these 
fights  ;  for  I  have  picked  up  the  dead  bodies  from  under 
the  trees. 

I  think,  too,  that  monkeys  sometimes  get  bitten  by 
whip  snakes,  and  other  poisonous  serpents  :  for  I  have 
picked  up  their  dead  bodies  under  the  trees,  without  find- 
ing any  perceptible  cause  of  death.  On  one  such  occasion, 
a  young  one  was  clinging  to  its  mother's  breasts.  As  I 
happened  to  be  able  to  procure  milk  I  succeeded  in 
rearing  the  little  thing  ;  and  it  became  very  much  at- 
tached to  me.  I  brought  it  to  England  and  left  it  with 
friends  ;  but  it  pined  when  I  returned  to  America  and 
soon  died,  perhaps  from  improper  feeding.  American 
monkeys  are  not  robust  creatures  ;  and  I  have  lost 
several  pets  through  the  inconsiderateness  of  friends 
who  gave  them  such  unnatural  food  as  cakes  and  sweets  ; 
and  even  meat :  things  which  they  will  eat  in  captivity, 
though  they  would  probably  not  look  at  them  if  met 


THE    PLAINS    OF   ECUADOR  125 

with  while  they  were  at  liberty.  All  my  pet  monkeys, 
except  some  which  I  purchased,  were  reared  from  an 
early  age.  I  never  attempted  to  capture  any  ;  and  never 
shot  them  ;  and  I  have  noticed  that  when  I  have 
remained  camped  at  one  spot  for  a  considerable  time, 
the  monkeys  would  soon  get  tame  enough  to  show 
themselves  freely,  and  permit  me  to  watch  them  :  but 
all  the  wild  creatures,  and  especially  birds,  showed  a 
similar  confidence  when  they  found  they  need  not  fear 
molestation.  In  tracts  where  man  has  seldom,  or  never, 
been,  the  birds  were  so  tame  that  they  could  be  knocked 
down  with  sticks  ;  a  trait  of  these  creatures  which  has 
been  remarked,  very  frequently,  by  other  travellers  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  Mammals  were  wilder  ;  but 
even  these  were  often  unusually  tame. 

This  is  not  describing  the  trees  as  I  purposed  doing  ; 
but  I  was  so  much  interested  in  the  creatures  of  the 
wild,  that  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  others  are  pleased 
to  learn  about  them  ;  and  so  I  am  induced  to  gossip. 

Remarkable  for  its  blossoms,  which  are  lily-white  in 
hue,  and  as  large  as  a  half-pint  cup,  the  shastee-pan  is 
a  large  tree,  though  much  less  than  the  mora.  The 
wood  is  soft ;  and  I  do  not  know  that  the  tree  is  valuable 
for  timber.  I  mention  it  because  of  its  lovely  blooms, 
and  because  it  is  the  home  of  the  caterpillar  which 
produces  one  of  the  largest  butterflies  in  America.  I  do 
not  know  the  name  of  this  butterfly,  and  I  have  never 
seen  a  specimen  of  it  in  a  collection.  It  measures  from 
four  and  a  half  to  five  inches  in  expanse  of  wing  and  is 
of  a  most  beautiful  ultramarine  colour.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sights  of  the  country  to  see  a  multitude 
of  these  butterflies,  recently  hatched,  hovering  round 


126  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

the  tree  which  has  been  the  home  of  the  first  stages  of 
their  short  lives.  Thousands  of  them  may  be  seen  to- 
gether. I  believe  this  butterfly  is  unknown  in  collec- 
tions ;  and  unfortunately  all  mine  were  destroyed 
during  my  rough  journeyings  from  place  to  place. 
Some  were  shaken  to  pieces  ;  others  perished  of  damp. 
While  in  South  America,  a  mule  or  two  had  to  carry  all 
my  belongings — provisions,  clothing,  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion. I  had  so  great  a  difficulty  in  carrying  specimens 
that  I  was  glad  to  get  rid  of  them  to  any  persons  who 
were  likely  to  value  them.  Hundreds  of  those  I  saved 
were  purchased  by  private  collectors  :  others,  which  I 
essayed  to  send  through  the  post,  were  never  heard  of 
more  ;  and  many  were  stopped  by  the  customs,  who 
would  not  permit  them  to  leave  some  countries,  or  enter 
others,  until  a  really  monstrous  duty  was  paid  on  them. 
Alas  !  Travellers  have  funny  experiences  to  narrate,  as 
well  as  strange  tales  to  tell. 

There  is  a  considerable  quantity  of  mahogany  wood 
in  eastern  Ecuador  ;  but  much  of  it  that  was  accessible 
on  the  banks  of  the  rivers  has  been  felled.  There  seem 
to  be  several  species  of  this  well-known  timber,  one  of 
which  is  so  heavy  that  it  will  not  float :  consequently 
it  is  not  cut  in  Ecuador,  as  few  timber-ships  come  up 
the  tributaries,  and  what  timber  was  cut  on  them  had 
to  be  floated  down  to  the  ports  on  the  Amazon,  and 
there  shipped. 

Lignum-vitae  also  grows  in  this  country  ;  and  the 
kind  found  here  is  so  large  and  heavy,  that  if  a  log  of 
it  is  dropped  into  water  it  sinks  like  a  piece  of  iron. 

These  two  trees,  though  doubtless  two  of  the  most 
useful  in  the  country,  did  not  possess  the  interest  to  me 


THE    PLAINS    OF    ECUADOR  127 

that  others  did  which  were  rare  and  beautiful ;  and,  at 
this  time  at  least,  were  probably  quite  unknown  outside 
the  region  where  they  grew. 

I  do  not  know  that  it  is  of  much  use  giving  the  Indian, 
or  Spanish,  popular  names,  of  the  trees  mentioned,  as 
these  vary  in  every  tribe  and  district ;  but  there  is  a 
tree  known  as  the  Antwa-sin-tanno ;  which  means 
twisted  snake  tree,  that  is  a  great  curiosity  on  account 
of  the  convolutions,  not  only  of  the  trunk,  but  of  all  the 
branches  also.  It  does  not  bear  a  conspicuous  flower ; 
but  the  small  fruits  which  cluster  on  its  boughs  are  a 
favourite  food  of  both  monkeys  and  wild  men.  This  is 
the  appropriate  term  for  the  Indians  of  the  district : 
but  I  must  consider  these  people  in  another  place. 

The  "  cannon-ball  tree  "  is  common  ;  and  so  is  the 
candle  tree — at  least,  I  suppose  this  is  the  tree  meant 
by  some  old  writers.  It  bears  a  fruit  which  resembles 
a  large  candle,  nearly  two  feet  long  ;  but  it  is  not  white 
like  wax,  the  hue  being  reddish,  or  brown,  and  it  will 
not  burn  except  like  a  stick.  There  is,  however,  a 
"  torch  tree,'*  also  bearing  an  elongated  seed,  or  fruit, 
which  burns  like  a  pine  ;  and  is  very  useful  for  making 
torches.  Both  these  trees  are  of  comparatively  small 
size. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SOME  NOTES  ON  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE 
UPPER  AMAZON 

I  CANNOT  leave  the  regions  described  in  the  fore- 
going chapters  without  further  reference  to  some 
of  the  more  curious  creatures  which  inhabit  them.  The 
flora  and  fauna  are  always  distinctive  of  a  country  ; 
and  without  a  description  of  them,  one  might  as  well 
say  a  river  flows  through  a  desert,  and  close  the  chapter. 
Unless  the  animals  and  the  plants  receive  due  attention, 
one  description  would  do  equally  well  for  the  Nile,  the 
Ganges  and  the  Amazon. 

On  this  vast  river  there  are  animals  and  plants  which 
are  local,  and  others  which  are  general  in  their  distri- 
bution. Some  must  receive  attention  where  they  occur  : 
it  is  more  convenient  to  describe  others  where  they  are 
a  prominent  feature  in  the  landscape. 

Monkeys  are  often  described  in  books  as  being 
numerous  in  South  America.  There  are  a  greater 
number,  both  of  species  and  individuals,  on  the  Amazon 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  continent ;  but  they  are 
certainly  not  as  numerous  anywhere  in  America  as  they 
are  described  as  being  in  Africa,  India  and  some  of  the 
other  Asiatic  countries.  And  there  are  no  large  monkeys 
in  America — nothing  to  compare  with  the  man-like  apes 
of  Africa,  and  the  hunaman  of  India,  which  eye-witnesses 

128 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  UPPER  AMAZON    129 

have  assured  me  sometimes  grows  to  such  a  size  as  to  be 
mistaken  for  a  man  in  the  distance.  This  could  never 
occur  with  any  American  monkey  :  for  though  two  or 
three  approach  the  hunaman  in  relative  length,  etc., 
they  are,  none  of  them,  more  than  a  third  of  the  weight 
of  the  Indian  animal.  Slimness  is  the  characteristic  of 
the  American  monkey  ;  and  it  does  not  hold  a  first  place 
amongst  the  mammals  of  the  continent. 

But  there  are  certain  animals  of  which  America  is 
assuredly  the  head-quarters,  amongst  them  the  bats. 
I  do  not  say  that  the  Amazon  is  the  chief  haunt  of 
these  curious  creatures,  the  only  mammals  possessed 
of  true  flight,  but  they  swarm  on  some  parts  of  it ;  and 
nowhere  more  than  in  those  districts  of  Peru  and  Ecua- 
dor which  border  on  the  great  river.  The  species  are 
many  ;  and  amongst  them  are  the  vampire  and  the 
great  bat.  I  write  these  words  advisedly,  because  I 
believe  naturalists  have  established  a  family  for  vam- 
pires ;  and  recognize  several,  if  not  many,  species.  The 
one  I  mean  here  is  that  which  has  made  its  name 
notorious  by  its  blood-sucking  habits. 

The  great  bat  is  the  largest  on  the  continent ;  but 
I  am  not  sure  that  it  is  Vampirus  spectrum.  A  specimen 
of  this  creature  which  I  saw  in  a  museum,  and  which 
I  was  told  was  an  exceptionally  fine  one,  could  not  have 
measured  more  than  twenty-six  or  twenty-seven  inches 
in  expanse  of  wing  ;  but  I  have  found  them  on  the 
Upper  Amazon,  and  on  some  of  its  tributaries,  about 
ten  inches  wider ;  and  altogether  bigger  and  finer- 
looking  animals  than  this  "  exceptionally  fine  specimen." 
But  we  need  not  make  too  much  of  this.  The  finest 
specimens  of  animals  do  not  find  their  way  into  large 


130  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

museums.  The  curators  of  these  are  usually  men  with 
a  considerable  amount  of  ledger  account  in  their  com- 
position. Private  collectors  pay  the  best  prices,  and  get 
the  best  specimens.  I  am  not  writing  this  in  scorn — of 
the  museum  curators  at  any  rate.  They  are  appointed  and 
paid  by  persons  who  are  not  always  good  judges  of  what 
a  curator  should  be,  and,  if  they  are  required  to  keep  an 
eye  on  cash  expenditure,  nobody  can  blame  officials  for 
performing  what  they  know  is  required  of  them.  The 
point  is,  that  private  collectors  like  to  know  that  they 
have  a  bigger  and  better  specimen  than  a  public  insti- 
tution ;  and  will  pay  the  price  for  it.  So  they  get  the 
pick  of  a  traveller's  specimens,  if  he  thinks  it  worth 
while  to  put  them  on  the  market.  Here  is  a  case  in 
point,  after  relating  which  I  will  not  recur  to  the  sub- 
ject. It  will  suffice  to  show  why  I  did  not  trouble  myself 
to  bring  this  or  that  remarkable  specimen  to  this  country. 
Better  prices  than  those  offered  in  England,  or  in  any 
European  country,  were  always  to  be  had  at  the  nearest 
American  big  town. 

In  the  early  'seventies  I  brought  to  London  the  skin 
of  one  of  the  largest  grizzly  bears  ever  shot  in  America. 
I  showed  it  to  a  naturalist  with  a  view  to  selling  it  to  a 
museum.  He  "  hummed  and  ahed  !  "  doubted  if  it  was 
so  extraordinarily  big  a  specimen ;  did  not  think  the 
museum  wanted  it ;  and  finally  offered  me  £5  for  it. 
That  sum  would  not  have  covered  the  expense  I  had 
incurred  in  bringing  it  to  this  country.  So  I  took  it  to 
an  Oxford  Street  furrier.  This  gentleman  also  had  doubts 
of  its  value,  "  but  would  I  leave  it  ?  "  obviously  for  him 
to  make  enquiries,  and  try  to  find  a  customer.  When  I 
called  again  he  placed  £50  before  me  :  which  I  pouched. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  UPPER  AMAZON    131 

But  if  I  could  produce  such  a  skin  now,  there  are  many 
American  magnates  who  would  readily  give  £600  or 
£700  for  it ;  though  fashions  in  fur  rise  and  fall,  as  they 
do  in  all  things. 

In  Ecuador,  the  great  bat,  or  "  great  vampire," 
passes  the  day  in  trees.  It  does  not  cluster  in  such 
numbers  as  some  of  the  so-called  flying  foxes  ;  but  I 
have  counted  as  many  as  200  in  one  tree  ;  and  I  probably 
did  not  see  them  all.  They  keep  high  up  amongst  the 
branches,  and  are  not  disturbed  by  the  report  of  a  gun  ; 
but  it  is  not  much  use  shooting  them  in  this  position  ; 
as  if  killed  they  still  continue  to  hang  from  the  branches. 
They  fly  high  at  night ;  but  every  now  and  then  one 
will  flit  within  range,  presenting  an  easy  shot.  The 
flight  is  like  that  of  all  bats  I  am  acquainted  with — a 
silent  flitting,  to  and  fro.  Sometimes  one  will  dart  down- 
wards, evidently  securing  an  insect.  I  do  not  know  if 
they  take  other  food  than  insects.  In  the  stomachs  of 
several  of  the  few  I  shot  there  was  a  sour-smelling 
mucus  full  of  the  broken  remains  of  insects,  amongst 
which  I  found  wings,  legs,  etc.,  of  flies,  beetles  and  moths. 

The  true  vampire,  the  little  gentleman,  I  presume, 
who  refused  to  bite  Squire  Waterton,  is  plentiful  enough 
on  the  Upper  Amazon  ;  but  strange  to  say  it  does  not 
bite  people  very  often,  nor  domestic  animals.  I  have 
opened  some  of  these  bats,  and  found  the  peculiar 
modification  of  the  intestinal  canal  I  read  of  in  books  ; 
but  blood,  never.  The  stomachs  were  full  of  mucus  ; 
which  appeared  to  be  digested  food  :  but  if  it  was  blood 
it  had  undergone  a  great  change,  including  loss  of  colour. 
However,  that  blood  forms  a  considerable  part  of  its 
food  is  certain  ;  and  the  puncture  it  makes  is  a  deep, 


132  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

though  small,  bite  ;  not  always  a  mere  abrasion  with 
the  tongue.  Altogether  I  have  seen  about  a  dozen  cases 
amongst  men  and  boys,  and  many  more  amongst  cattle. 
I  have  more  than  once  surprised  the  bat  in  the  act  of 
sucking  the  blood  from  horses  and  mules  ;  but  they 
always  darted  away  on  my  approach  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  was  difficult  to  obtain  a  shot  at  them  ;  and  I 
never  succeeded  in  bringing  one  of  these  marauders 
down.  The  bite  leaves  a  permanent,  though  minute, 
mark  ;  and  I  am  sure  that  I  have  frequently  found  this 
mark  on  the  hides  of  wild  animals,  such  as  capivaras, 
agoutis  and  deer.  But  the  puzzling  point  is  the  vast 
numbers  of  these  bats.  I  have  found  caves  full  of  them 
— clustering  from  the  roofs  in  thousands  ;  and  they 
may  be  seen  on  some  of  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Amazon 
tributaries  flying  at  evening  time  in  myriads.  Now  it 
does  not  seem  possible  that  there  are  a  sufficient  number 
of  wild  mammals  in  the  heart  of  the  forests  to  provide 
all  these  with  constant  meals  of  blood.  The  forest  in  its 
innermost  recesses  is  not  a  populous  place.  There  are 
few  mammals,  which  are  large  enough  for  a  vampire  to 
attack  ;  and  I  could  never  gather  evidence  that  they 
settle  on  small  ones. 

As  there  are  few  reliable  accounts  of  the  habits  of  the 
vampire,  I  hope  I  shall  be  excused  for  dwelling  at  some 
length  on  the  subject.  I  believe  the  question  has 
arisen,  "Are  there  several  species  of  blood-sucking 
vampires  ?  "  I  know  there  are  two,  and  I  suspect  there 
are  more  ;  but  I  have  no  positive  proof  of  it.  I  have 
some  notes  by  me  which  seem  to  refer  to  a  third  species  ; 
but  they  are  not  very  clear  ;  and  I  cannot  distinctly 
remember  the  circumstances  to  which  they  refer.  It 


NATURAL   HISTORY  OF  UPPER  AMAZON    133 

was  my  misfortune  often  to  have  to  jot  down  stray  notes 
on  any  book  or  paper  I  had  at  hand.  Consequently 
some  got  lost,  and  some  were  too  scanty  and  hastily 
written  to  be  of  much  use  when  looked  up  in  after  years. 
For  I  had  no  thought  of  writing  for  publication  during 
the  years  of  my  wandering  life.  If  this  circumstance  is 
borne  in  mind,  it  will  explain  many  apparent  discrep- 
ancies and  confusing  statements.  It  has  taken  me  years 
to  gather  up  and  arrange  my  notes :  and  I  find  that 
conclusions  concerning  the  habits  of  an  animal  arrived 
at  in  one  country  are,  sometimes,  more  or  less  upset 
by  observations  upon  it  in  other  districts  of  the  con- 
tinent. 

What  I  can  state  with  absolute  certainty  is  that  there 
are  two  species  that  are  inveterate  blood-suckers,  of 
which  one  is  Desmodus  rufus  (recognized  by  compari- 
son with  museum  specimens) ;  but  the  other  I  cannot 
identify  by  reference  to  pictures  or  stuffed  specimens. 
Apparently  it  is  a  "  javelin-bat,"  and  one  of  those 
which  have  not  yet  found  their  way  into  lists  and 
descriptions. 

With  regard  to  the  common  vampire :  its  little  stomach 
could  not,  I  feel  sure,  contain  an  ounce  of  blood  ;  but 
the  sucking  action  seems  to  set  up  a  flow  of  blood  which 
it  is  difficult  to  stanch.  In  my  "  Great  Mountains  and 
Forest  of  South  America,"  I  have  given  an  account  of 
an  officer  who  was  bitten  ;  and  who  mentions  that  the 
bed-clothes  were  saturated  with  blood  ;  and  he  calcu- 
lated his  loss  at  fourteen  ounces :  and  I  have  found  horses 
and  cattle  which  have  been  bitten  with  blood  streaming 
down  their  flanks.  It  seems  to  be  unlikely  that  so  great 
a  flow  could  be  set  up  by  a  mere  abrasion  of  the  skins 


134  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

caused  by  the  rough  tongue  of  the  bat.  However  this 
may  be  it  is  certain  that  the  second  species  referred  to 
bites,  and  that  very  deeply  though  the  wound  is  small. 
This  javelin-bat  (if  I  am  rightly  naming  it)  is  much  bigger 
than  the  first  species.  The  body  is  about  the  same  size 
as  that  of  a  blackbird,  and  the  expanse  of  wing  fifteen 
inches.  It  flits  and  flies  in  a  straight  line  with  great 
rapidity  ;  and  its  stomach,  like  that  of  the  common 
vampire,  is  of  rudimentary  formation ;  but  notwithstand- 
ing this  seemingly  conclusive  evidence  I  am  strongly  of 
opinion  that  other  food  than  blood  must  be  eaten  by 
both  these  bats.  If  it  can  be  proved  that  I  am  wrong 
(and  I  have  no  positive  evidence  that  my  belief  is  correct), 
then  I  must  fall  back  on  the  theory  that  the  vampires 
attack  birds  as  well  as  mammals.  There  are  whole  classes 
of  animals  which  the  vampires  cannot  attack — the 
monkeys  and  the  cats  for  instance  :  and  there  are  no 
wild  guanacos  and  horses  in  the  great  Brazilian  forest. 
Therefore  if  the  bats  do  not  take  other  food  than 
blood,  and  do  not  attack  birds,  how  is  it  that  there 
are  such  enormous  numbers  of  them  in  many  parts  of 
the  forest  ? 

Along  the  range  of  the  Andes  the  vampires  occupy, 
and  breed  in,  caves  ;  but  in  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
where  there  are  no  caves,  they  cluster  together  in  hollow 
trees,  where  I  have  seen  them  hanging  together  as 
thickly  as  bees.  They  slumber  during  the  day ;  and 
they  are  difficult  to  arouse,  so  that  one  may  handle  and 
capture  as  many  as  he  likes.  They  utter  a  thin  squeaky 
cry ;  and  also  a  sharper,  short  note,  of  metallic  tone, 
like  that  produced  by  twanging  a  piece  of  metal ;  but 
they  make  no  attempt  to  resist  capture,  or  resent  it. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  UPPER  AMAZON    135 

How  they  breed,  or  where  they  deposit  their  young, 
I  could  never  discover  ;  but  the  little  bat  travels  much 
like  the  young  monkey,  clinging  to  the  breast  of  its 
mother  ;  only  in  the  bat  the  young  is  carried  head 
downwards  ;  while  the  monkey  bears  its  little  one  with 
the  head  upwards.  I  do  not  think  they  make  nests  ; 
and  I  could  not  discover  that  they  have  any  natural 
enemies.  Being  of  nocturnal  habits,  they  are  difficult 
to  watch,  and  to  discover  during  the  daytime,  even 
in  districts  where  they  abound.  I  had  a  habit  of  prying 
into  decayed  trees,  and  holes  of  all  kinds,  in  search  of 
birds'  nests,  snakes,  etc. ;  but  it  was  only  rarely  that  I 
found  a  colony  of  bats.  These  curious  creatures  are 
certainly  all  gregarious  :  they  sleep  and  rest  hanging 
by  their  feet  very  closely  together ;  and  in  immense 
bodies.  Estimates  of  their  numbers  must  be  guesses  : 
for  to  count  them  is  impossible.  Probably  I  have  found 
as  many  as  20,000  in  one  huge  hollow  tree.  It  would 
take  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood  to  feed  such  a 
host !  Even  supposing  our  military  friend  exaggerated 
when  he  put  his  total  loss  at  fourteen  ounces,  it  is  certain 
that  the  bat  wastes  (or  causes  the  loss  of)  a  great  deal 
more  than  it  consumes,  and  a  fair  estimate  would  be 
five  ounces  per  meal ;  and  if  we  allow  a  meal  a  day  to 
each  bat,  and  consider  that  one  party  of  bats  alone 
numbered  20,000  individuals,  we  are  constrained  to 
pause  in  amazement  and  exclaim,  "  It  cannot  be  pos- 
sible that  they  live  on  blood  alone." 

Here  we  have  treated  of  the  true  vampires  (or  blood- 
sucking species)  alone  ;  but  these  do  not  form  a  hun- 
dredth part  of  the  bat  world  of  the  Amazon.-  It  is 
difficult  to  reveal  the  scenery  of  any  country  in  detail 


136  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

so  as  to  bring  a  realistic  picture  before  the  eye  of  a 
reader,  especially  if  a  preconception  has  been  formed  ; 
but,  in  fact,  the  monkey  and  the  sloth,  the  tapir  and  the 
deer,  are  not  prominent  features  in  the  Amazonian 
landscape  ;  the  bat  is — a  very  conspicuous  feature 
indeed.  Bats  appear  on  all  parts  of  the  river  and  its 
tributaries  in  swarms.  They  flit  across  its  enormous 
broads,  its  quiet  pools,  its  lakes,  and  its  rapids  ;  and 
force  themselves  upon  the  notice  of  the  traveller.  On 
the  Purus  ;  and  in  Bolivia,  on  some  of  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  Madeira,  there  is  a  bat  of  enormous  size,  the 
stretch  of  wing  considerably  exceeding  thirty  inches  ; 
but  accepting  the  "  popular  natural  history  "  maximum 
of  twenty-eight  inches,  this  is  an  enormous  creature  to 
see  flitting,  twirling,  turning  over,  and  performing  a 
dozen  other  tricks  in  the  air.  There  may  be  hundreds 
of  them  together  ;  and  one's  mind  reverts,  unbidden, 
to  imaginations  of  the  prehistoric  ages,  and  the  flying 
pterodactyls  which  were— I  will  not  inflict  a  galvanic 
shock  on  the  Natural  Selectionists  by  saying  bats,  but — 
a  bat-like  race  of  creatures.  Often,  at  evening  time, 
when  they  appear,  they  are,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  nocturnal  bird,  the  only  living  creatures 
which  can  be  seen. 

The  vampires  (I  mean  the  blood-suckers)  never  con- 
gregate on  trees,  though  they  do  in  the  hollows  of  decayed 
ones  :  the  other  kinds  do  ;  or,  perhaps,  I  had  better 
guard  myself  against  contradiction  by  saying  many 
species  do.  Trees  may  frequently  be  seen  covered  with 
them  ;  so  that  from  a  short  distance  they  look  like  some 
strange  fruit  clustering  on  the  branches.  Other  kinds 
choose  thickly  leaved  trees  for  their  habitations  ;  and 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  UPPER  AMAZON    137 

these  can  only  be  seen  when  one  stands  directly  under 
the  huge  boughs. 

The  bat  tribe,  or  genus,  affords  a  curious  study,  even 
without  going  farther  abroad  in  the  land  than  the 
Amazon  river.  The  species  are  so  numerous,  the  indi- 
viduals so  multitudinous,  and  they  differ  so  widely  in 
appearance  and  characteristics,  that  it  is  not  going  too 
far  to  say  they  are  the  most  curious  of  all  mammals. 
Everybody  would  see,  and  admit,  this,  if  their  size  were 
great :  size  is  such  an  important  factor  in  attracting 
the  human  attention.  A  mouse  with  a  trunk  an  inch 
long  would  be  merely  funny  ;  but  an  elephant  with  one 
six  feet  in  length  is  very  remarkable  !  So  a  collection  of 
bats'  heads  the  size  of  those  of  men  and  oxen  would  be 
a  Chamber  of  Horrors  that  would  rob  that  in  Baker 
Street  of  a  great  part  of  its  attraction.  For  I  do  not 
think  the  heads  and  features  of  any  other  genus  of  the 
animal  world  differ  so  much  as  those  of  the  bats  ;  and  I 
am  sure  none  other  can  show  such  a  series  of  grotesque 
and  marvellous  variations  of  facial  form.  They  have 
been  called  "  horrid,"  and  "  fearful  "  ;  and  that  by 
evolving  naturalists,  who  ought  to  have  known  better. 
I  remember  that  great  man  (he  was  a  great  man,  and  a 
good  one  too),  Charles  Waterton,  was  very  angry  with 
a  person  to  whom  he  was  showing  his  wonders,  for 
calling  one  of  his  big  frogs,  or  toads,  "  a  horrid  creature  ": 
and  I  agree  with  him.  There  is  not  a  living  thing  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  that  is  not  wonderful  and  beautiful  in 
its  way,  though  sometimes  terrible — man  alone  is  vile  ; 
but  then  he  is  such  a  rascal — I  mean  the  average  speci- 
men of  him. 

Compare  the  fox's  head  of  some  of  the  fruit-bats 


138  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

(hence  called  "  flying  foxes ")  with  the  enormously 
wide  mouth  and  thick  lips  of  the  Malayan  naked-bat, 
Chiromeles  torquata.  Could  any  features  show  a  wider, 
a  more  wonderful  divergence  ;  not  only  of  appearance, 
but  of  actual  structure  also  ?  I  ought  not,  perhaps,  to 
cite  these  two  bats  as  samples  of  their  marvellous  varia- 
tions :  for  neither  is  of  American  habitat :  and  it  was 
scarcely  necessary  to  go  so  far  afield  as  India  and  Malaya 
for  examples.  The  singular  nose  appendages  of  the 
South  American  bats  make  them  remarkable  enough. 
I  refer  to  the  "  nose-leaves,  spear-heads,  etc.,"  which,  ac- 
cording to  some  people,  make  these  creatures  "  hideous" ; 
and  which  certainly  give  them  a  very  curious,  not  to  say 
grotesque,  appearance.  In  reality  the  vampire  is  one 
of  the  most  innocent-looking  of  the  family  ;  and  the 
fruit-vampire  a  ferocious-visaged  species  ;  but  all  alike 
are  harmless  in  general.  They  are  ghost-like,  weird- 
looking  creatures,  which  do  not  seem  to  belong  to  this 
world :  consequently  they  are  regarded  with  awe ; 
and  often,  I  regret  to  say,  with  abhorrence,  by  the  people 
of  all  countries.  Considering  that  they  are  so  numerous 
on  the  Amazon,  and  are  a  never-failing  nightly  sight  on 
all  parts  of  its  course,  it  is  surprising  that  the  Indians 
regard  them  as  birds  of  ill  omen.  Amongst  all  the  tribes 
on  the  upper  waters  of  the  great  river  they  are  called 
"  devil  birds."  It  is  useless  to  endeavour  to  persuade 
these  people  that  bats  are  not  birds,  but  mammals  : 
their  pee-ai-men  will  not  have  it ;  and  of  course  his 
parishioners  dare  not  contradict  him.  Your  red  man, 
copper  man,  black  man — call  him  what  you  will — is  as 
much  priest-ridden,  and  priest -permeated,  if  I  may  coin 
a  term,  as  any  civilized  bigot. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  UPPER  AMAZON    139 

These  curious  nose-leaves,  or  appendages,  of  the  bat 
are  said  by  naturalists  to  be  a  provision  of  Nature  to 
enable  the  creature  to  avoid  obstacles  during  its  rapid 
flight.  The  organ  is  said  to  be  highly  sensitive,  and 
capable  of  warning  the  bat  of  its  near  approach  to  any- 
thing in  its  way,  such  as  a  twig,  or  another  bat.  As  the 
appendage  must  have  a  use,  I  think  it  is  very  probable 
that  this  is  a  correct  explanation  of  the  employment  to 
which  the  animal  puts  it.  I  should  imagine,  too,  that  it 
enables  some  species  to  detect  the  near  proximity  of  the 
insects  on  which  they  prey.  Bats  have,  possibly,  an 
additional  sense  in  these  organs  ;  and  they  are  certainly 
furnished  with  extremely  sensitive  auditory  organs. 

Concerning  the  eyes  of  bats  :  everybody  knows  that 
they  are  popularly  supposed  to  be  blind,  or  nearly  so  : 
but  in  reality,  is  the  bat  of  defective  vision  ?  I  am  dis- 
posed to  doubt  that  it  is.  The  eyes  of  all  the  American 
bats  are  small  compared  with  the  other  organs  of  the 
animals  ;  but  they  are  exceedingly  bright  and  piercing. 
All  the  species  that  I  am  acquainted  with  have  coal- 
black  eyes. 

The  eyes  of  nocturnal  animals  afford  another  curious 
and  interesting  study.  They  vary  enormously  in  size 
and  in  appearance  ;  but  not  much,  it  would  seem^  in 
power.  Everyone  knows  the  peculiar  look  of  a  cat's 
eyes.  They  are  all  alike,  so  far  as  American  species  are 
concerned  ;  and  it  is  pretty  certain  that  they  see  equally 
well  by  day  or  by  night.  I  wonder  if  this  is  the  case  with 
snakes.  I  fancy  that  it  is,  though  I  could  obtain  no 
conclusive  proof  of  it— most  serpents  being  ugly  cus- 
tomers to  deal  with  in  the  dark.  There  is  just  a  similar 
contraction  of  the  pupil  to  what  looks  like  a  liquid  slit, 


140  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

when  it  is  steadily  regarded,  in  both  animals  ;  and  both 
are  very  sharp-sighted  within  certain  limits  :  that  is 
they  see  well  by  daylight  and  dusk  up  to  about  100  yards. 
After  dark,  cats  see  well :  about  serpents  I  cannot  write 
with  so  much  assurance  ;  but  I  have  seen  them  suddenly 
appear,  making  straight  for  a  camp  fire,  as  if  attracted 
by  the  light :  and  it  was  quite  a  common  occurrence  to 
find  small  ones  under  blankets  and  rugs  when  we  slept 
on  the  ground  ;  fires  being  always  kept  in  through  the 
night,  no  matter  how  hot  the  climate.  The  use  of  a  fire 
at  night  in  the  wilds  can  only  be  understood  by  those 
who  have  had  occasion  to  learn  it. 

The  eyes  of  cats  and  snakes  are  of  normal  size  com- 
pared with  their  bulk  of  body  :  those  of  bats  are  not  so, 
being  relatively  much  too  small.  Cats  and  snakes  can 
certainly  see  well  in  the  day-time  ;  bats  cannot.  But 
it  is  singular  that  some  nocturnal  creatures  which  have 
enormous  eyes  are  almost,  if  not  quite,  blind  by  day. 
The  tartius  of  another  hemisphere  may  be  cited  as  an 
instance  ;  and  the  owl  also.  Some  of  the  American  owls 
are  absolutely  helpless  if  surprised  by  daylight.  But  I 
will  trespass  no  further  on  these  subjects.  Owls  are  not 
numerous  on  the  Amazon  ;  but  there  are  some  curious 
ones  which  will  probably  be  described  in  due  course. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

A   VOYAGE   UP   THE   PURUS 

IT1HE  Purus  must  now  be  described.  In  the  case  of 
such  a  river  as  the  Amazon  it  is  necessary  to 
consider  all,  or,  at  any  rate,  most,  of  its  great  tributaries. 
To  neglect  to  do  so,  and  confine  attention  to  the  main 
stream,  would  be  to  describe  the  body  only  and  dis- 
regard the  limbs.  Besides,  it  is  really  the  tributaries 
that  are  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  Amazon.  Of 
the  nine  largest  subsidiary  rivers  which  feed  the  greater 
stream,  six  take  their  rise  in  the  Andes  ;  and  these  alone 
could  find  water  enough  to  supply  a  continent :  in  fact, 
the  Purus,  Madeira,  Yapura  and  Rio  Negro,  with  their 
secondary  streams,  exceed  in  extent  all  the  rivers  of 
Australia  put  together  ;  and  contain  vastly  more  water. 
It  is  really  these  large  tributaries  that  create  the 
Amazon,  and  sustain  it.  Deprived  of  the  enormous 
quantity  of  water  they  pour  into  it,  the  main  river 
would  speedily  dwindle  to  a  comparatively  meagre 
stream. 

I  have  already  stated  all  I  know  about  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Purus.  In  the  later  months  of  1884  I 
ascended  this  river  from  its  mouth  ;  and  at  that  time, 
at  any  rate,  only  one  or  two  Englishmen  had  been  there 
before  me.  I  thought  at  the  time  that  I  was  the  first 
man  of  my  nation  who  had  navigated  its  waters  ;  but 

141 


r,,  •  .  .  . 


142  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

I  heard  afterwards,  on  my  return  to  Obydos,  that  an 
Englishman  had  been  there  before  me.  I  supposed  that 
this  was  Mr.  Bates  ;  but  learned  at  a  later  date  that  it 
was  a  Mr.  Chandless,  who  was  there  twenty  years  before 
me.  I  have  also  heard  some  account  of  his  discoveries  ; 
but  have  not  had  the  advantage  of  seeing  his  book. 
Of  this  matter,  more  presently. 

My  outfit  for  the  exploration  of  this  great  river  con- 
sisted of  a  rotten  old  fishing-boat  of  Portuguese  build  ; 
two  men  and  two  large  dogs.  The  dogs  played  no  un- 
important part  in  the  little  journey  :  for  being  large 
and  fierce  animals,  of  a  breed  formerly  used  to  hunt 
down  slaves,  they  kept  the  wandering  Indians  in  awe  ; 
and  on  several  occasions  prevented  my  being  robbed, 
and  possibly  murdered. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  Purus  drains  the  very  flattest 
country  of  the  Amazon  valley.  It  is  the  most  tortuous 
of  all  its  tributaries  ;  and  is  full  of  looping  reaches  of 
more  or  less  great  length  ;  so  that  my  boat  having 
sometimes  traversed  twenty,  thirty  and  even  fifty  miles, 
in  as  many  hours,  would  yet  be  within  four  or  five  miles 
of  the  country  we  had  seen  one  or  two  days  previously. 
We  seldom  got  more  than  a  mile  an  hour  out  of  the  old 
boat :  for  breezes  were  singularly  rare  on  these  inland 
waters  ;  and  often  we  made  no  perceptible  progress  ; 
and  were  compelled  to  resort  to  the  use  of  sweeps  (large 
oars)  to  get  any  way  on  the  Firefly,  as  I  called  my  old 
tub — she  was  originally  named  the  Santa  Maria  ;  and 
must  have  been,  at  bottom,  a  tough  old  girl,  or  she  would 
never  have  survived  the  strain  that  was  put  upon  her 
before  her  adventures  finally  closed. 

Taking  a  general  view  of  the  Purus  :   the  current  is 


A    VOYAGE    UP    THE    PURUS  143 

everywhere  slow,  and  often  imperceptible.  The  country 
on  all  sides  of  it  is  extensively  inundated  ;  and  in  many 
places  there  are  expansions  that,  in  Norfolk,  would  be 
termed  "  broads."  Perhaps  I  should  call  them  lakes  ; 
but  I  prefer  not  to,  for  a  reason  given  presently.  There 
is  no  part  of  the  river  that  I  have  seen  that  does  not  run 
through  a  forest  that  is  evidently  of  enormous  extent 
and  density  ;  and  is  further  remarkable  for  the  size 
and  height  of  its  trees. 

From  the  centre  of  some  of  the  broads  the  forest  looks 
like  a  distant  hedge  ;  but  generally  the  water  is  evidently 
only  a  flood  on  the  low  banks,  and  the  trees  stand  in  it. 
The  course  of  the  river  is  always  traceable.  At  this  time 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  rain  :  therefore,  it  is  possible 
that  in  the  dry  season  trees  now  standing  in  three  or 
four  feet  of  water  were  on  dry  ground.  Here  and  there 
little  islands  of  forest  growth  appeared  in  the  midst  of 
the  broads,  the  water  round  them  being,  generally, 
shallow  enough  to  permit  one  to  leave  the  boat  and  walk 
ashore.  In  the  channel  the  water  is  forty  to  fifty  feet 
deep  some  distance  up  the  course  ;  and  in  some  reaches 
even  deeper. 

There  are  a  great  number  of  islands  in  the  bed  of  the 
Purus.  They  are  of  all  sizes,  from  a  few  square  yards  of 
sandy  mud  to  forest -covered  tracts  of  twenty  square 
miles  area.  All  the  larger  islands  were  covered  with 
trees  ;  but  these  had  been  washed  out  of  many  of  the 
smaller  ones.  The  islands  are  quite  distinct  from  the 
flooded  tracts.  On  those  which  were  treeless  were  a 
multitude  of  caymans,  river  tortoises,  jabiru  storks, 
egrets  and  ducks  ;  which  were  so  tame  as  to  convince 
us  that  they  were  seldom  disturbed.  As  many  as  we 


144  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

wanted  for  food  fell  easy  victims  to  our  guns.  The  sly- 
looking  caymans  waited  until  we  were  within  five  or 
six  yards  of  them,  and  then  slipped  off  into  the  water, 
and  disappeared  ;  though  they  were  lurking  in  all  parts 
of  the  river  in  such  great  numbers  that  they  were  a 
continual  source  of  danger.  We  were  often  afraid  to 
bathe  ;  and  all  three  of  us  had  some  narrow  escapes. 
On  one  occasion  Jose  Najas  would  have  been  seized  if 
he  had  not  chanced  to  have  an  axe  in  his  hands, 
with  which  he  gave  the  reptile  a  tremendous  blow, 
nearly  severing  the  upper  jaw,  and  killing  the  creature 
instantly,  which  was  far  more  than  a  bullet  through  the 
head  would  do.  We  had  to  shoot  several  which  made 
attacks  on  us  ;  but  as  a  careful  expenditure  of  ammuni- 
tion was  necessary  we  soon  resorted  to  axes,  and  a 
large  double-edged  scythe,  mounted  on  a  pole,  as 
weapons  of  defence.  The  scythe  was  one  of  my  favourite 
tools.  I  seldom  wandered  about  the  woods,  or  swamps, 
without  having  it  in  my  hands  ;  and  I  feared  to  face 
nothing  when  armed  with  it.  I  never  had  to  defend 
myself  against  a  puma  or  jaguar  ;  but  I  am  certain  that 
I  could  easily  have  cut  these  animals  to  pieces  with  it. 
I  have  often  destroyed  large  and  dangerous  serpents 
with  it.  One  slash,  and  a  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  boa 
would  lie  in  two  quivering  halves,  unable  to  move  an 
inch.  It  was  as  a  defence  against  snakes  that  I  first 
adopted  this  formidable  weapon.  In  the  thick  forests 
of  the  Amazonian  region  there  dwells  the  dreadful 
cooanaradi,  or  cooanacooki  (its  two  most  common 
native  names),  called  a  bushmaster  in  Guiana,  the 
largest  poisonous  snake  in  the  world.  It  is  usually  about 
ten  feet  long  ;  but  is  often  much  larger.  One  that  I  cut 


A   VOYAGE    UP    THE    PURUS  145 

to  pieces  was  at  least  fourteen  feet  in  length.  The 
great  danger  with  these  huge  venomous  creatures  is 
that  their  disposition  is  quite  different  from  that  of  the 
majority  of  snakes.  The  rattlesnake,  the  moccasin,  and 
all  the  small  harmless  serpents,  will  glide  quietly  away 
if  they  have  the  chance  to  do  so  ;  while  the  huge  ana- 
conda and  the  boa  lie  apathetic  until  actually  disturbed : 
but  the  horrible  cooanaradi,  beautiful  as  a  rainbow  to 
look  upon,  and  evil  as  a  fiend,  will  go  out  of  its  way  to 
make  a  fierce  attack  on  one  ;  and  knows  no  fear.  It  is, 
therefore,  more  dreaded  than  all  the  other  venomous 
snakes  put  together.  Against  such  a  creature  some 
more  effective  weapon  than  a  gun  is  desirable;  for, 
besides  the  difficulty  of  hitting  a  quickly  moving  snake, 
a  bullet  will  not  always  stop  one.  A  cut  with  a  scythe, 
and  the  business  is  done  :  for  no  snake  lying  in  halves 
ever  yet  lifted  its  venomous  head  to  hiss  or  bite.  The 
scythe  is  also  very  useful  for  cutting  through  thickets, 
tangled  vines  and  grass,  and  similar  obstacles.  Against 
the  caymans  it  was  not  altogether  an  effective  weapon. 
Their  horny  hides  turned  its  edge  ;  and  the  point  would 
not  penetrate  :  so  the  axe  was  the  favourite  instrument 
of  attack  against  them.  Hard  as  their  skins  are,  they 
are  not  so  tough  as  is  popularly  supposed.  A  heavy  axe, 
or  a  common  lead  bullet,  will  penetrate  them  easily 
enough  :  but  caymans  are  rather  tenacious  of  life. 

The  mouths  of  the  Purus  form  a  delta  fifty  miles  wide. 
I  do  not  know  how  many  channels  there  are  ;  but  there 
are  five  main,  or  large,  ones,  only  two  of  which  appear  on 
the  maps.  I  believe  the  first  reached  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Amazon,  that  is  the  most  easterly  one,  is  the  largest ; 
but  I  have  not  been  through  the  others.  At  this  point 
L 


146  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

it  cuts  through  sand-banks  ;  and  the  Amazon  seems  to 
be  about  three  miles  wide  where  its  great  tributary  joins 
it.  Although  hundreds  of  ships  must  pass  these  mouths 
every  year,  none  appeared  to  ever  enter  it  (in  1884),  so 
little  is  the  heart  of  the  country  opened  up  ;  but  we  met 
with  plenty  of  evidence  that  boat  expeditions  fre- 
quently ascended  the  Purus  :  and  there  were  indica- 
tions on  the  banks  that  attempts  at  settlements  had 
been  made. 

Caymans  abound,  not  only  throughout  the  course  of 
the  Purus,  but  also  in  the  main  stream  of  the  Amazon ; 
and  particularly  in  the  delta  I  have  mentioned  :  but  in 
the  Amazon  they  are  shy  of  showing  themselves  in  the 
day-time  ;  and  if  they  ever  cross  the  river  in  its  wider 
parts,  probably  do  so  only  in  the  depths  of  night.  They 
lurk  under  the  wooded  banks,  where  there  are  quiet  and 
well-shaded  bays  and  recesses.  Deep  pools  in  such 
situations  are  always  dangerous  spots  ;  almost  every 
one  of  them  being  favourite  lurking-places  of  these 
reptiles.  "  They  are  not  what  you  may  call  handsome 
varmints,"  said  a  Yankee  friend  of  mine,  "  but  the 
cusses  have  fine  open  countenances."  I  should  advise 
visitors  to  this  interesting  region  not  to  place  too  much 
confidence  in  their  seductive  smiles.  Accidents  are 
pretty  frequent.  I  met  one  man  at  Parentin  who  had 
lost  a  leg  ;  and  he  was  fortunate  :  as  a  rule,  the  cayman 
makes  sure  of  the  entire  carcass.  There  is  not  a  town 
or  village  on  the  Amazon  that  I  called  at  that  had  not 
some  harrowing  tale  to  tell  of  the  boldness  and  ferocity 
of  these  creatures.  They  are  said  to  often  rush  at  people 
walking  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  carry  them 
off.  Boatmen  frequently  lose  their  lives  :  and  caymans 


A   VOYAGE    UP   THE    PURUS  147 

have  been  killed  in  the  streets  of  some  of  the  small  river- 
side towns,  where  they  have  been  found  wandering  at 
night — in  search  of  food,  it  is  believed.  For  there  is  such 
a  multitude  of  these  creatures  that  they  must  often  find 
it  difficult  to  obtain  sufficient  prey. 

On  shore  they  cannot  run  very  fast ;  and  they  have 
some  difficulty  in  turning  at  a  sharp  angle.  They  do 
not,  as  a  rule,  wander  far  from  a  river  or  large  pool, 
except  in  swamps.  They  like  their  meat  "  gamy  "  ; 
and  when  they  have  secured  a  victim  they  carry  it  to 
some  quiet  lurking-place,  push  it  into  a  hole,  or  under 
the  submerged  roots  of  a  big  tree,  and  wait  until  it  is 
nearly  rotten.  They  then  rend  it  to  pieces,  and  enjoy 
their  feast.  This  I  have  learned  by  actual  observation 
of  their  movements  and  habits.  I  write  in  the  plural 
number  :  for  though  one  only  may  capture  a  monkey, 
a  paca,  a  deer  or  a  man,  several  join  together  in  devouring 
it.  About  a  week  elapses  between  the  death  and  the 
devouring  of  the  prey  :  I  have  several  times  watched 
carcasses  for  that  time  ;  on  one  occasion  that  of  a  negro, 
or  half-breed. 

The  feast  is  a  lively  scene.  There  are  always  several 
caymans  in  one  pool — perhaps  twenty  or  more.  One 
having  decided,  I  suppose,  that  the  joint  is  done  to  a 
turn,  commences  operations  by  rending  off  a  limb. 
Immediately  out  dart  the  others,  and  each  one  struggles 
and  wriggles  to  obtain  a  mouthful.  They  do  not  actually 
fight ;  but  they  snap  at  one  another,  and  crawl  over 
each  other ;  and  altogether  seem  to  display  as  much 
temper  and  animosity  as  other  wild  animals  in  similar 
circumstances.  During  the  heat  of  the  day,  caymans 
assemble  on  some  sand,  or  mud,  bank,  generally  in  mid- 


148  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

stream,  and  sun  themselves.  They  lie  perfectly  quiet, 
huddled  together,  and  lying  over  one  another,  like  a 
herd  of  pigs. 

About  100  miles  from  its  mouth,  the  Purus  suddenly 
deepens,  as  a  result,  probably,  of  its  being  joined  by 
three  considerable  streams  ;  and,  also,  by  an  under- 
ground spring  of  great  volume  and  force.  At  this  point 
I  found  depths  of  sixty  feet ;  and,  at  one  spot,  of  over 
eighty  feet.  Twenty  miles  higher  up  the  water  suddenly 
shoals  to  forty  feet :  and  after  that  the  depth  is  variable. 
I  never  found  less  than  twenty  feet  until  we  had  reached, 
as  I  suppose,  300  miles  from  the  mouth  :  that  is  150 
miles  in  a  direct  line  to  the  Amazon.  For  the  Purus 
doubles  its  length,  at  least,  by  its  turns  and  bends.  It 
penetrates  the  country  fully  800  miles  in  a  straight  line  : 
but  its  actual  course  is  not  less  than  1600  miles,  and  may 
well  be  2000.  I  have  passed  over  five-sixths  of  its  course ; 
and  am  writing  with  tolerable  certainty  when  I  say  that 
the  whole  course  of  this  great  river  is  through  an  almost 
boundless  forest.  Across  country  it  is :  westward,  200 
miles  to  the  Rio  Jurua,  and  700  miles  to  the  base  of  the 
Andes  :  eastward,  150  miles  to  the  Madeira,  400  miles 
to  the  Rio  Juruena,  and  1000  miles  to  the  Rio  Araguay  ; 
a  total  stretch  of  1900  miles,  which  was,  in  1884,  practi- 
cally an  unbroken  forest  south  of  the  Amazon  :  for  the 
few  clearings  that  had  been  made  could  only  be  com- 
pared to  a  flea-bite  on  the  back  of  an  elephant.  And,  so 
far  as  I  know,  the  conditions  have  not  much  altered 
since  that  date.  They  certainly  have  not  so  far  as  con- 
cerns the  millions  of  square  miles  which  form  the  heart 
of  the  forest. 

During  the  ascent  to  the  point  I  have  indicated  (300 


A   VOYAGE    UP  ^  THE    PURUS  149 

miles)  there  could  scarcely  be  said  to  be  banks  to  the 
river.  Where  they  were  not  underwater,  they  showed 
only  a  few  inches  of  alluvial  mould,  only  occasionally  as 
much  as  three  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Tall  trees,  so  high  that  birds  perched  near  the  tops  of 
them  were  quite  out  of  gun-shot,  stood  in  the  water,  and 
as  far  inland  as  we  could  see  ;  and  at  night-time,  if  it 
was  too  dark  to  proceed,  we  moored  to  one  of  these  trees 
well  out  from  the  shore.  But  though  the  trees  were  so 
tall  the  diameter  of  the  trunks  was  not  remarkable. 
Few  of  them  were  as  much  as  eighteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference, though  fully  200  feet  high.  The  forest,  of  which 
they  formed  a  part,  was  impenetrable  in  this  district ; 
and  thickly  matted  with  huge  creepers  and  masses  of 
pendent  moss  similar  to  the  Spanish  moss  which  is  so 
characteristic  a  feature  of  the  swamps  of  Florida  and 
South  Georgia.  So  closely  matted  was  this  vegetation 
that  I  spent  days  of  search  without  being  able  to  see  as 
far  as  100  yards  into  the  interior  of  the  forest. 

The  flowers  and  orchids  of  this  region  were  magnifi- 
cent ;  and  the  birds  most  gorgeous,  and  so  numerous 
that  I  could  almost  fancy  the  country  was  an  enchanted 
land.  Mammals,  on  the  other  hand,  were  singularly 
scarce ;  and  human  life,  and  its  signs,  altogether  lacking. 
There  were  monkeys  in  the  trees,  for  we  heard  them  ; 
but  saw  only  a  few.  At  night  we  sometimes  heard  the 
cries  of  a  jaguar  ;  and  a  curious  barking  noise,  which 
was  not  that  of  a  dog,  nor  of  any  other  animal  with 
which  any  of  us  was  acquainted.  It  may  have  been  the 
cry  of  some  species  of  howler-monkey ;  but  I  never 
succeeded  in  finding  the  animal  which  uttered  it. 

There  were  probably  several  species  of  night-jar  here, 


150  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

judging  from  the  variety  of  their  calls  and  weird  noises  ; 
but  generally  the  quietude  of  the  night,  especially  in  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning,  was  only  exceeded  by  the 
death-like  silence  of  midday.  The  sense  of  solitude  was 
awful ;  and  told  heavily  on  my  two  men.  Even  I,  who 
am  so  constituted  that  I  should  certainly  make  a  good 
hermit,  felt  it  acutely.  I  had  to  resort  to  special  means 
to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  my  two  followers  (men  used  to 
gay  lives)  and  prevent  them  from  breaking  down.  We 
tried  concerts  ;  but  were  not  in  sufficient  force  to  keep 
these  up.  So  I  resorted  to  evening  readings,  and  the 
first  laugh  I  succeeded  in  provoking  from  my  com- 
panions was  when  I  tried  to  imitate  the  vagaries  of 
Mr.  Mantalini.  "  The  ha'penny  be  demned  "  became  a 
frequent  expression  from  the  lips  of  one  of  my  men  when 
he  wished  to  show  his  contempt  of  trifles. 

At  some  distant  period  there  have  been  settlements 
on  the  banks  of  the  Purus.  Where  the  timber  has  once 
been  cleared  is  always  easily  perceptible,  even  though 
the  spot  has  been  abandoned  so  long  that  the  trees  have 
attained  to  as  great  a  height,  and  thick  a  growth,  as 
those  of  the  surrounding  forest.  It  is  difficult  to  describe 
the  difference  of  appearance  :  the  trees  are  of  the  same 
species  as  those  which  originally  occupied  the  ground ; 
but  look  fresher,  cleaner  of  trunk,  and  have  less  moss 
upon  them  than  those  in  the  primeval  forest. 

What  these  settlements  were  I  cannot  tell,  as  I  am 
not  sufficiently  versed  in  the  history  of  the  Spaniards 
and  Portuguese  colonists  of  South  America.  Some  of 
them  are  marked  on  the  maps  as  "  Site  of  Floren9as," 
"  Old  Mura  Mission,"  "  San  Jacobo  "  and  "  Site  of  Boa 
Vista  "  ;  but  there  are  many  others  which  are  nameless  ; 


A   VOYAGE    UP   THE    PURUS  151 

and  which  seem  to  be  abandoned  settlements  of  a  great 
age  :  though  there  were  indications  in  a  few  places  that 
very  recent  attempts  had  been  made  to  establish  river- 
side towns.  For  instance,  about  twenty  miles  above  the 
site  of  Boa  Vista  there  are  a  number  of  ruined  buildings, 
with  wharves  and  a  pier.  There  must  have  been  settlers 
here  at  a  recent  period  :  for  much  of  the  masonry  was 
new,  though  disintegrated  by  the  growth  of  vegetation. 
It  is  simply  astonishing  how  quickly  trees  and  creeping 
plants  will  ruin  masonry  in  this  country,  unless  they  are 
persistently  cut  down.  They  cannot  be  rooted  out  of 
the  soil :  at  any  rate,  if  they  are,  they  immediately 
invade  it  again  ;  and  grow  so  rapidly  that  a  path  cut 
one  month  will  be  completely  blocked  the  next,  unless  it 
receives  constant  attention.  There  was  a  house  on  the 
site  I  am  describing  which  was  occupied  by  a  tree,  the 
roots  of  which  were  in  the  earth  by  the  side  of  one  of 
the  doors.  The  door  was  pushed  back  and  off  its  hinges  ; 
and  one  huge  branch  had  forced  its  way  out  of  a  small 
window,  splitting  the  masonry  to  the  base  of  the  house, 
and  lifting  up  the  roof.  Other  branches  had  ramified  all 
over  the  place  ;  and,  assisted  by  trailers,  and  several 
other  kinds  of  plants,  occupied  the  whole  house,  so  that 
it  was  impossible  to  pass  from  room  to  room.  There 
were  other  similar  instances  in  the  same  place  ;  and  some 
of  the  buildings  were  so  enveloped  in  masses  of  creeping 
plants  that  we  did  not,  at  first,  perceive  that  they  en- 
shrouded houses.  Probably  less  than  a  dozen  years 
previously  this  settlement  had  been  inhabited.  That  a 
tree  should  grow  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high  in  a  dozen 
years  is  not  remarkable  in  this  country.  I  have  known 
one  increase  in  height  six  feet  in  a  single  year  ;  but  it  is 


152  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

the  trailing  and  creeping  plants  that  are  most  rapid  in 
growth ;  and  the  power  of  these  vines  is  enormous. 
They  will  force  out  the  side  of  a  building,  lift  it  bodily 
from  its  foundation,  tear  down  strong  walls  ;  and  com- 
pletely bury  houses.  The  "  hedger  and  ditcher  "  is  a 
useful  man  on  farms  in  a  temperate  climate  :  here  he  is 
positively  necessary  at  all  seasons  ot  the  year. 

It  was  probably  the  extensive  inundations  that  led 
to  the  abandonment  of  all  these  settlements,  ancient 
and  modern,  the  country  in  their  neighbourhood  being 
underwater  for  an  immense  distance  on  all  sides.  There 
are,  of  course,  many  dry  tracts  ;  but,  no  doubt,  all,  in 
turn,  become  flooded.  I  suppose  that  settlers,  encouraged 
by  the  apparently  drier  character  of  some  spots,  have 
established  themselves,  believing  that  the  tracts  were 
permanently  above  the  floods.  All  may  have  gone  well 
for  a  year  or  two  :  then  an  exceptionally  wet  season 
would  cause  a  great  rise  of  the  river.  The  higher  grounds 
(higher  by  a  few  inches  only)  would  be  covered  by  water  ; 
the  settlers'  works  would  be  ruined,  their  stock  lost ; 
there  would  be  no  immediate  prospects  of  natural 
drainage  of  the  land  ;  artificial  drainage  would  be  out 
of  the  question  ;  "  yellow- jack,"  or  swamp-fever,  would 
come  on  the  scene  ;  and  the  remnant  of  the  poor  adven- 
turers would  have  no  alternative  but  to  bolt,  and  try  for 
better  fortune  elsewhere.  This  is  the  probable  history 
in  brief  of  the  whole  of  the  settlements,  past  and  present, 
on  the  Purus. 

These  abandoned  settlements  consist  of  small  towns, 
villages  and  single  plantations  ;  and  there  was  clear 
evidence  that  attempts  had  been  made  to  cultivate 
coffee,  cocoa,  tobacco,  sugar  and  several  kinds  of  grain. 


A   VOYAGE    UP    THE    PURUS  153 

Wild  rice  was  growing  in  the  shallow  water  of  the  river  ; 
and  odd  plants  of  maize,  and  cultivated  trees  and  shrubs 
were  found  growing,  though  the  fields  had  been  invaded 
by  the  wild  growths  of  the  forest,  which  had  overrun, 
and  crowded  out,  the  plants  of  civilization. 

Some  of  the  old  settlements  were  scarcely  discernable  ; 
and  some  probably  quite  so,  and  were  passed  without  dis- 
covery. Whether  we  actually  saw  the  sites  of  Florenga, 
the  Mura  Mission  and  San  Jacobo  I  cannot  say  ;  there 
were  so  many  ruins  at  the  spots  indicated  by  the  maps, 
and  all  about  the  neighbourhood.  I  found  the  remains 
of  a  small  church  with  branches  of  trees  growing  through 
every  window,  as  well  as  through  the  roof.  What  re- 
mained of  the  masonry  was  kept  up  only  by  the  support 
of  the  vegetation  :  there  was  no  spire,  and  all  the  iron 
and  woodwork  had  rotted  away,  or  been  removed. 
There  was  a  curious  old  belfry ;  but  of  bells  there  was 
not  a  trace. 

There  were  other  remains  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this 
church  ;  and  some  mounds  that  may  have  been  graves  ; 
and  a  very  considerable  area  of  ground  had  been  cleared 
at  some  distant  date.  Nothing  was  found  that  threw 
any  light  on  the  name,  or  nature,  of  the  settlement  that 
had  once  occupied  this  ancient  clearing. 

Not  far  from  this  spot,  but  four  miles  inland  from 
the  river,  I,  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  discovered  a  very 
curious  iron  cross,  which  was  so  overgrown  by  the  forest 
jungle  that  it  could  not  be  seen ;  and  if  I  had  not  actually 
stumbled  against  it  I  should  not  have  discovered  it.  It 
had  been  mounted  on  a  stone  base  ;  but  the  roots  of 
shrubs  had  pushed  all  these  out  of  place,  and  they  were  so 
encrusted  with  mosses  and  lichens  that  it  was  not  until 


154  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

I  had  scraped  some  of  them  clean  that  I  discovered  they 
were  granite.  It  is  impossible  to  conjecture  from  whence 
these  stones  came.  There  is  no  granitic  formation  on 
the  Purus,  nor  within  hundreds  of  miles  of  it  that  I 
know  of. 

The  cross  itself  was  a  very  handsome  one,  set  in  a 
circle  of  filigree  work  ;  but  it  was  so  much  decayed  with 
rust  that  it  fell  to  pieces  the  moment  an  attempt  was 
made  to  remove  it.  In  this  neighbourhood  there  were 
a  few  traces  of  other  works  of  European  hands  ;  but  the 
ground  appeared  never  to  have  been  cleared. 

Several  times  we  discovered  roughly  made  huts  in  the 
midst  of  small  clearings ;  with  heaps  of  chips,  an  old  kettle 
and  a  ladder,  all  indications  that  the  river  was  frequently 
visited  by  parties  of  civilized  men  :  and  one  night,  when 
we  had  ascended  the  river  about  500  miles,  a  curious 
incident  occurred. 

My  two  men  were  sleeping  on  shore  near  a  fire,  while 
I  lay  under  the  half-deck  of  the  boat  with  the  dogs  at 
my  feet.  The  boat  was  moored  close  to  the  shore  ; 
so  that  I  could  step  to  the  bank  by  means  of  a 
plank. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  the  dogs  set  up  a  furious 
barking  ;  and  thinking  that  Indians  were  about  to 
attack  us,  I  immediately  sprang  up,  and  shouted  to  my 
men  to  stand  by  their  arms.  To  my  amazement  I  saw 
a  bright  light  coming  down  the  river,  evidently  shining 
from  the  bows  of  a  boat.  When  she  got  abreast  of  us  the 
men  in  her  raised  a  loud  shout,  showing  that  there  were 
at  least  half  a  dozen  of  them.  We  answered  the  shout ; 
and  my  followers  made  some  enquiries  in  Portuguese, 
and  also  in  the  lingua  franca,  which  is  largely  used  on  the 


A    VOYAGE    UP   THE    PURUS  155 

Amazon  ;  but  there  was  no  reply.  The  light  went 
slowly  on  until  it  disappeared  behind  a  bend  of  the 
river. 

From  what  we  afterwards  discovered  I  have  no  doubt 
that  this  was  a  party  of  bird-hunters,  seeking  skins  for 
the  European  market. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CONTINUATION  OF  THE  VOYAGE  ON  THE  PURUS 

TTTE  experienced  some  very  uncomfortable  weather 
*  *  while  we  were  on  the  Purus.  There  were  several 
heavy  thunderstorms,  with  a  really  terrific  downpour  of 
rain.  It  fell  "  in  sheets,"  as  the  sailors  say  ;  and  greatly 
interfered  with  the  navigation  of  the  boat :  and  what 
was  worse  it  continued  for  days  at  a  time.  After  a 
deluge  in  the  morning,  which  would  fill  a  bucket  placed 
in  the  open  in  a  few  minutes,  it  would  settle  down  into 
a  steady  fall,  which  made  us  all  wretched — dogs  included. 
About  midnight  it  would  clear  up  for  a  few  hours,  and 
permit  us  to  enjoy  the  splendid  moonlight.  The  early 
morning  was  dull,  foggy  and  close  :  about  ten  o'clock 
the  heavens  were  rent  with  ear-splitting  thunder  ;  and 
the  torrential  rain  recommenced.  The  blinding  light- 
ning struck  several  trees  close  to  us,  splitting  one  huge 
trunk  right  down  ;  so  that  part  of  it  fell,  with  a  great 
splash,  into  the  water  not  fifty  yards  ahead  of  us  :  and 
for  safety's  sake  we  went  out  into  mid-stream,  where 
we  had  no  shelter,  and  momentarily  expected  the  boat 
itself  to  be  struck  and  sunk. 

These  tremendous  storms  frighten  all  creatures, 
birds,  beasts  and  reptiles,  which  rush  to  cover,  the 
monkeys  screaming  and  chattering,  the  birds  utter- 
ing alarm  notes  ;  but  during  the  height  of  the  storm 

156 


CONTINUATION  OF  THE   VOYAGE        157 

not  a  living  creature  of  any  kind  can  be  seen  or 
heard. 

As  we  continued  the  ascent  of  the  river  it  became 
more  tortuous  ;  so  that,  on  the  upper  reaches,  it  was 
rarely  possible  to  see  a  mile  ahead  ;  and  the  current  was 
quite  imperceptible.  In  some  of  the  broad  shallows 
formed  by  the  bends,  the  surface  of  the  water  was  covered 
by  acres  of  large  lilies  with  leaves  six  or  seven  feet  across, 
upon  which  the  water-fowl  ran  as  over  a  paved  road. 
Here  the  jacana,  or  spur-winged  water-hen  (I  think  it 
is  a  rail),  marches  with  stately  tread,  holding  up  daintily 
each  long-toed  foot  as  it  takes  its  measured  step.  It  is  a 
slender-bodied,  long-billed  and  long-legged,  as  well  as 
long-toed  bird ;  and  always  walks  with  slow  and 
stately  mien.  I  have  never  seen  it  run,  and  it  flies 
very  ungracefully  and  badly — in  fact  it  can  hardly 
fly  at  all ;  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  force  it  to  take 
wing.  It  does  not  swim  particularly  well  either  ;  but 
it  is  a  wonderful  diver,  and  travels  long  distances  under 
water. 

On  the  Purus  there  is  also  a  large  and  very  beautiful 
green  water-hen,  with  blue  reflections  on  its  plumage. 
Seen  in  the  bright  sunlight  this  bird  has  a  superb 
appearance. 

While  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  river  I  shot,  or  saw, 
at  least  five  other  species  of  water-hens  and  rails,  all  but 
one  of  which  are  found  on  the  main  stream  of  the 
Amazon,  and  over  a  wide  area  of  the  valley  it  drains. 
The  exception  was  a  little  dark  brown  rail  with  pretty 
markings  of  a  light  shade.  It  has  the  curious  habit,  for 
a  rail,  of  sitting  on  the  branches  of  trees  a  few  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  river,  and  suddenly  dropping  into 


158  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

the  water,  apparently  to  capture  its  prey.  This,  I 
ascertained,  consisted  of  river  flies,  beetles  and  crus- 
taceans. 

Through  opening  one  of  these  birds  I  was  led  to  search 
for  a  curious  fresh-water  crustacean — a  river  shrimp, 
flea  or  crab — I  cannot  say  which.  The  little  creature  is 
of  beautiful  and  delicate  formation,  but  so  intricate  in 
general  appearance  that  it  is  not  possible  to  intelligibly 
describe  it  with  pen  alone.  It  is  about  an  inch  in  total 
length,  of  a  pinkish  colour,  thickly  sprinkled  with 
brown  specks,  and  is  very  active  in  the  water.  It 
does  not  seem  to  be  abundant ;  as  I  could  only  find 
a  few. 

The  rails  and  water-hens  are  very  numerous.  Unless 
it  was  raining  heavily,  one  could  scarcely  look  across 
the  river  without  seeing  a  dozen  or  twenty  of  different 
kinds  ;  not  flocking  together,  but  scattered  here  and 
there.  None  of  the  birds  of  this  family  appear  to  flock 
together,  though  a  great  many  may  be  found  within  a 
short  distance  of  one  another. 

Ducks  appeared  in  flocks — sometimes  of  scores,  often 
of  hundreds  of  individuals.  The  muscovy-duck  was 
very  numerous,  and  often  fell  a  victim  to  our  guns,  its 
size  and  palatableness  making  it  a  welcome  addition  to 
our  fare.  For  not  all  American  wild  ducks  are  worth 
powder  and  shot.  Many  of  them  are  dry  and  flavour- 
less things  :  and  in  North  America  I  have  had  a  dozen 
of  them  offered  to  me  in  exchange  for  a  pound  of  salt 
pork.  Pork  in  Canada  and  the  Northern  States  is,  or 
was,  what  beef  is  in  England,  the  standard  meat :  and 
in  my  time  pork  and  molasses  was  the  equivalent  of 
beef  and  mustard.  Molasses  was  Yankee  lingo  for 


CONTINUATION  OF  THE  VOYAGE        159 

"  treacle  "  or  "  golden  syrup  "  ;  and  I  remember  a 
little  girl,  newly  arrived  in  the  land  of  Stars  and  Stripes, 
being  sent  to  the  store  for  treacle.  "Tell  yer  ma  I 
don't  know  what  it  is."  Back  came  the  little  girl ; 
for  "  golden  syrup  "  this  time.  Still  Sam  was  puzzled, 
till  suddenly  a  bright  revelation  occurred  to  his  mind, ; 
and  he  dabbed  a  pound  of  soft  soap  into  the  little 
girl's  pot. 

In  every  part  of  the  region  this  work  treats  of  whole 
genera  of  interesting  creatures  must  be  passed  over. 
Only  a  few  of  the  more  splendid,  birds  of  the  Purus  can 
be  noticed  here.  The  blue  heron  and  the  egret  are  two 
of  the  most  common  of  the  water-fowl ;  and  the  jabiru- 
stork  is  the  largest,  and  most  majestic,  of  this  class  of 
birds  ;  which  give  one  of  its  most  prominent  features 
to  the  river  scenery  on  the  Purus. 

The  common  green  parrot  of  the  country  is  also  a 
very  abundant  bird  on  the  Purus,  perhaps  more  so  than 
in  any  other  part  of  South  America.  It  is  an  entirely 
green  bird,  and  goes  in  flocks  of  sixty  or  seventy  ;  and, 
as  with  all  birds  of  gregarious  habits,  these  small  flights 
occasionally  join  together  in  one  huge  flock,  apparently 
for  the  purpose  of  visiting  a  distant  feeding-ground. 
For  parrots,  macaws  and,  I  suppose,  all  birds  now  and 
then  leave  their  ordinary  neighbourhood  for  a  time,  and 
proceed  to  some  far-off  country.  The  scarlet  macaw, 
the  blue  and  yellow,  and  the  variegated  all  do  so  ;  and 
I  have  seen  at  least  2000  scarlet  macaws  on  one  tree. 
The  herons,  the  ducks,  the  plovers,  the  toucans,  and 
hundreds  of  kinds  of  other  birds,  large  and  small, 
all  occasionally  assemble  in  very  great  numbers. 


160  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

There  are  other  birds,  solitary,  or  at  most  going  in 
twos  and  threes,  in  general,  which,  also,  forsake  their 
usual  haunts  entirely,  but  without  previously  assembling 
in  flocks.  If  there  are  any  birds  which  are  stationary, 
and  never  forsake  their  usual  homes,  it  is  birds  of  the 
rail  and  the  water-hen  kinds  :  but  I  suspect  that  even 
these  sometimes  seek  new  waters  :  for  I  have  known 
them  suddenly  arrive  at  a  pool  where  there  had  not  been 
any  for  many  months  previously  :  and  these  emigrants 
always  arrived  in  the  night-time.  It  is  curious  that 
though  I  have  several  times  known  streams  and  ponds 
to  be  thus  furnished  with  new-comer  rails  and  water-hens, 
I  have  never  once  noted  the  reverse  of  this,  and  found 
that  this  class  of  bird  had  forsaken  its  usual  haunts. 
The  conclusion  I  draw  is,  that  when  waters  are 
over-stocked,  the  superfluous  inhabitants  seek  a  new 
home. 

In  a  former  chapter  I  described  a  remarkable  tree, 
the  trunk  of  which  was  twisted  and  convoluted  in  a 
curious  way,  and  not  the  trunk  only,  but  the  branches 
displayed  the  same  strange  characteristic.  Looking 
over  some  old  notes,  I  have  just  found  the  following 
remarks  by  the  late  Rev.  J.  G.  Wood,  which  it  seems 
clear  refer  to  the  same  tree.  The  difference  in  name 
is  accounted  for  by  the  circumstance  that  Wood's 
tree  was  a  Guiana  specimen  ;  the  Indians  of  every 
locality  having  a  different  name  for  a  particular 
object. 

Describing  my  tree  in  the  presence  of  a  person  who 
had  resided  in  Guiana,  he  said  it  must  be  the  silk-cotton 
tree.  This  I  denied,  the  silk-cotton  being  well  known  to 
me.  It  is  a  splendid  example  of  arboreal  growth,  re- 


CONTINUATION  OF  THE  VOYAGE       161 

sembling  a  huge  oak,  with  a  gnarled  trunk  of  immense 
dimensions  (I  have  known  specimens  exceed  twenty 
feet  in  diameter,  without  measuring  any  portion  of  their 
great  buttresses),  but  it  is  quite  a  different  tree  from  the 
woorah.  The  person  referred  to,  not  satisfied  with  my 
account,  wrote  to  the  reverend  gentleman  to  ask  if  he 
knew  the  tree  ;  and  I  saw  the  reply  and  transcribed  it. 
I  quote  Wood's  own  words.  "  The  tree  referred  to  ... 
must  be  the  paddle  tree  ;  so  called  because  the  Indians 
make  canoe-paddles  from  its  wood.  Aspedospermum 
excelsum  is  a  most  strange-looking  tree.  It  runs  to  a 
considerable  height,  and  the  outline  of  the  trunk  is  most 
remarkable,  bearing  a  curious  resemblance  to  the 
clustered  pillars  found  in  some  of  our  old  cathedrals. 
Indeed,  the  section  of  the  trunk  looks  very  much  like 
a  piece  of  one  of  those  intricate  puzzle -maps  and  pictures 
which  used  to  be  found  in  the  toy-shops.  As  the  wood 
is  soft  while  fresh,  an  Indian,  when  he  has  to  make  a 
new  paddle,  splits  off  one  of  the  *  flutes,'  as  these 
buttresses  are  called,  trims  it  carefully  into  shape,  and 
then  hands  it  over  to  the  women,  who  paint  it  in  divers 
patterns  of  black  and  red.  The  paddle-wood  tree  is 
called  by  the  natives  yorari,  or  massara.  When  dry 
the  wood  is  very  light,  very  elastic,  very  hard  and  very 
strong.  This  oddly  shaped  tree  averages  sixty  or  seventy 
feet  in  height,  and  five  feet  in  diameter.  A  good  section 
of  it  is  in  the  Technological  Museum  of  the  Crystal 
Palace." 

The  woorah  may  not  be  precisely  the  same  species  as 

Wood's  "  paddle  tree,"  or  it  may  grow  to  a  much  larger 

size  on  the  Purus  and  the  Upper  Amazon  :  for  while  I 

agree  that  the  average  height  is  sixty  or  seventy  feet, 

M 


162  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

I  have  seen  many  specimens  of  ten  to  twelve  feet 
diameter.  The  wild-pepper  vine,  or  capsicum,  is  very 
fond  of  climbing  up  and  around  its  trunk  and  branches  : 
and  it  is  in  every  respect  a  very  picturesque  and, 
pleasing  tree. 

I  return  to  the  birds  of  the  Purus.  I  do  not  know  if 
any  of  those  "  collectors  "  who  are  held  in  pay  by 
museums  have  made  the  Amazon  and  its  tributaries 
the  scene  of  their  operations  since  my  visit ;  but  in 
1884-5  there  were  many  species  of  birds  in  this  region 
of  which  I  could  find  no  trace  or  description  in  books  or 
museums.  Amongst  them  there  were  three  varieties  of 
macaws  on  the  Purus  alone,  all  large  and  handsome 
birds,  of  which  the  only  perceptible  difference  was  in 
the  colours  of  their  plumage.  Indeed,  all  the  macaws  in 
Guiana  and  Brazil  appear  to  be  nearly  alike  in  size  and 
quite  so  in  habits,  and  to  differ  in  plumage  only.  What 
slight  variation  there  is  in  dimensions  is  nearly  entirely 
in  the  length  of  the  tail. 

The  bird  I  call  the  variegated  macaw  is  a  living  rain- 
bow, its  feathers  being  tinted  red,  green,  blue,  yellow 
and  several  other  hues,  arranged  beautifully,  but  so 
intricately  that  I  cannot  venture  on  a  description  of  it. 
There  is  a  green  species  on  the  upper  river  which  differs 
from  the  green  kind  of  other  parts  ;  but  this  is  probably 
only  a  local  variety.  Of  the  third  species  I  saw  only  one 
small  flock  of  about  thirty  birds.  It  has  a  scarlet  head 
and  shoulders,  with  the  same  colour  on  the  lower 
back  and  tail ;  the  rest  of  the  body  and  the  wings 
being  mixed  green  and  blue,  with  a  few  black 
markings. 

All  the  macaws  live  on  wild  grain,  fruits  and  nuts, 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE  VOYAGE        163 

with  caterpillars  and  chrysalides,  of  which  they  devour 
a  very  considerable  number.  I  have  watched  them 
searching  the  trunks  of  trees,  like  woodpeckers,  for 
these  delicacies,  and  tearing  up  the  bark  to  find  their 
hiding-places.  They  often  descend  in  immense  numbers 
and  destroy  the  cultivated  grain  ;  and  they  are  always 
difficult  of  approach  within  gun-shot ;  for  it  is  useless 
to  shoot  at  them  at  a  greater  distance  than  forty 
yards — they  are  as  tough  as  leather,  and  will  carry 
away  your  pellets  as  though  they  loved  them.  I 
have  picked  up  wounded  birds  that  appeared  to  be 
riddled ;  and  in  a  few  days  they  would  be  all  right, 
and  as  lively  as  crickets.  All  parrots  seem  to  be  equally 
tenacious  of  life. 

The  assertion  of  the  naturalist  Bates  that  the  blue 
and  red  macaw  "  goes  in  pairs  "  is  incorrect.  The  whole 
of  the  macaws  and  parrots  of  the  Amazonian  region 
associate  in  flocks,  large  or  small ;  and  keep  well 
together.  They  are  all  of  them  sly  birds,  and  vicious, 
in  spite  of  their  lively  dispositions  ;  and  a  trapped  wild 
bird  will  always  bite  savagely  if  it  gets  a  chance  of  doing 
so  ;  but  young  ones  taken  from  the  nest  show  an  attach- 
ment to  those  who  rear  them.  All  the  species  are  correctly 
described  as  breeding  in  trees  ;  but  the  only  nest  I  ever 
saw  or  heard  of  consisted  of  wood,  or  decayed  bark, 
rent  to  minute  pieces  by  the  parent  birds.  This,  how- 
ever, forms  a  soft  and  snug  bed.  The  number  of  young 
varies  from  one  to  four,  two  being  the  normal  number. 
This  is  the  result  I  found  after  examining  about  100 
nests.  I  need  not  say  that  it  differs  from  the  invariable 
assertion  that  macaws  lay  only  two,  or  at  most  three, 
eggs.  I  cannot  say  if  different  species  lay  varying 


164  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

numbers — I  think  it  is  exceedingly  improbable  that 
they  do  so  :  and  from  what  I  have  noted  of  the  breeding 
habits  of  birds  in  general,  I  am  convinced  that  the  first 
clutches  of  eggs  deposited  by  a  hen  are  below  the  normal 
number  laid  by  the  species,  as  are,  also,  those  in  the 
clutches  of  very  old  birds.  Macaws  breed  three  or  four 
times  a  year  :  and  this  circumstance  may  also  influence 
the  number  in  a  brood,  the  birds  being  naturally  ex- 
hausted towards  the  end  of  the  season  ;  which,  with  them 
and  other  American  parrots,  seems  to  last  about  eight 
months. 

During  the  middle  of  the  day,  macaws,  like  all  other 
inhabitants  of  the  Great  Forest,  are  as  silent  as  death  ; 
but  in  early  morning  and  in  the  evening  they  create  a 
frightful  hubbub.  Those  who  have  heard  a  thousand 
macaws  screaming  in  concert  will  never  forget  it, 
especially  if  they  are  troubled  with  nerves.  Fire  a  gun 
at  them,  and  the  noise  is  redoubled.  They  rise  from 
their  trees  screaming  as  if  in  anger,  and  hovering  just 
over  the  tops,  they  create  a  noise  which  can  only  be 
compared  to  that  of  a  Bedlam.  You  may  shoot  again 
and  again,  but  they  will  not  be  frightened  away  ;  and 
you  will  never  kill  one  with  small  shot. 

Amongst  other  curious  birds  seen  several  times  on 
the  Purus,  and  frequently  on  parts  of  the  Amazon 
itself,  was  the  sun-bittern,  one  of  those  curious  creatures 
which  are  a  puzzle  "  to  systematic  naturalists  "  ;  and 
no  wonder  :  for  there  can  be  no  system  in  natural 
history  without  numerous  exceptions.  I  forget  if  the 
"  sun-bittern  "  has  been  allotted  a  "  genus  to  itself  "  ; 
and  I  have  never  learned  why  it  is  called  a  sun-bittern. 
It  certainly  is  not  like  a  bittern,  but  resembles  a  large 


CONTINUATION  OF  THE   VOYAGE        165 

woodcock.  The  Spaniards  called  it  a  sun-bird  because 
when  the  wings  are  spread  open  there  appears  on  each 
of  them  a  large  black  spot  which  their  fanciful  brains 
thought  to  resemble  the  greater  light  which  rules  the  day. 
The  idea  is  about  as  correct  and  reasonable  as  that 
which  fancied  it  could  discern  the  twelve  apostles  in 
the  stigma  of  a  "  passion-flower  "  ;  but,  there,  I  do  not 
know  that  the  superstitious  and  exaggerating  Latins 
were  any  sillier  than  the  "  schizognathous-palate, 
holorhinal-skull  "  gentlemen. 

The  sun-bird — or  bittern — is,  in  my  opinion,  a  very 
beautifully  marked  creature,  though  its  feathers  are 
only  various  shades  of  chocolate-brown,  lighter  tint, 
and  black.  It  has  a  long  beak,  legs  of  moderate  length, 
and  is  about  the  size  of  a  bantam  fowl.  It  is  known  by 
a  variety  of  names  in  various  localities  of  South  America  ; 
and  also  in  natural  history  books.  In  the  latter,  it  was 
once  the  sun-heron  ;  and  is  sometimes  a  "  fly-catcher," 
and  often  a  "  butterfly-bird  "  ;  but  recent  discoveries 
having  found  it  minus  the  schizognathous-slit,  I  believe 
it  has  not  yet  got  beyond  the  puzzle-stage  with  the 
systematists.  We  will  call  it  a  sun-bird,  its  commonest 
designation  on  the  Amazon.  It  is  certainly  a  most 
extraordinary  creature,  even  if  we  consider  no  other  of 
its  characteristics  than  its  curious  antics.  In  life  it  is 
continually  on  the  move  ;  yet  it  seldom  flies,  and  never 
very  far  at  a  time  :  for  though  the  wings  appear  large 
enough  for  the  bird,  they  are  peculiarly  shaped,  and 
evidently  weak  ;  and  their  action  is  similar  to  that  of  a 
butterfly's  wings  :  that  is,  the  bird  flutters  along  instead 
of  progressing  by  measured  strokes  ;  hence  one  of  its 
colloquial  names.  A  common  motion  of  the  bird  is  to 


166  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

raise  the  wings  above  the  back  and  stretch  them  out- 
wards and  upwards  so  as  to  display  all  the  beautiful 
markings.  It  also  flaps  them  together,  but  without 
noise,  trails  them  on  the  ground  ;  and  makes  a  great 
display  of  them  in  other  ways.  The  bird  hops  round  in 
a  circle,  jumps  straight  up  a  foot  or  two,  and  turns  com- 
pletely over  as  it  descends.  In  fact,  the  sun -bird  not 
only  differs  completely  from  every  other  avian  in  the 
region,  but  has  antics  and  habits  that  no  other  known 
bird  indulges  in.  It  darts  about,  snapping  its  long  bill 
at  the  flies,  hundreds  of  which  it  destroys,  though  the 
bulk  of  its  food  consists  of  worms,  grubs,  snails  and  fresh- 
water Crustacea  ;  and  it  is  itself  a  fine -flavoured  bird  ; 
though,  apparently  from  prejudice,  it  is  seldom  placed 
on  the  table  of  South  Americans. 

The  sun-bird  is  not  gregarious,  but  is  widely  scattered 
about,  and  over  a  great  variety  of  ground.  It  is  found 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  forests,  but  not  in  the  interior  of 
thick  woods  :  it  frequents  open  ground,  often  in  very 
dry  situations  ;  but  its  favourite  resorts  are  along  the 
wooded  banks  of  rivers  and  brooks.  It  utters  a  variety  of 
cries,  all  of  them  peculiar  to  itself  ;  and  none  of  them 
very  loud.  Like  snipes  and  woodcock,  it  is  easily  killed. 
Though  so  large  a  bird,  a  single  pellet  of  small  size  is 
generally  sufficient  to  kill  it ;  and  as  it  is  very  tame,  and 
easily  approached,  it  is  probably  one  of  those  creatures 
that  will  soon  be  exterminated  when  the  land  becomes 
thickly  peopled. 

Other  birds  of  this  region  are  quite  different  from 
those  to  which  the  average  European  is  used.  The 
powise  is  an  instance.  This  large  and  handsome  bird, 
the  crested  curassow,  Crax  alector,  is  often  called  a  turkey 


CONTINUATION  OF  THE  VOYAGE       167 

by  the  Portuguese.  In  size  it  approximates  to  that  bird  ; 
and  is  quite  as  good  as  food  :  in  fact  it  has  become  one 
of  the  domesticated  fowls  of  Brazil,  its  tame  nature, 
and  hardiness,  making  it  extremely  fit  for  such  a 
purpose. 

In  colour  the  powise  is  a  crow-black,  with  beautiful 
reflections  of  green,  steel-blue  and  crimson.  The  basal 
half  of  the  large  and  strong  beak  is  bright  yellow  ;  and 
the  abdomen  pure  white.  It  has  a  curled  crest  of  stiff 
feathers ;  and  this,  in  the  hen,  is  speckled  with  white 
spots.  The  bird  is  quite  common  on  the  Purus,  where 
it  is  difficult  to  shoot  with  a  shot-gun,  on  account  of 
the  height  of  the  trees,  the  tops  of  which  form  its 
favourite  perch ;  though  it  often  descends  to  the 
ground,  scratching,  and  searching  for  insects  like  a 
hen.  The  bulk  of  its  food  consists  of  fruits,  seeds  and 
grain.  There  are  two  other  species  of  curassows  on 
the  Purus  ;  but  they  are  much  smaller  birds  than  the 
powise. 

I  must  not  pass  by  the  maroudi,  which  meets  with 
so  frequent  mention  in  Charles  Waterton's  works.  This 
strange  bird,  another  of  the  non-classifiable  tribe,  is,  on 
the  Purus,  of  the  white-headed  species,  Penelope  pipile, 
often  called  the  jacatinga  by  the  Portuguese.  It  has  a 
habit  similar  to  that  of  the  European  starling  of  sitting 
on  some  elevated  perch,  usually  a  tree,  and  making  a 
rattling  noise  by  quivering  its  wings  against  its  sides, 
uttering  a  low  quickly  repeated  note  at  the  same  time. 
What  the  bird  is  I  am  unable  to  conjecture  :  it  is 
quite  abnormal.  The  Indians  eat  it ;  but  the  bird  has 
at  least  quasi-protection  from  the  pee-ai-men,  who  do 
not  look  with  favour  on  its  destruction,  while  they  do 


168  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

not  absolutely  forbid  it.  The  creature  has  one  trait  in 
common  with  its  protectors- — it  is  omnivorous,  and  will 
devour  anything  which  will  pass  down  its  gullet.  I 
have  seen  them  seize  rats  and  frogs,  give  their  prey  a 
sharp  rap  against  a  stone  or  the  hard  ground,  to  quieten 
it,  and  elevating  their  heads  let  the  half-dead  creature 
slip  gracefully  down  their  throats.  They  eat  large 
beetles,  big  spiders,  cockroaches,  any  slimy  reptile  they 
find  in  the  ooze  of  the  river,  and  fruits  and  grain  of  all 
kinds.  Not  the  least  remarkable  feature  in  their  gastro- 
nomic feats  is  the  size  of  the  morsels  they  can  bolt. 
Often  have  I  thought,  "  Surely  the  creature  will  divide 
that  piece  of  food  before  swallowing  it  !  "  No  !  down 
it  went ;  and  apparently  without  any  exertion  on  the 
part  of  the  bird. 

One  day,  about  400  miles  up  the  Purus,  a  flamingo 
flew  almost  over  the  boat.  I  put  a  charge  of  No.  4  shot 
under  its  wing  at  about  thirty  yards  range  ;  and  this 
sufficed  to  kill  it.  The  body  fell  into  the  water  ;  it 
fluttered  a  little  before  it  died  ;  but  did  not  sink.  Hardly 
had  it  been  picked  up,  when  a  dozen  caymans  appeared, 
poking  up  their  ugly  snouts  and  looking  round  in  evident 
anticipation  of  finding  something  good ;  and  they 
followed  the  boat  some  distance.  Did  these  creatures 
hear  the  splash,  or  sniff  their  prey  ? 

The  flamingo  was  a  beautiful  scarlet  creature,  which, 
when  stretched  out  to  its  full  length,  measured  nearly 
seven  feet  from  the  tip  of  the  bill  to  the  extremity  of  the 
feet.  Only  a  few  of  these  birds  were  seen  in  the  Amazonian 
valley.  On  one  occasion  only  were  they  met  with  on 
the  Amazon  itself,  when  I  saw  five  of  them  standing 
in  water  which  was  so  shallow  that  it  only  covered  their 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE  VOYAGE       169 

feet.  The  flamingo  presents  an  extraordinary  sight 
when  asleep,  standing  on  one  long  slender  leg,  which 
appears  to  be  of  the  same  size  throughout,  so  that  the 
creature  looks  like  a  large  bird  stuck  on  the  top  of  a 
long,  thin  stick. 


CHAPTER  XV 

CONCLUSION  OF  THE  VOYAGE  ON  THE  PURUS 

"TVTO  account  of  the  river  Amazon  would  be  satis- 
-^  factory  if  the  tapir  were  not  noticed  ;  and  I  feel 
the  more  justified  in  recording  what  I  know  about  it 
that  there  seems  to  be  no  modern  and  reliable  history 
of  the  animal  accessible.  The  most  recent  "  popular 
natural  history "  that  I  have  seen  copies,  word  for 
word,  the  accounts  given  in  a  work  published  twenty 
years  ago  ;  and  this  last  work  has  to  rely  largely  on 
such  ancient  writers  as  Humboldt  and  Schomburgk  ; 
men  not  over-reliable,  and  not  very  close  observers  of 
what  they  did  see,  especially  the  first-named  traveller. 

The  Amazonian  tapir  may  be  compared  in  size  to  a 
small  ox  ;  and  weighs,  I  should  think  (for  I  have  never 
actually  seen  one  in  the  scales),  about  400  pounds.  It 
is  a  thick-set,  heavily  built  animal,  with  a  remarkably 
piggish  external  appearance,  especially  when  lying  down. 
The  hide  is  half  an  inch  thick  when  freshly  stripped  off, 
and  much  more  in  some  places  ;  but  it  is  not  particu- 
larly tough,  and  knife,  spear  or  arrow  will  penetrate  it 
easily  enough  ;  nor  is  the  animal  very  tenacious  of  life. 
A  single  rifle  bullet,  of  small  size,  drops  it  at  once,  and 
a  comparatively  small  wound  with  arrow,  or  dart,  will 
disable  it ;  and  it  speedily  dies,  though  it  is  full  of 
blood. 

170 


CONCLUSION    OF   THE    VOYAGE         171 

The  skin  is  very  smooth  and  tightly  drawn  on  the 
animal,  and  is  of  a  blackish  brown  hue,  and  sparsely 
covered  with  coarse  hair.  As  a  rule  it  is  encased  in  mud, 
and  its  true  colour  is  only  seen  when  the  animal  is  dead 
and  cleaned  ;  or  when  it  emerges  from  a  prolonged 
bath,  or  in  very  wet  weather. 

It  is  eminently  a  fluvial  animal.  I  have  never  seen 
any  of  them  except  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
large  rivers.  They  do  not  even  visit  lakes  and  pools, 
except  some  of  those  forest-surrounded  lakes  which 
form  the  head-waters  of  many  of  the  affluents  of  the 
Purus  and  Madeira. 

The  usual  haunt  of  the  tapir  is  amongst  dense  reed 
patches,  and  in  the  swamps  ;  and  they  eschew  dry 
forest  land.  They  are  abroad  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
and  night,  and  are  amongst  the  most  solitary  in  habit  of 
all  American  mammals.  I  have  never  seen  more  than 
two  together — the  cow  and  her  calf,  and  the  male  pur- 
suing the  female.  The  male  is  never  with  the  cow  when 
she  has  a  young  one — one  is  the  normal  birth  ;  but 
Indians  have  told  me  that  occasionally  she  has  two, 
which  is  probable  ;  indeed  almost  certain  :  for  I  know 
of  no  animal  whatever  producing  one  at  a  birth  which 
does  not  occasionally  bear  two  or  more. 

The  young  tapir  is  marked  with  broken  longitudinal 
stripes,  which  are  sometimes  quite  white,  but  more  often 
of  a  buff  colour.  These  gradually  disappear,  and  are 
unobservable  when  the  young  animal  is  about  half- 
grown.  It  is  a  very  remarkable  circumstance  ;  and  is  in 
this,  and  similar  cases  in  other  animals,  some  evidence 
of  a  provision  of  nature  for  the  protection  of  the  young 
animal.  On  the  other  hand,  the  young  of  several  beasts 


172  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

of  prey  have  birth-marks  of  the  "  protective  "  kind  ; 
and  yet  these  animals  need  no  protection  :  for  one  beast, 
or  bird,  of  prey  never  attacks  another  for  the  purpose  of 
feeding  on  it.  Many  so-called  naturalists,  and  travellers, 
have  told  quite  a  different  tale  :  in  plain  terms  I  do 
not  believe  one  of  them.  No  man  could  possibly  have 
had  more  experience  than  I  have  had — very  few  so  much. 
I  do  not  record  it  in  boastfulness  :  but  it  is  impossible 
for  a  man  to  spend  the  best  part  of  his  life  in  the  wilds, 
on  the  constant  watch  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  the 
creatures  of  forest,  mountain  and  plain,  and  fail  to  see 
an  incident  said  to  be  common  :  and  I  say  that  no 
flesh-eating  animal  will  feed  off  the  carcass  of  another 
beast  of  prey.  They  fight  one  another,  slay  one  another, 
contend  over  slain  prey — feed  on  one  another — never. 
I  have  never  seen  the  remotest  proof  of  such  a  proceed- 
ing. There  are  omnivorous  animals,  like  the  bear,  which 
devour  anything,  including  flesh  ;  but  these  will  not 
touch  the  carcass  of  a  puma,  a  wolf,  or  any  such  creature. 
Pumas,  jaguars  and  wolves  will  devour  dogs — that  is 
domestic  dogs,  which  are  not  strictly  beasts  of  prey  : 
and  wolves  will  feed  on  those  of  their  number  that  are 
shot  down  by  the  hunter  (they  never  slay  one  another) ; 
but  this  is  the  nearest  approach  to  thief  robbing  thief 
that  I  have  ever  met  with  amongst  wild  animals. 
Domestic  dogs  will  not  touch  the  carcasses  of  beasts  of 
prey,  or  of  wild  dogs  or  wolves.  Isolated  cases  have 
occurred  amongst  the  captives  in  menageries,  etc.,  but 
animals  in  cages  are  like  sailors  on  rafts  ;  sometimes 
driven  to  mad  acts  by  unnatural  surroundings. 

I  cannot  say  if  the  tapir  is  numerous — I  have  formed 
the  opinion  that  it  is  not.     Has  it  many  enemies  ? 


CONCLUSION   OF   THE   VOYAGE         173 

Probably  it  has.  It  is  a  very  valuable  meat-producing 
creature  in  a  country  which  affords  few  large  animals 
fit  for  food;  and,  consequently,  the  Indians  are  con- 
stantly on  the  watch  for  it.  It  is  easily  overtaken,  and 
destroyed  without  trouble  or  danger.  The  yarns  about 
its  turning  on  its  enemies  and  defending  itself  are  ex- 
cellent— so  are  those  about  the  phoenix  :  and  the  two 
stories  have  one  thing  in  common. 

The  tapir  is  one  of  the  most  timid  and  harmless 
creatures,  of  its  size,  on  earth  :  and  when  it  finds  itself 
discovered  it  bolts.  Headed  off,  or  cornered,  as  it  often 
is  by  bands  of  Indians  hunting  together,  it  becomes 
frightened  out  of  its  wits,  falls  on  its  front  knees,  trembles 
and  can  do  nothing  but  roar  and  grunt.  I  suppose  that 
we  do  not  all  hear  alike,  any  more  than  we  see  alike  ; 
but  I  hardly  know  what  is  meant  by  the  "  whistling 
sound  "  the  tapir  is  said  to  emit.  Its  voice  consists  of  : 
first,  a  kind  of  squeal,  which,  though  something  like  that 
of  a  horse  when  it  is  fighting,  or  expressing  displeasure 
with  another,  is  peculiar  to  the  tapir :  second,  a  snuffling 
sound,  usually  uttered  when  it  is  surprised,  or  suspicious 
of  danger  :  third,  a  grunt  very  similar  to  that  of  a  pig ; 
and  used  chiefly  when  it  is  feeding  or  wandering  about 
aimlessly  :  fourth,  a  low  bellow,  indicative  of  fright  and 
anger.  If  the  tapir  ever  utters  any  other  sound,  I  have 
not  heard  it. 

It  is  a  habit  of  the  tapir  to  lie  in  mud  surrounded  by 
reeds.  Sometimes  it  reclines  on  its  side,  and  sometimes 
on  its  knees,  like  an  ox.  When  it  thinks  itself  quite 
secure,  and  free  from  observation,  it  rolls  over  on  its 
back  in  apparent  enjoyment ;  and  kicks  its  legs  as  we 
may  see  a  horse  do  when  given  its  liberty  in  a  field. 


174  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

It  seems  to  be  an  animal  of  a  joyous  disposition  :  and 
on  farms  and  plantations  young  ones  are  occasionally 
kept  as  pets.  They  never  display  any  vice,  and  never 
attempt  to  regain  their  liberty  ;  and  are  quite  as  tame 
and  tractable  as  cattle  and  horses.  I  never  heard  of 
their  breeding  in  captivity. 

As  is  well  known,  they  swim  with  ease  and  rapidity  ; 
but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  so  well  established  that  they 
run  along  the  bottoms  of  rivers.  They  do  so,  however  ; 
for  I  have  witnessed  them  doing  so  on  several  occasions, 
and  at  widely  distanced  places.  They  cannot,  however, 
remain  long  under  water  ;  and  when  they  come  to  the 
surface  to  breathe  at  the  expiration  of  about  a  minute, 
nearly  another  minute  elapses  before  they  can  sink  again. 
Consequently  escape  from  their  pursuers  is  impossible. 
The  Indians  do  not  follow  them  in  canoes  ;  but  boldly 
plunge  into  the  water  after  them.  I  am  not  sure  that 
the  Indian  can  swim  as  fast  as  the  tapir  ;  but  numbers 
deprive  the  solitary  animal  of  all  chance  of  escape.  On 
shore  the  tapir  is  not  a  fleet  animal ;  and  the  Indian  is 
a  match  for  it  in  a  forest  race  ;  these  strange  people 
being  able  to  run  and  rush  about  in  thick  forest, 
swamp  and  reed-bed  every  whit  as  well  as  a  wild 
animal. 

There  were  tapirs  on  the  Purus  ;  and  perhaps  the 
best  way  of  estimating  their  numbers  is  to  note  their 
footmarks  and  resting-places.  Judging  from  these 
signs  I  should  say  that  there  are  not  many,  even  in  this 
almost  undisturbed  region,  as  it  certainly  was  in  1886. 
On  the  main  stream  of  the  Amazon  they  are  decidedly 
scarce  ;  the  traffic  having  frightened  them  into  the 
quieter  tributaries. 


CONCLUSION    OF   THE    VOYAGE         175 

A  supply  of  food  being  a  pressing  need  with  us,  as  with 
the  native  roamers  of  the  forest,  we  were  ever  on  the 
look-out  for  creatures  which  should  afford  us  a  means  of 
replenishing  our  store  ;  yet  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
journey  only  five  of  these  animals  fell  to  my  rifle  ;  and 
but  two  more  were  secured  by  my  followers.  I  have 
seen  a  few  killed  by  the  Indians  ;  and  I  have  permitted 
three  or  four  to  escape  which  I  might  have  destroyed. 
As  a  rule,  when  watching  the  habits  of  the  tapirs  I  had 
to  do  so  through  a  spy-glass  from  a  distance  which 
precluded  my  doing  them  any  hurt :  for  they  are  so 
shy  and  timid  that  they  soon  detect  the  presence  of  any 
watcher  stationed  near  them. 

Of  course  I  made  many  attempts  to  penetrate  into 
the  interior  of  the  country  ;  but  with  very  little  success. 
In  most  places  the  forest  growth  is  so  dense  that  it  is 
absolutely  impossible  for  any  large  ground  animal  to 
force  its  way  through  it.  I  have  used  axe  and  scythe 
for  hours,  cutting  away  creepers,  bushes  and  tangled 
herbage ;  only  to  find,  after  clearing  away  the  blocking 
growth  for  a  few  yards,  that  the  human  body  could  not 
be  forced  between  the  massive  trunks  of  the  trees. 
Supposing  this  ground  to  be  occupied  by  settlers,  as 
occupied  it  must  be  some  day,  the  land  will  have  to  be 
cleared  as  the  people  advance.  There  cannot  possibly 
be  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  country,  except  along 
the  rivers  and  smaller  water-courses.  I  sincerely  hope 
that  no  attempt  will  be  made  to  burn  the  timber  off  the 
land.  I  do  not  think  that  such  an  attempt  would  be 
successful,  the  forest  and  underlying  soil  is  generally 
so  moist ;  but  if  once  a  forest  fire  were  fairly  started 
in  this  region,  the  conflagration  would  be  awful !  No 


176  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

successful  endeavour  to  stop,  or  control,  it  could  be 
made  :  it  would  have  to  be  permitted  to  burn  itself  out  : 
and  thousands  of  square  miles  of  the  grandest  timber 
growth  on  earth,  and  millions  of  living  creatures,  would 
inevitably  perish  :  perhaps  whole  species  be  wiped  out. 
It  would  be  a  world's  catastrophe  if  this  splendid  forest 
and  its  denizens  were  to  be  destroyed.  No  forest  fires 
ever  do  occur  in  the  valley  of  the  Amazon  :  I  have 
strong  hope,  therefore,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  kindle 
them. 

The  tributaries  of  the  Purus,  like  those  of  the  Amazon 
itself,  are  innumerable — I  mean  those  which  have  suffi- 
cient water  in  them  to  float  a  boat ;  and  by  means  of 
these  the  country  can  be  penetrated  in  all  directions. 
It  is  everywhere  an  unbroken  forest ;  and  at  least  two- 
thirds  of  it  consists  of  swamp.  The  rivulets  and  brooks 
which  empty  themselves  into  the  Purus  nearly  all  take 
their  rise  in  pools,  small  lakes  and  swamps,  which  are 
only  very  slightly  raised  above  the  surface  of  the  river. 
Consequently  the  currents  of  all  are  very  sluggish, 
almost  imperceptible,  and  the  beds  of  the  smaller  ones 
choked  by  a  dense  growth  of  reeds  and  larger  vegetation  : 
in  particular  there  is  a  tree  like  the  banyan  (perhaps  it 
is  a  species  of  banyan)  which  drops  roots,  or  root- 
branches,  to  the  ground,  and  into  the  streams,  some- 
times completely  arching  them.  In  the  Purus  we  often 
took  the  boat  under  a  tree  of  this  description  for  shelter 
at  the  side  of  the  river,  mooring  to  one  of  the  drooping 
roots  ;  until  one  evening  a  jaguar  was  seen  (and  shot) 
in  the  branches  above  us.  We  took  the  hint ;  especially 
as  venomous  snakes  also  sought  a  refuge  in  these  fine 
trees. 


CONCLUSION   OF   THE   VOYAGE         177 

I  had  a  small  canoe  of  my  own  make  on  board ;  and  in 
this  I  used  to  take  excursions  ;  on  one  occasion  ascending 
a  river  about  100  miles,  as  far  as  I  could  go.  On  this 
excursion  I  was  absent  from  the  Firefly  (my  large  boat) 
three  entire  days  and  nights.  During  this  time  I  never 
had  a  fair  sleep,  never  saw  the  sky,  and  worked  at  the 
paddle  almost  incessantly.  Huge  creepers,  as  well  as 
the  roots  of  the  tree  just  now  described,  descended  into 
the  water  ;  great  masses  of  moss  trailed  downwards, 
hanging  like  shrouds  ;  for  not  a  breath  of  air  disturbed 
the  silent  reaches  of  this  stream.  Trunks  of  fallen  trees 
lay  across  it,  some  of  which  I  could  paddle  under  ;  on 
to  others  I  climbed  to  lift  the  canoe  over.  The  moss 
had  a  faded,  withered  appearance,  and  the  lower 
branches  of  the  trees  and  bushes  were  leafless,  and  full 
of  decayed  vegetation  washed  thither  by  floods.  Occa- 
sionally I  saw  a  small  flower,  or  orchid  ;  and  these  were 
all  of  very  pale  hue — white  or  greenish.  At  the  sides  of 
the  river  there  was  a  thick  growth  of  canes  or  reeds, 
which  afforded  lurking-places  to  a  good  many  un- 
pleasant creatures,  caymans  in  particular,  and  large 
snakes  ten  or  twelve  feet  long.  Here,  also,  was  a 
kind  of  bull-frog,  quite  as  large  as  that  found  in 
North  America;  and  water-lizards,  or  iguanas,  a  yard 
long. 

The  height  of  the  trees  I  could  only  conjecture  :  the 
vault  of  dead  branches  and  trailing  vine-stems  above  my 
head  was  from  fifty  or  sixty  to  a  hundred  feet  high. 
Above  this  was  a  mass  of  foliage  that  shut  out  the 
view  of  everything,  never  once  affording  a  glimpse  of 
the  sky,  nor  a  ray  of  the  sun.  The  prevailing  gloom 
was  so  great  that  all  objects  were  only  dimly  seen ;  and 

N 


178  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

in  some  spots  it  was  almost  dark.  Indeed,  often, 
ahead,  it  appeared  to  be  quite  so,  and  the  way  looked 
like  a  black  tunnel.  The  sense  of  confinement,  and 
the  prevailing  gloom,  played  on  my  nerves  ;  and 
I  was  sometimes  nearly  afraid  to  proceed,  or  to 
enter  some  forbidding  opening  in  the  mass  of  weird 
trailers. 

This  river  was  never  more  than  seventy  yards  wide, 
though  it  was,  throughout  nearly  the  whole  length  of 
its  course,  nearly  twenty  feet  deep.  There  was  no  ripple 
on  any  part  of  its  surface,  and  long  stretches  of  it  were 
stagnant,  and  covered  with  a  grey  scum.  There  were 
no  giant  water-lilies  here,  although  these  plants  are 
abundant  on  the  Amazon  and  the  Purus  ;  where  there  is 
not  only  a  white  one,  but  also  a  yellow  and  a  blue  kind. 
Masses  of  weed  choked  the  water  in  the  shallows  near 
the  bank,  and  sometimes  reached  the  surface  in  the 
deeper  parts  :  and  the  forest  on  both  sides  formed  an 
impenetrable  wall. 

I  was  nervous  of  the  caymans,  some  of  which  gave  me 
a  good  deal  of  unwelcome  attention.  I  had  more  than 
twenty  round  the  canoe  sometimes,  apparently  meditat- 
ing an  attack  ;  and  when  I  wished  to  rest,  or  try  to  sleep, 
I  used  to  climb  up  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  into  one 
of  the  trees  which  overhung  the  water  ;  and  passing  a 
strap  round  a  stout  branch  secured  it  to  my  arm,  to  pre- 
vent accidents,  and  thus  endeavoured  to  obtain  rest. 
I  did  not,  however,  get  beyond  the  dozing  stage  at  any 
time  during  the  three  days. 

I  was  hardly  able  to  distinguish  between  night  and 
day,  except  when  it  was  absolutely  dark  ;  at  which  time 
it  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  proceed,  though  I  some- 


CONCLUSION    OF   THE    VOYAGE         179 

times  endeavoured  to  do  so  by  the  light  of  a  lantern 
suspended  at  the  bows  of  my  tiny  craft,  which  was  so 
small  that  it  would  not  hold  a  second  person  with  safety. 
The  light  attracted  such  numbers  of  caymans  that  I  was 
obliged  to  give  up  its  use.  I  tried  a  shot  or  two  at  these 
pests  ;  but  this  had  little  effect.  I  killed  a  couple  of  the 
caymans  ;  which  did  not  seem  to  perturb  the  others  in 
the  least  :  so  it  would  seem  that  fear  is  the  outcome  of 
intelligence  :  for  there  are  no  more  doltish  creatures  in 
existence  than  the  alligator  tribe. 

As  this  canoe  journey  (partly  described  in  a  previous 
work)  has  provoked  some  comment,  I  may  remark  that 
there  is  no  doubt  that  I  paddled  more  than  200  miles  in 
the  seventy-four  or  seventy-five  hours  I  was  absent 
from  the  boat.  I  see  nothing  remarkable  in  the  feat ; 
and  I  offered  to  wager  my  challenger  (a  book-naturalist) 
that  I  would  canoe  300  miles  in  seventy  hours  on  any 
English  river  he  chose  to  select.  He  very  wisely  buttoned 
his  breeches-pockets,  and  said  no  more. 

I  had  several  strange  experiences  during  this  little 
journey,  amongst  them,  on  the  third  day,  I  was  startled 
by  a  sudden  rushing,  rattling  sound,  and  the  fall  of  a 
great  quantity  of  dead  branches,  leaves,  etc.,  and  amongst 
them  a  few  large  hail-stones  as  big  as  pigeons'  eggs. 
That  the  leafy  canopy  above  was  able  to  resist  the 
battering  of  this  tremendous  storm,  is  proof  how  dense 
and  thick  it  was.  Several  birds,  and  a  monkey,  killed 
by  the  hailstones,  fell  into  the  water  ;  and,  of  course, 
many  must  have  been  killed  which  I  did  not  see.  In 
this  way  I  learned  how  the  multitude  of  caymans  below 
may  get  a  portion  of  their  food— for  hail-storms  are 
frequent  in  this  region. 


180  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

Living  creatures  of  the  higher  orders  were  very  scarce 
on  this  river.  I  heard  parrots  and  macaws  screaming  ; 
and  sometimes  troops  of  monkeys  came  down  to  look 
at  me.  These  animals  were  tamer  here  than  in  any  other 
part  of  America  I  have  visited  ;  and  I  was  actually  glad 
of  their  presence,  so  awful  was  the  sense  of  loneliness  in 
this  solitary  place.  Once  or  twice  these  monkeys  ven- 
tured within  twenty  yards  of  me  ;  a  tameness  that  is 
unique  in  my  experiences  of  wild  simians. 

Birds,  generally,  were  very  scarce  ;  but  I  shot  a 
beautiful  light  green  water-hen  with  a  metallic  gleam 
on  its  plumage.  Small  birds  were  practically  absent,  as 
were  all  the  long-legged  waders  of  the  stork  and  heron 
families. 

I  saw  shoals  of  small  fish  ;  and,  near  the  mouth  of 
this  affluent,  discovered  a  vast  number  of  eels  spread  on 
the  leaves  of  partially  submerged  water-plants.  They 
were  in  an  exhausted  state,  and  covered  with  a  thick 
viscid  slime.  I  thought  their  condition  was  due  to  some 
stage  of  the  reproductive  process  ;  but  the  learned  in 
this  matter  shake  their  heads  ;  and  insist  that  eels  must 
go  to  the  sea  before  they  can  become  family  men — I 
mean,  fish — and  that  having  performed  this  necessary 
function  they  straightway  die. 

A  noted  naturalist  has  said  that  "  reams  of  paper 
have  been  spoiled  in  discussing  the  breeding  habits  of 
eels."  Possibly.  But  have  those  habits  been  really 
discovered  ?  Naturalists  may  wriggle  like  eels,  but  they 
will  not  be  able  to  slip  away  from  the  fact  that  many  of 
their  theories,  and,  what  is  worse,  their  assertions,  are 
simply  guesses.  I  have  met  with  some  evidence  that 
eels  which  cannot  reach  the  sea,  breed  :  and  I  know, 


CONCLUSION    OF   THE    VOYAGE         181 

certainly,  that  the  celebrated  electric-eel  of  South 
America  never  visits  the  sea.  In  fact,  it  is  seldom 
found  even  in  rivers,  though  it  is  plentiful  in  the 
swamps  and  small  lakes  on  the  courses  of  the  Purus 
and  its  tributaries.  The  exhausted  eels  I  have  men- 
tioned, many  hundreds  in  number,  were  all  small ; 
but  in  the  Purus  we  caught  some  which  were  six  feet 
long. 

Fish  are  very  abundant  in  the  Amazon,  and  all  the 
rivers  which  are  included  in  its  system.  I  am  not  a  great 
fisherman  ;  but  my  two  followers  spent  most  of  their 
spare  time  handling  the  rod  and  line  ;  and  they  could 
give  popular  names  to  many  members  of  their  catches. 
One,  the  "  devil-fish,"  was  a  monstrous  little  wretch. 
Though  weighing  only  a  quarter  of  a  pound  or  less,  it 
boldly  attacks  the  human  bather  ;  and  a  shoal  of  them 
seem  to  be  capable  of  doing  serious  injury  to  a  naked 
man.  The  Indians  and  the  negroes,  as  well  as  the  whites, 
dread  them,  and  say  they  not  only  bite  pieces  out  of 
the  legs  and  bodies  of  people  they  find  bathing  in  the 
rivers,  but  act  as  a  sort  of  fresh-water  fish-wolf,  hound- 
ing and  devouring  any  creature  they  find  wounded  or  in 
distress.  I  cannot  confirm  these  stories  from  my  own 
observations  ;  but  I  do  not  disbelieve  them. 

The  fish  is  the  well-known  Serrasalmus  piraya,  called 
by  the  Indians,  and  one  of  my  men,  "  the  piree,"  a  name 
which  I  find  spelled  "  perai  "  by  some  naturalists.  It 
is  quite  a  small  fish,  similar  to  a  roach  in  shape  and 
appearance  of  the  body  ;  but  the  head  is  round,  and  a 
fishy  caricature  of  that  of  a  pug-dog.  The  teeth  are  very 
strong  and  sharp  ;  and,  affixed  to  a  piece  of  stick,  are 
used  by  the  Indians  as  a  rasp  or  scraper. 


182  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

Some  of  the  fish  in  the  Purus  are  very  large,  exceeding 
twenty  pounds  in  weight,  and,  superficially,  resemble 
chub,  bream  and  carp  :  and  there  was  a  monstrous- 
looking  creature  with  a  head  like  a  cat-fish  ;  and  a  body 
thirty  to  forty  inches  long.  This  was  one  of  the  few 
Purus  fish  which  had  much  flavour  in  it.  The  "  tiger- 
fish  "  has  a  spotted  skin  ;  but  there  is  afiother  kind  writh 
brown  stripes  which  would  much  better  fit  the  name. 
There  is,  also,  a  well-flavoured  fish  with  a  long  snout, 
and  a  long  thin  body,  something  resembling  a  gar-pike, 
which  never  took  our  baited-hooks  ;  but  a  few  were 
caught  in  nets,  the  largest  of  which  was  forty  inches 
long. 

Two  hundred  miles  up  the  Purus  the  stream  was  quite 
a  mile  broad  ;  and  a  hundred  miles  higher  it  was  often 
that  width,  and  still  averaged  1200  yards.  The  depth 
was  sometimes  ninety  feet ;  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  spots,  forty  to  sixty  feet.  There  were  great 
expansions  resembling  lakes  up  to  600  miles  from  the 
mouth  ;  and  islands  everywhere,  and  also  some  large 
mud-banks  underwater,  which  are  covered  writh  weeds, 
and  are  a  danger  to  the  navigation  of  the  stream.  We 
grounded  several  times,  and  lost  much  time  in  getting 
off,  as  three  men  were  too  few  to  properly  handle  the 
boat  when  she  was  in  difficulties. 

The  Mr.  Chandless  (of  whom  and  his  book,  if  he  pub- 
lished one,  I  know  nothing)  mentioned  in  a  former 
chapter  is  said  to  have  found  the  Indians  on  this  river 
in  a  very  primitive  state  :  in  fact,  they  were  compared 
by  him  to  the  people  of  the  stone-age. 

They  are  certainly  few  in  number,  and  the  tribes  are 
much  scattered.  This  may  be  owing  to  the  swampy 


CONCLUSION    OF   THE    VOYAGE         183 

condition  of  the  country  ;  much  of  which  could  not  be 
permanently  inhabited,  even  by  "  stone-age  men."  All 
the  South  American  Indians  are  in  a  low  estate,  as 
regards  civilization  ;  and  in  general  intelligence,  and 
knowledge  of  the  arts  of  savage  life,  are  much  the  in- 
feriors of  the  Red  Men  of  the  North.  Like  some  other 
primitive  people  they  have,  however,  in  one  or  two 
instances,  displayed  a  marvellous  power  of  invention. 
The  blow-pipe,  like  the  boomerang  of  the  Australian 
savage,  may  have  been  an  accidental  discovery  in  the 
first  place,  but  the  perfection  to  which  it  has  been 
brought  could  only  be  the  outcome  of  the  brains  of  a 
genius. 

In  general  disposition  the  Indians  are  peaceable  and 
kind-hearted.  They  are  "  lazy  beggars  "  until  want 
makes  them  active  ;  but  there  is  nothing  murderous 
about  them  ;  and  a  traveller  going  amongst  them  is 
well,  and  hospitably,  treated.  They  never  did  me  the 
least  hurt ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  were  generally  the 
first  men  to  lend  me  a  hand  when  I  was  in  trouble  or 
difficulty. 

We  had  been  on  the  Purus  some  time  before  any 
Indians  were  seen.  One  evening  we  had  just  cast  anchor 
for  the  night,  about  100  yards  from  the  left  bank,  when 
George  Maccara  called  my  attention  to  a  man  on  shore, 
who  was  hiding  behind  a  tree,  and  watching  us.  He 
had  not  a  rag  of  clothing  on  his  body,  and  was 
holding  a  heavy  bludgeon  in  his  hand.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  that  he  was  discovered  he  disappeared  like 
a  shadow. 

After  darkness  set  in  the  dogs  became  so  restless  that 
I  knew  that  Indians  must  be  lurking  on  the  river's 


184  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

bank  ;  and  as  we  could  not  know  what  their  disposition 
towards  us  might  be,  we  moved  the  Firefly  out  into  the 
middle  of  the  stream,  cast  the  dogs  loose,  and  kept  a 
careful  watch  until  daylight. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  thought  we  could  see  some 
dusky  figures  gliding  to  and  fro  amongst  the  trees  near 
the  brink  of  the  river  ;  and  as  it  was  important  that  we 
should  be  on  good  terms  with  these  children  of  the 
wild,  Jose  Najas  and  I  landed  in  the  canoe,  taking  no 
visible  arms  with  us,  though  I  had  my  pistols  in  my 
pocket. 

At  this  point  of  the  river  the  bank  was  six  feet  high, 
and  there  was  a  slight  rise  in  the  ground,  the  country 
being  more  open  than  any  we  had  yet  seen  on  the  Purus. 
Large  trees  grew  thickly  together  ;  but  there  was  no 
undergrowth  except  brown  grass,  and  we  could  move 
about  freely. 

Except  a  few  impressions  of  naked  footmarks  there 
were  no  signs  of  Indians  ;  and  we  walked  slowly  about, 
or  lay  under  the  trees,  for  two  hours  before  any  of  them 
appeared.  By  and  by  three  men  showed  themselves 
out  of  the  forest,  but  seemed  afraid  to  advance  :  so 
waving  a  white  handkerchief,  a  signal  of  peace  I  hoped 
they  would  understand,  I  advanced  alone  to  meet  them. 
They  permitted  me  to  walk  right  up  to  them,  when 
others  began  to  appear,  until  nineteen  men  and  boys 
stood  round  me.  I  spoke  kindly  to  them,  and  they 
jabbered  to  me  incessantly,  neither  side,  of  course, 
understanding  a  word  that  was  uttered,  though  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  the  men  intended  to  be  friendly. 

Several  of  them  appeared  to  be  about  sixty  years  of 
age,  though  these  were  quite  as  nimble  as  the  boys. 


CONCLUSION    OF    THE    VOYAGE         185 

The  old  men  had  loin-cloths,  or  aprons,  of  plaited  grass, 
about  their  waists  ;  all  the  others  were  completely 
naked  ;  and  the  only  arms  they  displayed  were  toma- 
hawks, or  brainers,  made  of  pieces  of  flaked  flint  fastened 
to  the  end  of  sticks  ;  not  very  formidable  weapons,  I 
thought. 

I  had  brought  a  few  articles  with  me  which  I  hoped 
would  please  them  ;  amongst  other  things,  two  or  three 
clasp-knives.  Evidently  they  knew  the  use  of  steel 
knives,  and  were  anxious  to  possess  them  ;  but  the 
springs  puzzled  them.  However,  they  soon  learned  the 
trick  of  the  arrangement,  and  were  greatly  pleased  with 
their  presents.  A  pair  of  scissors  was  not  so  well  appre- 
ciated until  I  showed  the  use  of  them  by  snipping  off  a 
lock  of  hair  from  one  fellow's  head.  Then  there  was 
great  amusement,  each  one  striving  to  clip  his  comrade's 
hair. 

We  became  such  good  friends  that  we  could  not  part ; 
and  they  tried,  in  a  friendly  manner,  to  prevent  our 
return  to  the  boat  in  mid-stream.  Finding  that  I  was 
determined  to  go  back,  all  except  two  of  the  boys  entered 
the  water,  and  swam  round  the  canoe  till  we  reached  the 
Firefly.  Nothing  that  they  saw  on  board  our  little  vessel 
pleased  them  more  than  the  dogs,  which  were  wild  to  be 
at  them.  I  feared  an  accident,  as  they  would  tease 
these  ferocious  animals,  which  had  been  trained  to  hate 
men  of  colour  ;  and,  in  fact,  one  of  the  Indians  did  get 
severely  bitten  ;  but  this  in  no  measure  lessened  his 
admiration  of  the  dogs  :  and  most  of  these  men  showed 
large  scars  on  their  bodies,  which  proved  that  they  were 
used  to  severe  accidents,  received,  I  suppose,  while 
hunting,  or  fighting  with  other  Indians. 


186  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

Our  visitors  remained  to  breakfast,  drinking  hot 
cocoa  with  great  relish,  a  circumstance  which  astonished 
me  ;  and  eating  sugar  and  salt  with  avidity.  They  put 
large  pinches  of  salt  in  the  palms  of  their  hands,  and 
then  clapped  it  into  their  mouths  ;  and  wanted  more 
than  we  could  spare  them.  They  ate  up  all  our  spare 
game,  but  did  not  care  for  any  kind  of  flour  food  ;  and 
later  in  the  day  expressed  nausea  at  tea. 

When  we  weighed  anchor,  and  proceeded  up-stream, 
they  lent  willing  hands  at  the  sweeps  (the  river  was  too 
deep  for  the  use  of  poles)  and  worked  them  well,  going 
several  miles  with  us — to  the  limit  of  their  territory, 
I  suppose  ;  for  by  and  by  they  wished  us  to  stop,  and 
expressed  a  disinclination  to  go  farther.  I  went  on, 
however,  and  they  all  swam  ashore  except  four,  who 
remained  all  night,  sleeping  in  the  body  of  the  boat. 
At  daybreak  several  other  Indians,  strangers  to  us, 
came  on  board,  and  held  a  long  conversation  with  the 
four  who  had  been  with  us  all  night.  They  showed  that 
they  wanted  food  by  putting  their  fingers  in  their  mouths. 
I  could  ill  afford  to  grant  their  request,  but  not  knowing 
how  hard  pressed  they  might  be  I  fed  them  ;  and,  like 
the  men  of  yesterday,  they  earned  their  bread  by  work- 
ing at  the  sweeps.  They  evinced  great  aptitude  for  this 
kind  of  work  ;  and  soon  handled  the  sweeps  very  skil- 
fully. 

Like  the  Indians  of  the  previous  day  they  showed  a 
disinclination  to  go  beyond  a  certain  distance  ;  and  on 
finding  that  they  could  not  induce  me  to  stop,  they 
left,  one  or  two  at  a  time,  until  in  the  early  after- 
noon they  had  all  swum  ashore.  The  last  we  saw 
of  them  was  a  number  of  them  standing  on  the  river 


CONCLUSION    OF    THE    VOYAGE         187 

bank  waving  their  hands,  and  shouting  for  us  to  go 
back. 

We  did  not  anchor  until  long  after  sunset,  the  moon 
being  about  the  full;  and  we  could  see  by  the  reflec- 
tions of  fires  above  the  tree-tops  that  there  were 
many  other  Indians  about ;  but  none  of  them  showed 
themselves. 

From  this  point  there  was  a  gradual  change  in  the 
appearance  of  the  river.  The  banks  were  higher,  and  its 
width  more  contracted,  though  it  was  still  very  deep  ; 
and  often  broken  into  several  channels  by  islands  lying 
side  by  side,  sometimes  so  closely  that  the  arched  trees 
formed  a  complete  canopy  over  the  waterway.  Some 
of  the  quiet  reaches  were  covered  with  a  splendid  lily — 
the  Victoria  regia — with  leaves  six  and  even  seven  feet 
across  ;  and  so  thick  and  strong  that  a  large  otter, 
weighing  at  least  fifty  pounds,  mounted  one  and  rested 
on  it  without  breaking  it,  or  causing  it  to  be  sub- 
merged. In  this  region  the  flowers  of  this  plant  are  of 
a  pale  pinkish  hue,  like  blush  roses  ;  and  the  under  sides 
of  the  huge  leaves  are  crimson  coloured.  They  are 
favourite  resting-places  of  some  kinds  of  water-fowl, 
such  as  the  jacana,  and  all  the  rails  ;  and  I  have  seen  a 
flock  of  snowy  egrets  perched  on  a  patch  of  them  ;  and 
land  birds,  also,  often  resort  to  them  in  great  numbers. 
Some  of  these  we  shot  for  food,  and  trapped  others  ; 
but  in  spite  of  such  supplies,  we  were  often  so  short  of 
fresh  meat  or  fowl  that  we  resorted  to  hooking  the  cay- 
mans, several  of  which  were  killed  for  food.  The  flesh 
has  a  musty  taste,  and  cannot  be  recommended  ;  but 
it  was  useful  as  a  makeshift.  The  Indians  eat  it ;  but 
even  these  people,  who  are  never  fastidious  in  the  matter 


188  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

of  viands,  only  resort  to  it  when  nothing  better  is  to  be 
had.  If  surprise  is  felt  that  there  should  be  a  scarcity 
of  food  in  a  country  where  birds  are  so  numerous,  I 
must  point  out  that  the  expenditure  of  powder  and  shot 
had  to  be  curtailed,  and  a  lack  of  ammunition  would 
have  been  a  serious  matter  to  us  ;  and  it  is  astonishing 
how  quickly  stores  of  all  kinds  disappear  when  there 
is  a  daily  drain  on  them.  To  trap  many  birds, 
or  animals,  necessitates  that  the  trapper  should  be 
stationary. 

As  the  river  became  narrower  and  shallower,  there 
was  a  very  perceptible  rise  of  the  country  on  both  sides 
of  it ;  and  the  difficulties  of  navigation  increased  con- 
siderably. The  bed  of  the  river  was  full  of  sunken  trees, 
which  were  a  source  of  much  danger  to  us  ;  and  several 
times  holes  were  knocked  in  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the 
old  Firefly,  and  we  had  to  "  pipe  all  hands  to  save  ship." 
Fortunately  we  succeeded  in  beaching  her  before  she 
sank  ;  and  the  damage  was  soon  repaired  ;  but  as  there 
is  no  tide  in  the  Purus,  and  the  boat  was  heavy,  it  gave 
us  much  trouble  to  warp  her  off  the  mud  after  such 
beachings,  to  say  nothing  of  the  strain  to  the  old  craft 
herself. 

As  we  reached  a  region  where  the  ground  was  higher 
and  drier,  the  number  of  large  animals  met  with  was 
greater  ;  though  the  forests  of  the  Amazon  are  not  the 
places  to  seek  big  game.  Jaguars  are  plentiful  enough  ; 
pumas  are  occasionally  met  with  ;  tapirs  are  scarce  ; 
and  the  small  deer  of  the  country  not  very  numerous. 
In  fact,  considering  how  sparsely  peopled  the  country 
is,  and  how  little  the  game  is  persecuted,  it  is  astonishing 
that  the  larger  animals  are  not  found  in  greater  numbers. 


CONCLUSION    OF   THE    VOYAGE         189 

Take,  for  instance,  the  big  serpents  of  this  district. 
They  have  practically  no  enemies.  No  beast  preys  upon 
them,  or  can  destroy  them  ;  and  the  Indians  have  no 
weapons  that  are  effective  against  them.  The  cayman 
is  about  the  only  creature  that  can  master  a  big 
boa,  or  anaconda  ;  and  he  does  so  by  surprising  them 
as  they  lie  partly  submerged  in  the  water  at  the 
brink  of  the  river ;  a  favourite  position  of  these 
serpents. 

All  things  considered,  one  would  expect  giant  boas 
and  anacondas  to  be  numerous  ;  but  they  are  not. 
Even  the  smaller  ones  are  difficult  to  find ;  and  one  may 
search  for  months  without  finding  a  boa  twelve  feet 
long,  or  an  anaconda  of  thirty  feet.  Yet  it  is  certain 
that  these  repulsive  creatures  much  exceed  these  sizes. 
I  have  seen  preserved  remains  of  anacondas  that  must 
have  been  nearly,  if  not  quite,  forty  feet  in  length, 
though  I  have  never  seen  a  living  animal  of  this  kind 
that  exceeded  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  feet.  Thirty 
feet  is,  I  believe,  the  maximum  length  allowed  by  the 
professors  for  the  anaconda  ;  but  these  gentlemen  have 
not  seen  everything  under  the  sun. 

The  usual  run  of  boas  is  eight  to  twelve  feet ;  but  I 
shot  one  which  measured  sixteen  feet  to  the  inch.  Such 
a  monster  could  be  very  formidable  ;  though  the  only 
authentic  account  of  a  big  serpent  attacking  a  man 
that  I  have  heard  was  the  case  of  an  attendant  in  a 
United  States  menagerie  who  was  attacked  by  one 
sixteen  feet  long,  and  very  nearly  killed.  It  was  said 
that  a  dozen  men  had  great  difficulty  in  compelling  the 
creature  to  relax  its  coils.  This  snake  was  described  as 
a  "  python  "  :  it  was  probably  an  anaconda. 


190  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

On  the  Purus  we  saw  several  jaguars  every  week,  and 
sometimes  two  or  three  a  day.  They  were  seldom  inter- 
fered with  by  us,  as  I  was  not  there  as  an  animal  exter- 
minator ;  but  their  abundance  may  have  had  some 
bearing  on  the  scarcity  of  deer.  When  we  reached  what 
I  may  call  the  dry  forest  region,  monkeys  were  noticed 
to  be  more  numerous  than  they  were  on  the  lower  bends 
of  the  river  ;  and  a  day  or  two  after  we  parted  from  our 
Indian  friends,  we  witnessed  a  band  of  them  mobbing  a 
jaguar  in  a  very  laughable  way,  though  there  was  prob- 
ably a  tragedy  behind  the  fun.  Noticing  a  great  com- 
motion amongst  these  lively  animals,  we  ran  into  the 
bank  to  learn  the  cause  of  it ;  and  discovered  a  large 
jaguar  stretched  on  the  bough  of  a  tree  which  overhung 
the  water.  Troops  of  monkeys  were  descending  from 
the  tree-tops  and  leaping  and  dashing  around  him  with 
marvellous,  but  ludicrous,  agility,  taking  care,  however, 
to  keep  well  out  of  reach  of  his  murderous  paws.  They 
yelled,  screamed,  and,  according  to  George,  swore  at 
him  in  no  measured  terms.  He  had  probably  excited 
their  ire  by  robbing  them  of  a  companion. 

On  our  approach  the  jaguar  leapt  lightly  to  a  lower 
branch,  and  from  thence  dropped  into  the  water  and 
swam  to  an  island  in  the  river,  where  he  disappeared 
amongst  the  jungle.  Both  jaguars  and  pumas  take 
readily  to  the  water  ;  but  the  jaguarondi,  the  lynx  (of 
the  north),  the  ocelot,  and  the  smaller  cats  do  not. 
Possibly,  in  an  extremity,  some  of  them  would  do  so, 
though  I  doubt  it.  Some  funny  people  think  that  all 
animals  not  only  can,  but  do,  swim.  They  are  mistaken. 
So  far  as  I  know,  all  animals  float,  when  put  into  the 
water  ;  but  lots  of  them  drown  in  the  act  of  attempting 


CONCLUSION    OF    THE    VOYAGE         191 

to  swim  as  rapidly  as  they  would  do  if  they  were  actually 
held  under  the  water.  The  domestic  cat,  and  the  domestic 
mouse,  drown  in  this  way.  The  mouse  cannot  swim 
twenty  feet,  nor  the  cat  more  than  thirty  or  forty  yards  : 
and  in  spite  of  direct  contradiction,  and  that  from  what 
is  considered  to  be  high  authority,  I  repeat  an  assertion 
that  I  have  made  on  a  previous  occasion,  and  insist 
that  American  monkeys  cannot  swim ;  though  possibly, 
like  men,  they  may  be  taught  to  do  so. 

There  are  four  kinds  of  monkeys  on  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  Purus.  The  species  which  we  found  lecturing 
the  jaguar  was  a  black  spider-monkey  with  a  bright 
pink  face.  There  is  another  kind  of  black  spider- 
monkey  in  this  region,  distinguished  by  its  dusky  face. 
These  two  species  (like  all  others  in  Brazilian  forests) 
keep  apart  very  strictly.  If  they  happen  to  meet  in  the 
same  tree  their  relations  are  strained,  to  say  the  least  of 
it.  The  third  species  is  a  howling-dervish  amongst  mon- 
keys ;  and  my  word  maybe  taken  for  it  that  he  thoroughly 
understands  his  business.  The  fourth  monkey  is  a  pretty 
little  marmoset,  not  larger  than  a  European  squirrel. 
The  first  three  kinds  go  in  troops  of  the  usual  number, 
sixty  or  seventy,  ranging,  sometimes,  to  double  that 
number  :  the  marmoset  appeared  to  be  in  small  parties 
of  five  or  six  ;  but  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  learn  much 
about  so  small  an  animal  in  a  vast  forest  where  most  of 
the  trees  are  at  least  150  feet  high,  and  bushy  in  pro- 
portion. If  five  are  seen,  possibly  there  are  fifty  more 
higher  up  the  trunk.  All  American  monkeys  are 
shy  ;  and  if  watched  remain  still ;  or,  at  most,  occa- 
sionally peep  from  amongst  the  leaves  ;  and  show  their 
disapprobation  of  impertinent  intrusion  by  a  voluble 


192  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

chattering,  or  a  surly  snarl  :  though  these  monkeys  are 
not  bad-tempered  animals.  As  to  their  throwing  sticks, 
fruit,  etc.,  at  travellers  :  I  agree  with  Waterton  that  it 
is  pure  nonsense.  To  avoid  recurring  to  the  subject,  in 
this  place  I  may  mention  that  monkeys  on  the  Purus 
seem  to  be  more  or  less  localized.  One  species  seldom 
occupied  more  than  100  to  150  miles  linear  of  territory  ; 
and  the  monkeys  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  are  quite 
different  from  those  about  the  head- waters.  At  the 
farthest  point  we  reached,  marmosets  were  more  numer- 
ous in  both  species  and  numbers. 

The  first  deer  seen  were  also  found  in  this  region  ;  and 
the  country  had  a  park-like  appearance.  Accompanied 
by  one  of  my  men,  I  took  a  long  walk  into  the  interior. 
There  was  scarcely  any  swamp  in  this  district,  and 
we  could  move  about  amongst  the  trees  with  ease. 
Mahogany  and  the  silk -cotton  were  very  common  ;  and 
there  were  a  number  of  new  species  of  trees  which 
I  had  noticed  in  another  part  of  the  Amazonian  valley. 
The  cinchona  was  quite  common  ;  but  there  were  no 
moras  here. 

Parrots  and  macaws  of  new  kinds  occupied  the  trees  ; 
but  the  monkeys  were  not  seen  in  this  comparatively 
open  forest.  The  macaws  were  green  and  red,  and  green 
and  black,  with  some  dark  blue  on  the  back  and  tail. 
There  were  also  several  flocks  of  the  blue  and  yellow 
kind  common  in  Guiana  and  along  the  north  bank  of 
the  Amazon  :  so  this  bird  has  probably  a  greater  range 
than  any  other  macaw. 

Animal  life  was  unusually  prevalent  in  this  park-like 
country.  Here  we  met  with  the  great  ant-eater,  and 
saw  a  number  of  sloths  in  the  trees  ;  and  also  porcupines 


CONCLUSION   OF   THE   VOYAGE         193 

curled  round  the  branches,  a  common  attitude  with 
them  when  they  wish  to  rest  or  sleep.  These  Brazilian 
tree-porcupines  are  very  different  animals  from  those  of 
Europe.  They  have  long,  lean  bodies,  and  a  prehensile 
tail,  by  which,  like  the  monkeys,  they  cling  to  the 
branches  when  climbing  or  descending  a  tree.  They 
have  quills  like  those  of  a  hedgehog — "  specialized 
hairs,"  I  suppose  I  should  call  them ;  and  they  stink 
worse  than  a  foumart ;  and  are  thus  doubly  "  pro- 
tected." 

Charles  Waterton  knew  this  porcupine  well,  and  he 
scouted  the  theory  of  "  protective  odours."  What  he 
has  to  say  on  the  subject  is  so  scathing — so  crushing — 
that  I  must  ask  pardon  for  the  digression  and  re- 
peat it. 

"  Many  of  the  weasel  tribe  have  the  power  of  emitting 
a  very  disagreeable  odour  from  the  posterior  part  of 
the  body.  We  are  gravely  informed  in  the  '  American 
Biography  of  Birds  '  that  the  polecat  has  this  faculty 
'  given  him  by  Nature  as  a  defence.'  And  pray,  at  what 
old  granny's  fireside  in  the  United  States  has  the  writer 
of  this  picked  up  such  an  important  piece  of  information  ? 
How  comes  the  polecat  to  be  aware  that  the  emitted 
contents  of  its  glands,  inoffensive  to  itself,  should  be 
offensive  to  all  its  pursuers  ?  I  say  inoffensive  to  itself 
because  I  cannot  believe  that  our  Creator  would  con- 
demn an  unoffending  animal  to  produce  its  own  punish- 
ment by  means  of  a  smell  which  never  leaves  it."  [He 
might  have  asked  what  enemies  the  polecat,  or  any  other 
beast  of  prey,  has  ;  and  why  it  needs  special  protection. 
What  does  the  rabbit  think  of  the  polecat's  odour? 
Does  it  warn  him  to  bolt  to  his  hole  ?] 
o 


194  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

"  Although  this  odour  from  individuals  of  the  weasel 
tribe  is  very  distressing  to  our  nasal  sensibilities,  it  by 
no  means  follows  that  the  scent  should  have  a  similar 
effect  upon  those  of  all  other  animals.  For  example, 
the  smell  from  purulent  carrion  is  certainly  very  dis- 
agreeable to  us  bipeds  ;  still  it  cannot  prove  so  to  the 
dog — for,  in  lieu  of  avoiding  it,  this  quadruped  never 
loses  an  opportunity  of  rolling  in  it.  If  the  polecat  has 
had  the  fetid  gland  '  given  to  it  by  Nature  as  a  defence,' 
then  must  Nature  have  given  a  sweet  one  to  the  civet 
for  its  destruction  ;  seeing  that,  whilst  we  shun  the  one 
on  account  of  its  insupportable  stench,  we  pursue  and  kill 
the  last  in  order  to  obtain  its  sweet  perfume.  Now,  as 
both  of  these  animals  are  of  the  same  family,  I  cannot 
help  remarking,  with  Sterne,  in  the  case  of  the  '  poor 
negro  girl,'  that  Nature  has  put  one  of  this  tribe  sadly 
over  the  head  of  the  others,  if  the  North  American 
theory  be  sound. 

"  Again,  if  Nature  has  given  this  abominable  stench 
to  the  polecat  as  a  defence,  she  has  cruelly  neglected 
our  former  invader,  the  Hanoverian  rat.  The  polecat 
is  not  much  exposed  to  destruction,  as  its  movements  are 
chiefly  nocturnal,  and,  in  general,  it  is  apt  to  shun  the 
haunts  of  men.  But  our  Hanoverian,  having  a  most 
inordinate  appetite  for  the  good  things  of  this  world, 
is  ever  on  the  stir,  in  the  very  midst  of  its  enemies,  to 
satisfy  the  craving  of  its  greedy  stomach  ;  and  it  will 
cater  for  itself  the  four-and -twenty  hours  throughout. 
Hence  your  housekeeper  complains  that  it  will  try  its 
tooth  on  primest  Stilton  in  broad  daylight,  and  that  it 
will  have  its  whiskers  in  the  creambowl,  even  whilst 
the  dairymaid  is  gone  upstairs  with  butter  for  the 


CONCLUSION   OF   THE   VOYAGE          195 

breakfast-table.  Still,  my  darling  Hanoverian  has 
nothing  but  an  ordinary  set  of  teeth  wherewith  to 
protect  itself,  although  exposed  to  ten  times  more  danger 
than  the  foumart,  which  last  has  a  fetid  gland  given  it 
by  Nature  '  as  a  defence  ' — in  addition,  I  may  add,  to 
vast  muscular  strength,  and  to  two  full  rows  of  sharp, 
and  well  assorted,  teeth." 

Quite  true,  Squire  Waterton.  You  might  have  added 
that  the  chief  and  real  defence  of  polecat  and  "  darling 
Hanoverian  "  is  their  shrewdness  and  cunning  ;  and 
further  enquired,  if  the  stenches  of  the  foumart  and 
skunk  are  protective,  what  is  that  of  the  deer  in  rutting 
season  ?  and  of  the  unwashed  negro  in  all  seasons  ? 

The  unsavoury  odour  of  the  tree-porcupine  does  not 
affect  the  savouriness  of  its  flesh,  which  is  well  known, 
and  well  relished,  by  all  men  in  South  America,  red, 
black,  white  and  copper-coloured  ;  and  did  its  "  pro- 
tective odour  "  save  it  from  our  camp-fire  on  this  occa- 
sion ?  Did  it ! 

I  need  say  very  little  more  on  this  subject,  which  may 
not  have  much  interest  to  the  majority  of  readers  ;  but 
it  is  well  to  note  that  there  are  a  great  many  creatures 
which  have  exceedingly  strong,  and,  to  human  nostrils, 
intensely  offensive  odours,  which  cannot  possibly  be 
protective,  because  they  are  possessed  by  the  males  only  ; 
and  in  many  cases  at  the  breeding  season,  and  at  no 
other  time.  I  need  instance  no  others  than  the  male 
goat,  and  the  deer  tribes  generally.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
most  wild  animals  have  strong  scents  of  some  kind ; 
and  I  heard  Mr.  Fox  complain  bitterly  that  his  odour 
brought  all  the  hounds  and  idle  red-coated  gentry  in 
the  village  after  his  tail.  "  But,"  I  remarked,  "  the 


196  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

scientists  say  '  animal  odours  are  protective.'  '  "  Pro- 
tective be  blowed  !  "  he  snapped.  "  The  scents  of 
Mr.  Bunny  and  old  Puss  were  given  them  that  I  might 
follow  'em  up  sharp  :  and  they  know  all  about  odours 
when  I  nip  'em  across  the  loins."  So  we  see  authorities 
differ ! 

About  six  miles  from  the  river  we  came  to  a  lake  nine 
or  ten  miles  long,  and  five  broad,  with  several  well- 
wooded  small  islands  in  it ;  and  a  number  of  tall  palm 
trees  growing  on  its  shores — altogether  an  enchanting 
spot ;  though  the  footprints  of  jaguars  were  very 
numerous  in  the  mud  and  soft  soil :  for  this  great  cat  is 
eminently  a  water  animal ;  and  is  said  by  Darwin,  and 
some  other  naturalists,  to  catch  fish  habitually,  though 
I  have  seen  it  do  so  on  one  occasion  only. 

Here  and  there  were  traces  of  Indians,  also,  in  the 
form  of  fire-places  where  they  had  cooked  and  eaten 
fish  and  birds  ;  and  some  small  animal  of  the  cavy 
genus.  At  one  spot  were  three  hive-shaped  huts,  where 
a  party  had  slept  on  heaps  of  grass. 

On  our  way  back  to  the  boat  we  passed  a  tree  in  which 
at  least  a  thousand  bats  were  hanging  by  their  feet 
head  downwards.  Two  of  these  were  knocked  down 
and  captured  alive  ;  and  several  others  killed  that  I 
might  dissect  them.  They  were  of  the  fruit-eating, 
large  vampire  species  ;  and  none  that  I  handled  ex- 
ceeded thirty  inches  in  expanse  of  wing.  They  were 
not,  therefore,  so  large  as  those  described  in  a  previous 
chapter  ;  and  the  conclusions  I  came  to  here,  and  noted 
down  at  the  time,  seem  to  have  been  rather  hasty.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  this  voyage  up  the  Purus 
took  place  on  my  first  arrival  in  the  country ;  and 


CONCLUSION   OF   THE   VOYAGE         197 

before  I  had  the  experiences  in  Peru,  Ecuador,  etc., 
already  narrated.  I  thought  at  this  time  that  the  great 
vampire  never  touched  animal  food ;  I  have  since 
modified  that  opinion,  though  the  great  bat  found  in 
the  interior  of  Ecuador  may  be  another  species. 

No  traces  of  insects  were  found  in  the  stomachs  of 
those  killed  on  the  Purus  ;  and  those  in  the  trees  were 
seen  to  be  feeding  on  fruits  of  various  kinds.  Of  the  two 
captured,  one  soon  fretted  itself  to  death  ;  and  the 
other  was  released  to  save  it  from  a  similar  painful 
fate. 

There  were  more  jaguars  in  this  district  than  in  any 
other  ever  visited  by  me  ;  and  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  this  region  is  the  head-quarters  of  the  animal.  The 
islands  in  the  lake  were  their  favourite  haunts  ;  and  on 
one  morning  alone  eleven  of  them  were  seen  to  swim 
ashore  from  one  of  the  lake  islands.  Though  there  were 
Indians  not  far  off,  and  apparently  visiting  this  spot 
very  frequently,  the  animals  and  birds  were  surprisingly 
tame  :  one  large  jaguar  passed  within  twenty  yards  of 
us  in  so  listless  a  manner  that  I  think  it  must  have  been 
gorged  with  food.  It  entered  the  lake  and  swam  slowly 
to  its  lair  in  one  of  the  islands. 

In  addition  to  jaguars,  there  are  a  very  few  pumas  in 
this  district ;  and  an  abundance  of  smaller  wild  cats, 
of  at  least  three  species,  the  jaguarondi  being  one.  They 
were  all  so  shy  that  I  did  not  succeed  in  learning  much 
about  their  habits. 

Deer  were  found  to  be  plentiful  in  the  forest,  and  they 
came  down  to  the  lake  to  drink  every  night;  and 
though  it  is  considered  unsportsmanlike,  I  believe,  to 
shoot  over  water,  our  needs  must  plead  the  excuse  for 


198  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

several  of  them  biting  the  dust  at  this  spot.  The 
slaughter  attracted  the  attention  of  some  of  the  huge 
caymans  which  occupied  the  lake  ;  and  at  evening  I 
was  a  witness  of  one  of  these  reptiles  seizing  a  deer  and 
pulling  it  under  water.  The  caymans  do  not,  however, 
seem  to  attack  the  jaguar  when  in  the  water.  I  have 
heard  stories  that  they  do  ;  but  I  never  saw  anything 
of  the  kind,  nor  met  with  an  Indian  who  had.  Possibly 
such  a  thing  does  occasionally  happen. 

I  am  compelled  to  revert  to  the  "  protective  odour  " 
nonsense,  by  noting  that  when  the  wind  set  towards  us 
we  could  always  tell  if  deer  were  near  us  by  the  nauseous 
stench  which  reached  us,  apparently  from  a  full  half- 
mile  distance,  even  when  thick  forest  intervened 
between  us  and  the  animals.  This  intimation  of  their 
presence  led  to  the  death  of  at  least  a  dozen  of  them  : 
I  must  leave  the  acute  scientist  to  decide  whether  or  not 
the  noses  of  jaguars  and  Indians  are  as  good  as  mine  ! 
Across  the  lake  the  scent  was  perceptible  when  the  deer 
were  at  least  four  miles  away,  and  could  only  be  seen 
through  a  glass. 

The  deer  of  this  region  vary  greatly  in  size.  The 
largest  are  long-bodied,  ungraceful-looking  animals  of 
about  100  pounds  weight.  Higher  up  the  Purus  there 
is  a  very  small  species,  which,  I  believe,  was  seen  in 
other  places,  and  mistaken  for  a  cavy  ;  very  little 
notice  being  taken  of  it  on  account  of  its  small  size. 
It  is  not  bigger  than  a  fox-terrier  ;  and  I  have  known 
George,  one  of  my  followers,  pick  clean  at  dinner  the 
bones  of  a  specimen  of  this  deer.  There  is  an  intermedi- 
ate species,  weighing  fifty  or  sixty  pounds ;  and  others 
were  met  with  locally.  They  are  all  much  alike  in 


CONCLUSION   OF    THE  VOYAGE          199 

appearance  and  habits — differing  in  size  only.  The 
males  have  short,  thin,  spike-like  horns,  which  are  never 
forked,  hooked  or  branched.  A  freaky  old  girl  is  Dame 
Nature.  She  provides  the  male  deer  with  a  stinking 
gland  (or  a  pair  of  them,  to  be  strictly  correct)  and  with 
horns,  and  leaves  the  females  without  these  useful,  or 
dangerous  (which  ?),  appendages  ;  but  in  the  closely 
allied  antelopes,  both  males  and  females  have  horns, 
and  neither  of  them  "  protective  odours."  Why  is 
this? 

I  am  afraid  of  becoming  tiresome  with  my  natural 
history  notes.  There  are  so  many  curious  creatures  on 
and  about  the  Purus  that  it  is  simply  impossible  to 
notice  them  all.  Most  of  the  characteristic  animals  of 
Brazil  are  more  or  less  plentiful  on  this  great  tributary 
of  the  Amazon,  itself  a  mighty  river.  Capivaras  were 
afterwards  found  to  be  roaming  round  the  lake  in  small 
herds  of  forty  or  fifty.  These  are  simply  giant  guinea- 
pigs  weighing  100  to  120  pounds  in  fine  specimens.  They 
are  eaten  by  Indians,  and  other  people,  under  press  of 
circumstances  ;  but  the  meat  is  dry,  without  fat,  and 
flavourless.  It  is  a  great  lover  of  water,  spending  much 
of  its  time  in  swimming,  or  rolling,  in  muddy  shallows  : 
and  is  never  found  in  dry  districts. 

The  agouti,  an  allied  animal,  not  much  exceeding  a 
wild  rabbit  in  size,  is  found  in  all  the  forests,  wet  and 
dry,  but  is  so  coarse  of  flesh  that  it  is  not  worth  a  charge 
of  shot. 

We  spent  some  time  at  this  spot,  daily  coming  across 
country  to  the  lake,  a  distance  of  about  six  miles  from 
the  boat  on  the  Purus  ;  and  sometimes  I  camped  'alone 
for  the  night  on  its  shores.  During  this  sojourn  we  had 


200  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

several  interviews  with  the  Indians,  who  were  not, 
however,  so  genially  disposed  as  those  farther  down  the 
river.  For  the  first  time  we  saw  some  of  their  women 
and  children,  who  were  not  permitted  to  approach  us. 
The  inference  was  that  some  of  those  white  people  who 
occasionally  frequent  the  Purus  had  not  treated  them 
well.  They  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  miserable  race  ;  but 
I  shall  have  more  to  say  about  them  presently. 

As  we  advanced  up  the  river  there  was  a  very  decided 
rise  of  the  surface  of  the  ground;  the  river  narrowed 
much,  and  we  now  had  a  perceptible,  but  not  a  strong, 
current.  Generally  the  banks  were  clothed  with  thick 
forest ;  but  here  and  there  we  saw  small  savannahs  (park- 
like  grass  country)  with  only  a  few  trees  scattered  over 
them.  The  ground  became  undulating,  and  finally  hilly ; 
and  in  this  part  the  deer  were  very  numerous  ;  but 
always  appearing  in  very  small  parties — never  in  great 
herds. 

About  two  months  after  entering  the  river  we  arrived 
at  a  point  marked  on  the  maps  as  the  Barrier  of  Caiauarite. 
It  is  formed  of  a  number  of  shelving  rocks  extending 
across  the  river,  beyond  which  it  was  impossible  to  take 
the  Firefly.  But  the  river  at  this  point  is  still  a  great 
stream,  fully  half  a  mile  wide,  and  at  least  twelve  feet 
deep  in  mid-channel. 

During  excursions  inland  we  came  to  hills  of  elevation. 
One  ridge  culminated  in  a  point  which  I  thought  was 
about  800  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  river  ;  and  other 
hills  were  seen  much  farther  inland  ;  but  owing  to  the 
dense  forest  our  view  of  the  country  was  much  restricted ; 
and  I  determined  to  make  a  few  more  exploring  voyages 
in  the  canoe,  the  number  of  tributaries,  large  and  small, 


CONCLUSION   OF   THE  VOYAGE         201 

on  this,  as  on  the  lower  reaches  of  the  river,  being  very 
great. 

I  do  not  intend  to  give  an  account  of  my  adventures 
on  these  little  journeys,  in  one  of  which  I  nearly  lost  my 
boat ;  but  merely  to  describe  the  country  and  its 
productions. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE  COUNTRY  BETWEEN  THE  PURUS,  THE  MADEIRA 
AND  THE  TAPAJOS 


Madeira  is  the  largest  of  all  the  Amazonian 
tributaries  ;  and  there  are  many  towns  and  settle- 
ments on  it.  This  was  a  chief  reason  why  I  did  not  ascend 
it  in  my  boat  ;  my  tastes  leading  me  to  choose  the  wildest 
and  most  savage  parts  of  the  country  for  investigation. 
But  I  know  a  great  deal  of  the  river  ;  and  of  its  head- 
waters, which  take  their  rise  in  Bolivia.  There  are 
reasons  why  I  should  not  describe  these  rivers  in  detail. 
There  is  not,  in  my  opinion,  a  more  beautiful  object  on 
earth  than  a  lordly  tropical  forest  ;  and  I  am  of  a  tem- 
perament well  suited  to  a  lone  and  solitary  existence. 
I  hate  a  town,  and  thoroughly  abhor  a  city.  I  have 
never  seen  the  inside  of  a  London,  a  New  York  or  a 
'Frisco  theatre  ;  and  though  a  passionate  lover  of  music, 
I  can  almost  count  on  my  fingers  the  great  concerts  I 
have  heard.  I  went  a  few  times  to  the  Opera  House  at 
Rio  ;  and  during  temporary  visits  to  this,  my  native 
land,  I  have  visited  such  places  as  the  Crystal  Palace 
and  the  Albert  Hall.  The  Silences  of  the  Wild  never 
preyed  on  my  nerves,  and  endangered  my  reason,  as  they 
did  those  of  my  companions.  I  can  always  fall  back  on 
my  mind  and  find  amusement  in  thought  and  the  con- 
templation of  the  marvels  and  beauties  of  nature. 


PURUS,    MADEIRA   AND   TAPAJOS       203 

But  constituted  thus,  I  am  still  conscious  that  there  is 
a  great  monotony  in  such  a  mighty  forest  as  that  of 
Matto  Grosso.  The  variations  in  it  are  great ;  but  the 
distances  are  so  vast,  one  is  so  long  in  reaching  a  change, 
that  the  monotony  of  sight  must  necessarily  cause  weari- 
ness to  an  ordinary  eye.  Much  more  must  descriptions 
be  monotonous.  Forest  is  forest ;  and  here  for  hundreds 
of  miles  one  part  of  it  is  so  much  like  another  that  a 
change  in  the  colour  of  a  flower,  or  a  variation  in  a  species 
of  bird,  is  a  welcome  relief  to  the  eye. 

This  being  so,  it  will  be  recognized  that  it  is  not  desir- 
able to  follow  the  courses  of  all  the  great  tributaries  of 
the  Amazon  from  their  sources  to  their  mouths.  It  is 
better  to  dwell  on  those  changes  in  character  which  are 
distinctive  of  the  various  streams.  This  I  hope  and  think 
will  be  admitted. 

Let  it  be  noted,  then,  that  though  the  Purus,  as  far 
as  the  Barrier  of  Caiauarite,  appears  to  run  through  one 
of  the  flattest  plains  on  earth,  the  country  northwards 
and  eastwards  beyond  these  rapids  makes  a  decided 
rise  :  and  though  the  ground  between  the  Purus  and 
the  still  larger  river,  Madeira,  is  level,  and  mostly  a 
swamp,  the  wider  tract  between  the  last  stream  and 
the  Tapajos  (which  is  scarcely  inferior  to  the  Purus  in 
length,  size  and  importance)  is  a  tableland  of  some 
elevation  with  a  decided  slope  towards  the  Madeira. 

This  tableland  is  from  150  to  300  miles  in  breadth, 
and  like  the  moist  plains  of  the  Purus  is  covered  with  an 
almost  unbroken  forest.  Beyond  the  Tapajos  there  is 
another  rise  of  the  ground,  forming  a  valley  through 
which  this  river  flows  until  it  joins  the  Amazon.  Then 
comes  a  tremendous  stretch  of  country,  fully  500  miles 


204  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

broad  in  its  central  part,  which  is  tolerably  level,  but 
with  some  variations  of  ground,  and  a  shallow  valley, 
watered  by  the  Xingu,  a  river  which  is,  probably,  with 
its  windings  and  great  bends,  well  over  a  thousand  miles 
in  length.  The  eastward  boundary  of  this  region  is 
formed  by  the  valley  of  the  Araguay,  the  last  of  the 
great  tributaries  of  the  Amazon  on  its  south,  or  right, 
bank. 

All  this  vast  stretch  of  country  is  covered  with  a  dense 
forest,  which,  in  most  places,  is  absolutely  impenetrable  ; 
and  covering  a  country  which,  at  this  moment,  is  not 
half  so  well  known  as  the  most  remote  regions  of  Central 
Africa.  In  fact  there  is  not  an  accurate  map  of  the 
country  extant.  The  rivers  and  their  tributaries  have 
been  ascended  ;  and  the  courses  roughly  laid  down  ; 
and  a  few  officials  and  private  travellers  have  made 
attempts  to  explore  the  country ;  and  have  brought 
home  descriptions  and  delineations,  which,  so  far  as  I 
knew  them,  proved  to  be  very  confusing  ;  and  which 
I  could  not  at  all  rely  on  for  my  guidance. 

To  say  that  I  know  this  vast  country  would  be  a 
matter  for  laughter,  and  justly  lay  me  open  to  the  charge 
of  boastfulness.  One  man  could  not  possibly  explore 
so  tremendous  a  stretch  of  country  :  no  one  man  can 
have  more  than  a  general — a  very  general — knowledge 
of  its  features.  For  my  present  purpose  of  writing  a 
monograph  of  the  majestic  river  which  gives  a  title  to 
this  book,  I  have  read  and  reread  every  note  I  have  of 
my  experiences  in  this  region.  I  have  corrected,  and 
recorrected,  every  sentence  I  have  ever  written  on  the 
subject ;  and  made  the  most  careful  calculations  I  could : 
and  I  am  convinced  that  in  the  course  of  my  career  in 


PURUS,    MADEIRA    AND    TAPAJOS       205 

South  America,  which  was  one  of  constant  and  never- 
flagging  work,  I  travelled,  in  boat  and  canoe,  at  least 
20,000  miles  on  the  waters  of  the  Amazon  and  its 
tributaries  alone.  Therefore,  I  say,  that  generally,  my 
sketches  of  the  trend  and  characteristic  features  of  the 
Amazonian  system  may  be  relied  on  ;  and  the  particular 
descriptions  of  districts  and  regions  are  absolutely  faith- 
ful. The  point  on  which  I  fail  is  one  which  it  was  not  in 
my  power  to  control.  I  lacked  means,  and  the  scientific 
training  which  would  have  enabled  me  to  make  the  most 
of  my  observations,  and  render  them  of  real  value.  As 
it  is,  I  can  do  little  more  than  give  rough  sketches  and 
interesting  descriptions  of  what  I  saw  and  experienced. 

Now  it  is  to  be  observed  that  what  the  Portuguese 
call  Matto  Grosso  (Great  Forest)  is  a  large  province  in 
the  south  of  the  region  I  have  indicated,  and  it  is 
bounded  by  Para  on  the  north,  and  Amazonas  on  the 
north-west ;  but  the  boundaries  of  these  provinces  are 
not  demarked,  and  cannot  be  at  present :  I  am  not 
sure  that  it  would  be  correct  even  to  say  that  they  are 
provisionally  fixed.  The  whole  region  is  one  vast  forest 
— that  important  fact  cannot  be  too  frequently  repeated. 
There  are  hundreds  of  miles  on  each  of  the  rivers  that 
have  been  recently  mentioned,  the  Purus,  the  Madeira, 
the  Tapajos  and  the  Xingu  which,  even  at  this  hour, 
have  not  a  white  man's  dwelling  of  any  sort  on  their 
banks.  I  have  spoken  of  travelling  20,000  miles  on  the 
rivers,  great  and  small,  of  this  system.  At  this  hour  it 
would  be  quite  easy  to  take  a  boat  or  canoe  double  that 
distance  on  the  waters  of  the  Amazon  and  its  tributaries, 
and  not  see  a  town,  village,  hacienda,  or  even  hut  of  the 
meanest  description  occupied  by  a  man  of  any  other  race 


206  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

than  the  aboriginal  Indian.  There  are  at  least  a  million 
square  miles  in  the  centre  of  this  forest  which  have  never 
seen  the  permanent  habitation  of  a  man  of  European 
origin  ;  and  thousands  upon  thousands  of  these  miles 
have  never  felt  the  tread  of  his  foot,  or,  indeed,  of  that 
of  any  man  ;  and  if  it  is  asked  how  I  can  assert  this  with 
so  much  assurance,  my  reply  is,  because  it  is  impossible 
to  penetrate  the  forest  of  this  remarkable  region.  I 
have  tried  my  utmost  to  do  so,  and  failed  :  the  Indians 
have  also  tried  to  penetrate  it  and  been  unable  to  get 
100  yards  amongst  the  trees.  I  have  heard  scores  of  them 
say  so.  And  where  an  Indian  cannot  roam,  must  be 
impervious  to  any  large  animal. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  a  similar  forest  to  Matto  Grosso 
in  any  other  part  of  the  globe.  The  trees  literally  are 
matted  together,  forming  a  forest  wall,  which  is  as  firm 
a  barrier  as  one  of  masonry  could  be.  It  is  not  possible 
to  say  what  may  be  in  the  interior  of  this  dense  growth  ; 
but  it  is  a  reasonable  inference  that  it  is,  if  I  may  use 
the  phrase,  solid  throughout.  I  have  travelled  about 
130  miles  along  the  outskirts  of  such  a  district,  and  been 
unable  to  penetrate  anywhere,  or  by  any  means,  except 
the  water-courses.  These  I  have  ascended  as  far  as 
possible,  finding  the  forest  on  each  side  as  dense  as  on 
the  outskirts.  The  brooks  in  such  a  tract  run  through 
tunnels  of  herbage,  and  can  never  be  ascended  many 
yards.  Even  the  rivulets  (streams  twenty  to  thirty 
yards  wide)  can  never  be  navigated  by  a  small  boat 
more  than  a  mile  or  two  :  the  beds  are  soon  found  to  be 
choked  with  trees  and  shrubs  growing  in  the  water,  as 
well  as  with  reeds,  or  canes. 

I  have  found  the  trees  in  such  a  district  growing  so 


PURUS,    MADEIRA   AND    TAPAJOS       207 

close  together  that  I  could  not  pass  my  hand  between 
the  trunks  ;  and  often  with  the  stems  touching,  if  not 
actually  grown  together.  Above,  the  branches  are 
intertwined  in  grand  confusion ;  and  probably  no 
creatures  except  birds,  monkeys,  snakes  and  insects 
inhabit  these  dense  tracts. 

Unwilling  to  be  balked,  I  have  made  almost  super- 
human exertions  to  gain  the  interior  of  such  a  forest  as 
that  I  have  just  described.  It  ought  to  have  been  pretty 
clear  that  where  an  Indian  had  failed  a  white  man 
would  not  succeed  ;  and  so  it  proved.  I  put  in  practice 
a  performance  I  first  tried  on  the  Trombetas :  viz.  I 
climbed  up  the  trees  until  the  branches  were  tolerably 
clear,  and  then  stepped  from  bough  to  bough.  On  this 
occasion  several  Indians  accompanied  me  ;  but  the 
method  of  progression  was  too  laborious,  and  too  dan- 
gerous, to  be  pursued  far,  and  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  except  branches  of  trees  and  a  few  toucans,  which 
were  much  upset  by  this  strange  invasion  of  their  realm. 
We  advanced,  perhaps,  half  a  mile  in  this  aerial  fashion  ; 
when  even  the  Indians  became  apprehensive  that  they 
would  be  unable  to  find  their  way  back  :  so  we  returned. 
The  rate  of  progress  I  found  to  be  less  than  half  a  mile 
per  hour,  though  the  branches  were  so  thick  that  if  an 
accident  had  happened  and  a  man  had  lost  his  footing 
I  do  not  think  he  could  possibly  have  fallen  far  enough 
to  hurt  himself  much. 

Such  tracts  as  this  are  led  up  to  gradually  by  ground 
that  is  not  so  thickly  timbered.  They  are  usually  found 
in  regions  that  lie  between  two  great  rivers,  and  are  only 
pierced  by  the  smaller  streams.  Consequently  they  are 
generally  found  on  ground  that  is  tolerably  dry,  though 


208  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

there  are  many  impenetrable  stretches  of  wood  on  the 
Purus,  the  Madeira  and  other  large  tributaries  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Amazon,  as  well  as  some  on  the 
north. 

Again,  some  of  the  penetrable  tracts  of  Matto  Grosso 
are  only  so  at  great  expense  of  time  and  trouble.  I  have 
exerted  myself  for  days  and  weeks  at  a  time  without 
travelling  farther  than  four  or  five  miles  a  day  on  an 
average ;  and  sometimes  not  nearly  so  much  if  the  ground 
was  a  swamp.  Huge  trees  must  be  walked  round  ;  and 
though  this  may  seem  a  trifle  to  mention,  when  every 
few  yards  you  meet  a  forest  giant  with  buttresses,  and 
huge  twisted  roots,  stretching  over  ninety  or  a  hundred 
feet  of  ground  you  will  find  that  it  trebles  the  distance  you 
actually  walk.  Then  one  sinks  into  the  slimy  mud  and 
water  up  to  the  knees  ;  there  are  creepers,  and  pendent 
masses  of  moss,  to  be  forced  through,  and  other  diffi- 
culties which,  common,  I  dare  say,  to  all  tropical  forests, 
are  found  here  in  excess  of  what  is  usual.  There  can  be 
no  more  completely  isolated  spots  on  earth  than  these 
forest  recesses.  Men,  Indians  and  escaped  negro  slaves, 
fugitives  from  justice  and  bandits,  have  haunted  some 
of  these  hiding-places  for  many  years  ;  and  defied  police 
and  soldiers  to  the  ends  of  their  lives,  dying  in  com- 
parative peace  at  last.  Of  course  this  has  happened  in 
districts  not  too  remote  from  civilization  ;  but  I  was 
shown  one  spot  in  the  forest  on  the  Tapajos,  more  than 
100  miles  from  Guri,  where  some  of  these  outcasts, 
numbering,  it  was  said,  more  than  500,  established 
themselves  and  founded  what  they  termed  "  a  cit)^  "  ; 
clearing  the  forest,  and  enslaving  two  whole  tribes  of 
Indians.  They  built  halls,  a  theatre  and  a  church  !  and 


PURUS,    MADEIRA   AND    TAPAJOS       209 

private  dwellings  which  were  said  to  have  been  palatial 
in  their  magnificence  :  and,  indeed,  as  I  saw,  must  have 
been  buildings  of  considerable  architectural  achieve- 
ment. Here  the  rogues  might  have  lived  in  peace, 
turned  honest  and  industrious  men  ;  and,  with  the  aid 
of  their  church  and  their  priests,  died  in  the  odour  of 
sanctity.  But  unfortunately  for  them  they  could  not 
agree  amongst  themselves ;  and,  instead  of  tilling  the 
ground,  took  to  fighting  ;  and,  as  all  tax-payers  know, 
war  being  an  expensive  game,  each  side  took  to  more  and 
more  extensive  raids  on  their  distant  neighbours  in 
search  of  the  necessary  gilded  sinews  for  martial  pur- 
poses ;  and  at  length  provoked  reprisals  and  extermina- 
tion !  So  Santo  Paulo,  as  they  termed  their  den,  and 
even  the  church  of  "  Our  Lady  of  a  Thousand  Mercies  " 
(or  successful  robberies),  were  committed  to  the  flames. 

But  some  lonely  individuals  have  lived  extraordinary 
lives  in  the  solitudes  of  the  primeval  forest ;  and  I  re- 
gret that  the  scheme  of  this  book  does  not  admit  of  my 
recounting  some  of  them. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

THE  COUNTRY  BETWEEN  THE  TAPAJOS  AND  THE  ARAGUAY 

I  HAVE  remarked  that  though,  generally,  there  is  a 
certain  monotony  in  the  description  of  the  great 
rivers  which  run  through  Matto  Grosso,  there  is  also  a 
marked  difference  in  the  head-waters  of  some  of  them. 
For  instance  the  rivers  which  join  together  to  form  the 
Madeira  are  very  widely  spread,  draining  a  great  part 
of  Bolivia,  and  extending  so  great  a  distance  into  the 
heart  of  the  continent  that  this  great  tributary  of  the 
Amazon  is  probably  the  second  river  in  length  in  the 
whole  of  South  America.  There  is  here  the  usual  multi- 
plicity, and  consequent  confusion,  of  names  ;  but  if  we 
take  the  Guapay  as  the  main  stream,  as  I  think  it  is, 
the  course  of  the  Madeira,  including  windings,  is  more 
than  2000  miles  in  length.  Although  Matto  Grosso 
crosses  the  Bolivian  frontier,  and  extends  some  distance 
into  that  country,  I  consider  it  is  here  out  of  the  confines 
of  the  Amazonian  valley,  and  must  not,  therefore,  deal 
with  it  in  this  book.  But  I  may  say  that  the  Guapore 
runs  at  the  foot  of  a  secondary  range  of  forest-clad 
mountains,  from  the  heights  and  slopes  of  which  it 
receives  many  small  tributaries,  on  one  of  which  stands 
the  provincial  capital  of  Matto  Grosso,  formerly  called 
Villa  Bella,  or  Beautiful  View,  a  name  common  enough 
in  all  countries,  but  peculiarly  well  chosen  at  this  spot, 

2IO 


THE  TAPAJOS   AND   THE   ARAGUAY     211 

where  there  is  some  of  the  most  pleasing  scenery  I  have 
ever  viewed  :  and  this  is  a  strong  assertion. 

In  this  region  there  are  a  great  number  of  small,  and 
very  charming,  waterfalls  ;  but  when  we  get  below  San 
Jose,  a  small  frontier  town,  the  real  rapids  and  falls  of 
the  Madeira  begin  to  be  met  with  in  earnest.  Between 
this  town  and  the  Rio  Jacare  there  are  a  great  number 
of  torrents  and  falls,  some  of  them  of  grand  dimensions. 
I  have  never  counted  them,  and  I  have  forgotten  the 
names  and  dimensions  of  many  ;  but  altogether,  includ- 
ing the  great  rapids,  some  of  which  may  be  classed  as 
falls  in  the  rainy  season,  there  cannot  be  fewer  than 
150  of  them.  Those,  so  far  as  I  remember,  which 
are  worthy  of  particular  mention  are  San  Thomaso, 
Antonio,  Barbo,  Sangravelho,  Paredao,  Indiena,  Girau, 
Balsamao  and  Campo  Bello.  But  there  are  fifty 
others  equally  beautiful ;  besides  the  less  attractive 
rapids. 

The  head- waters  of  the  Tapajos  also  spread  out  in  a 
fan-shaped  radiation,  and  afford  many  beauties  to  the 
artistic  eye,  though  they  mostly  rise  in  springs  buried 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  Great  Forest.  I  must  hurrjr 
past  these,  and  also  the  upper  waters  of  the  Xingu,  and 
get  farther  east  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Rio  Araguay, 
the  last  of  the  great  tributaries  of  the  Amazon  on  its 
southern  bank. 

I  think  I  have  stated  that  I  commenced  my  explor- 
ation of  the  Amazon  in  the  summer  of  1884.  By  May, 
1885, 1  had  traversed  that  river  to  the  foot  of  the  Andes, 
going  as  far  as  boat  and  canoe  could  take  me  :  I  had 
been  up  and  down  several  of  the  great  tributaries,  and 
not  a  few  of  the  small  ones  ;  and  was  still  jogging  along 


212  THE   RIVER   AMAZON 

on  the  outskirts  of  Matto  Grosso.  I  had  been  back 
to  Para,  buried  one  of  my  followers,  who  died  of  exhaus- 
tion, and  got  rid  of  the  Firefly  just  before  she  ceased  to 
be  of  some  little  value  as  firewood  ;  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  month  I  have  named  I  could  have  been  found 
encamped  near  the  source  of  the  Rio  Fresco,  which  is  a 
tributary  of  the  Xingu,  but  is  less  than  100  miles  west- 
ward of  the  Araguay,  and  about  the  same  distance  from 
the  little  town  of  Lara,  which  is  actually  on  the  last- 
named  river. 

I  had  purchased  mules  and  engaged  servants  farther 
down  the  Araguay,  and  was  now  on  the  point  of  survey- 
ing a  fresh,  and  quite  different,  portion  of  Brazil ;  but 
that  portion  has  an  eminent  bearing  on  the  Amazon 
valley. 

The  Rio  Fresco  is  about  150  miles  long,  running  its 
whole  course  through  forest  land :  but  there  is  a  difference 
in  the  character  of  the  country  here.  It  is  a  tableland 
of  some  elevation,  with  a  moderate  slope  to  the  Xingu. 
The  spot  we  camped  on  was  the  westward  verge  of  the 
Araguay  valley,  which  differs  altogether  from  the  valleys 
of  the  other  great  tributaries  of  the  Amazon. 

Our  halting-place  was  a  small  savannah,  enclosed  by 
giant  trees  on  all  sides.  Small  openings,  grass-covered 
and  meadow-like,  are  frequently  found  in  this  part  of 
the  forest,  as  they  are  in  Guiana,  and  the  whole  of  the 
east  side  of  Matto  Grosso.  They  are  never  very  exten- 
sive— can  never  be  designated  plains,  or  llanos  ;  and 
are  sometimes  only  two  or  three  acres  in  extent.  They 
are  invariably  called  "  savannahs  "  by  both  Spaniards 
and  Portuguese  :  this  word  meaning  "  a  little  sheet,'* 
i.e.  of  land. 


THE  TAPAJOS   AND   THE   ARAGUAY     213 

What  causes  these  openings  I  cannot  say  ;  but  I  have 
noticed  that  here  and  there  in  the  forest  there  are  patches 
of  dead  trees,  which  have  perished  in  a  body  without  any 
perceptible  reason.  These  patches  seem  to  correspond 
in  size  to  the  savannahs — they  are  from  three  or  four 
to  a  hundred  acres  in  extent — rarely,  however,  so  large  as 
the  last-named  area  :  and  I  suppose  that  when  the  dead 
trees  are  utterly  decayed  and  gone  to  dust,  their  former 
sites  are  marked  by  these  little  forest  meadows.  They 
are  "  fairy  rings  "  to  the  tired  traveller — a  relief  to  eye 
and  body 

My  party  now  consisted  of  George  Maccara,  one  of  the 
most  faithful  companions  it  was  ever  my  good  fortune 
to  travel  with,  two  Indians,  a  negro,  seven  mules  and  a 
dog — one  of  the  large  animals  which  had  been  up  the 
Purus  with  us — the  other  had  gone  where  all  dogs,  and 
all  men,  go  in  time. 

I  must  transcribe  the  description  of  the  negro  from 
a  former  work  (I  have  the  publisher's  kind  permission 
to  do  so) :  for  I  cannot  possibly  improve  on  what  I  have 
there  said. 

"  The  negro  was  a  deplorable  specimen  of  mankind. 
Never,  in  all  my  experience  in  the  slave  States  of 
America,  have  I  come  across  a  fellow-creature  in  whom 
the  attributes  of  manhood  were  so  effectually,  and  so 
terribly,  stamped  out.  He  had  been  born  a  slave,  and 
bred  a  slave,  until  his  freedom  was  purchased  on  the 
conditions  of  the  1871  Emancipation  Law  ;  and  was 
now  getting  his  daily  bread  in  the  best  way  he  could — 
that  is  by  doing  any  odd  jobs,  or  other  work,  that  he 
could  find. 

His  back  was  a  horrifying  sight.    In  the  course  of  his 


214  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

life  as  a  slave  he  had  received  thousands  of  lashes  ;  and 
his  flesh  was  corrugated,  from  his  neck  downwards,  with 
white  ridges,  the  cicatrices  of  his  wounds.  His  stories 
of  beatings,  starvations  and  tortures  were  terrible  to 
listen  to  ;  yet  in  spite  of  all  the  torments  he  had  endured 
he  was  still  a  man  of  herculean  strength .  He  was  engaged 
by  me  to  manage  the  mules,  in  which  kind  of  work  he 
was  an  adept.  I  am  rather  partial  to  negro  servants. 
Properly  treated,  they  are  generally  useful  and  indus- 
trious men.  This  man,  from  long  subjection  to  his  task- 
masters, had  acquired  much  of  the  cringing  nature  of  a 
dog.  When  orders  were  given  to  him  he  appeared  to  be 
subject  to  nervous  trepidation  ;  and  if  spoken  to  at  all 
sharply,  he  sprang  about  as  if  his  life  depended  upon  the 
immediate  performance  of  the  directions  he  had  received. 
At  meals,  in  the  forest,  I  need  hardly  say  we  could  not 
indulge  in  the  decorum  usually  observed  at  a  well- 
ordered  table  ;  but  our  custom  was  to  sit  on  the  ground 
round  the  cooking-pot  and  help  ourselves  in  a  rough- 
and-ready  fashion.  Yet  this  poor  negro  was  afraid  to 
eat  in  my  presence,  even  in  this  unconventional  way  ; 
and  the  nervous  discomfort  it  caused  him  to  take  his 
humble  fare  in  the  sight  of  me,  his  master,  was  so  great 
that  I  was  fain  to  permit  him  to  take  his  food  back 
amongst  his  mules,  where  he  could  not  be  seen.  He  did 
not  know  his  age — he  appeared  to  be  forty-five  or  fifty 
years.  He  had  been  married  five  times.  Four  of  his 
wives  had  been  sold  away  from  him  :  the  fifth  had  died 
owing  to  ill-usage  from  his  brutal  master.  He  had  been 
compelled  to  marry  (if  marriage  it  could  be  called)  at 
the  command  of  his  owner,  for  a  similar  reason  to  that 
of  all  stock  owners — for  the  increase  of  wealth — a  negro 


THE  TAPAJOS  AND   THE  ARAGUAY     215 

and  an  ox  being  much  the  same  thing  in  a  slave-owning 
country.  His  ignorance  was  so  great  that  he  hardly 
remembered  how  many  children  he  was  the  father  of ; 
but  he  used  to  cry  when  he  narrated  the  circumstances 
under  which  his  first-born  son  had  been  taken  from  him. 
Some  of  his  children  had  been  sold  away  from  him,  and 
were  lost  for  all  time  :  others  he  knew  the  whereabouts 
of,  as  they  were  still  slaves  ;  and  he  was  saving  every 
penny  he  could  earn  to  purchase  the  freedom  of  a 
favourite  son. 

44  Among  the  devilish  cruelties  to  which  he  had  been 
subjected  was  that  of  being  hung  up  by  his  wrists  for 
twenty-four  hours  (a  day  and  a  night) :  the  dreadful 
marks  still  remaining  on  his  arms  told  a  tale  which  could 
not  be  misunderstood.  He  was  unconscious  during  the 
latter  part  of  this  terrible  punishment.  I  think  it  scarcely 
necessary  to  notice  the  assertions  of  some  writers  who 
have  denied  that  the  torture  of  slaves  was  general,  or  at 
any  rate  frequent,  in  Brazil.  I  have  never  met  anybody 
who  really  knew  much  about  the  country  who  was  of 
that  opinion.  The  ill-usage,  and  systematic  torture,  of 
slaves  was  general  in  former  days  ;  and  I  have  been  in 
districts  where  one  could  hardly  go  into  a  town,  however 
small,  without  meeting  negroes  who  were  blind,  or 
maimed,  as  a  result  of  their  owners'  brutality.  They 
were  always  branded,  like  cattle,  with  a  hot  iron  ;  and 
I  never  met  a  party  of  them  so  marked  with  their 
owners'  name,  or  distinctive  mark,  without  remembering 
the  words  of  one  of  our  Jolly  Jack  Tars  when  ashore  on 
leave.  Horrified  at  some  brutalities  he  saw  committed 
on  a  slave,  and  being  told  when  he  interfered  by  the 
poor  wretch's  tormentors  to  mind  his  own  business,  he 


216  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

turned  to  his  companion  in  honest  indignation  and 
exclaimed  :  '  I  say,  Bill ;  if  the  devil  doesn't  get  them 
fellows  I  don't  see  the  use  of  having  a  devil.' ' 

To  finish  with  my  negro.  I  afterwards  placed  a  narra- 
tive of  his  case  before  an  American  Liberation  Society, 
with  the  result  that  four  of  his  children,  two  boys  and 
two  girls,  were  traced  ;  and  their  freedom  secured,  as, 
also,  was  that  of  two  of  the  women  he  had  been  com- 
pelled to  live  with.  Some  difficulty  arose,  on  religious 
grounds,  about  the  latter  part  of  the  transaction  ;  but 
I  got  the  then  Emperor  of  Brazil  (who  treated  me  in  a 
most  friendly  way  at  all  times)  to  intervene  ;  with  the 
result  that  old  Thomas  married  an  elderly  woman,  the 
mother  of  three  of  his  children  ;  and  the  whole  family 
was  sent  to  Liberia.  The  second  woman  was  otherwise 
provided  for.  Old  Thomas  was  found  to  have  amassed 
800  dollars  in  the  twelve  years  he  had  been  free,  every 
cent  of  which  was  destined  to  help  buy  his  adored  boy's 
freedom.  At  the  time  of  the  lad's  liberation  he  was 
about  eighteen  years  of  age. 

Snakes  were  very  abundant  in  the  forest  near  our 
camping-place  ;  and  I  was  much  amused  by  the  move- 
ments of  some  whip -snakes  which  darted  about  the  bushes 
and  low  trees  with  amazing  rapidity  and  gracefulness. 
They  were  about  forty  inches  long,  of  a  bright  green 
colour,  and  not  thicker  than  a  clothes-line ;  and  so  active 
that  I  found  great  difficulty  in  capturing  one.  It  was 
venomous,  but  in  what  degree  I  do  not  know. 

Another  little  snake  of  this  region  is  of  a  light  drab 
colour,  and  not  more  than  a  foot  long.  Its  eye  is  of  an 
intense  brightness  ;  and  the  creature  is  said  to  be  able 
to  fascinate  small  birds,  so  that  they  cannot  escape 


THE  TAPAJOS  AND   THE  ARAGUAY     217 

from  it.  I  do  not  know  what  truth  there  is  in  this  story, 
but  it  is  very  widely  spread  ;  and  implicitly  believed  by 
people  of  all  classes.  Some  Brazilian  gentlemen  assured 
me  that  they  had  seen  small  birds,  including  humming- 
birds, paralysed  by  its  steady  gaze.  I  was  not  so  fortu- 
nate myself  as  to  see  anything  of  the  kind ;  but,  of  course, 
the  story  may  be  true,  especially  as  the  Indians  believe 
it.  I  have  great  faith  in  the  powers  of  observation  of 
these  men.  The  Indians  call  this  snake  the  tarangabos  ; 
but  the  Brazilians  often  name  it  the  -"  enchanter."  I 
was  greatly  interested  in  this  little  serpent  because  I 
immediately  recognized  it  as  of  the  same  species  as  one 
preserved  in  spirits  which  was  given  to  me  by  a  sailor 
when  I  was  a  boy.  This  was  afterwards  (about  1859  or 
1860)  given  to  a  naval  surgeon,  Dr.  Macwilliam,  who, 
I  understood,  in  turn,  presented  it  to  the  museum  of  the 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons.  So,  perhaps,  the  systema- 
tists  will  look  it  up,  and  enlighten  us  on  its  points  of 
interest.  If  it  has  gone  to  the  dust-hole — well,  that  is 
where  the  legs  and  head  of  the  curious  dodo,  and  Captain 
Cook's  moa,  went ! 

Tree-porcupines,  sloths,  agoutis,  capivaras  and  ant- 
bears,  or  eaters  (they  are  called  by  both  names),  are  all 
numerous  at  this  spot ;  as  well  as  macaws,  toucans  and 
monkeys  ;  and  generally,  most  of  the  animals  of  Central 
Brazil,  which  I  have  already  mentioned.  There  are 
deer  and  tapirs  also,  but  this  spot  is  within  reach 
of  hunting  parties  from  some  of  the  towns  on  the 
rivers  Tocantins  and  Araguay  ;  and  consequently,  they 
have  probably  undergone  a  considerable  reduction  of 
numbers. 

I  shall  select  only  a  few  creatures  for  description  in 


218  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

this  place.  The  large  otter  of  the  Amazon,  and  most 
of  its  great  tributaries,  the  largest  species  of  the 
genus,  I  believe,  was  not  seen  in  this  region.  It  is 
replaced,  to  use  the  approved  phrase,  by  a  much  smaller 
species,  with  a  rich  brown  coat,  and  a  length  from 
snout  to  extremity  of  tail  of  about  thirty  inches,  or 
three  feet  in  fine  specimens  ;  while  the  large  otter  of 
the  Amazon  averages  five  feet,  and  six  feet  in  large 
individuals. 

Concerning  unusual  size  in  animals,  I  may  say  that 
all  kinds  have  individual  variations,  dependent,  it  would 
seem,  on  various  causes — locality,  abundance  of  food, 
and  some  others.  Old  males  are  generally  of  great 
development ;  and  I  have  noticed  the  average  size  of 
many  mammals  and  birds  to  be  from  ten  to  twenty  per 
cent  greater  in  some  districts  than  it  is  in  others.  I 
am  not  going  to  write  an  essay  on  abnormal  develop- 
ment in  animals ;  but  I  may  mention  that  there 
are  certain  classes  of  creatures  which  occasionally 
develop  in  individual  cases  what  may  almost  be  called 
monsters. 

I  instance  serpents.  The  boa,  the  anaconda,  and  some 
others  in  favourable  situations,  attain  to  an  altogether 
unusual  size.  I  cannot  say  what  the  maximum  may  be  : 
it  is  not  under  forty  feet  for  the  anaconda.  According 
to  some  celebrated  men  it  is  fifty  per  cent  more  than  this 
for  pythons.  Captain  Burton,  for  one,  gives  a  graphic 
account  of  a  terrible  adventure  with  one  which  proved 
to  be  nearly  sixty  feet  long  ;  and  three  years  ago  those 
wicked  newspapers  reported  that  the  gentlemen  engaged 
in  delimiting  the  Bolivian  boundaries  had  shot  one 
sixty -five  feet  long  ;  and  reported  another  destroyed 


THE  TAPAJOS  AND  THE  ARAGUAY     219 

by  a  second  party  as  eighty  feet  long  !  I  wrote  to  one 
of  the  best-known  naturalists  of  the  present  day  and 
asked  what  he  thought  of  these  stories — could  he  throw 
any  light  on  them,  the  Sir  Richard  Burton  yarn  in 
particular  ?  But  mum  was  the  word  :  he  had  not  even 
the  courtesy  to  acknowledge  my  letter.  It  is  some  con- 
solation to  know  that  the  gentleman  I  am  referring  to 
agrees  with  me  regarding  the  anaconda,  and  admits  a 
possible  forty-feet  reptile  of  this  class. 

As  a  rule,  the  mammals  and  birds  show  nothing  extra- 
ordinary in  individual  development ;  the  puma,  and, 
in  a  lesser  degree,  the  jaguar,  are  exceptions  ;  but  fishes 
and  arachnids  show  very  common  instances  of  it.  Some 
of  the  spiders  of  this  region,  though  usually  of  no  mon- 
strous size,  are  occasionally  seen  at  least  five  inches  in 
length  of  body,  and  with  a  spread  of  legs  approximating 
a  foot.  They  appear  to  be  of  the  common  bird-eating 
variety  ;  but  whenever  I  have  come  across  such  huge 
specimens  I  have  invariably  turned  them  out  of  holes 
under  the  roots  of  trees,  crevices  of  rocks,  and  similar 
situations ;  and  they  have  never  appeared  to  be  so 
active  as  the  smaller  ones,  which  average  three  inches 
of  body,  and  seven  inches  spread  of  legs.  I  have  thought 
that  perhaps  these  very  large  spiders  are  those  which 
have  attained  a  great  age,  and  have  crept  away  to  die. 

Coming  back  to  the  otters  :  one  of  the  handsomest  of 
those  found  in  South  America  is  common  on  the  Fresco. 
This  is  the  Demerara  otter,  Cheironectes  Yapock.  It  is  a 
beautiful  little  animal  of  a  light  grey  colour  with  black 
markings  so  disposed  that  the  creature  looks  as  if  it  had 
been  seized  with  a  smutty  hand.  It  has  more  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  rat  than  of  an  otter  ;  and  is  a  fierce  little 


220  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

animal,  capable  of  inflicting  a  very  ugly  bite.  Anxious 
to  obtain  a  specimen  alive,  I  dug  one  out  of  its  burrow, 
which  was  fully  thirty  feet  long,  and  had  several  branches 
which  had  to  be  stopped  to  prevent  the  animal's  escape. 
My  dog  fully  entered  into  the  fun  of  these  otter  excava- 
tions ;  but  the  little  animals  showed  fight,  even  to  this 
huge  member  of  the  canine  order,  and  inflicted  several 
severe  bites  on  Mike,  until  he  learned  the  knack  of 
seizing  them. 

Another  animal  not  hitherto  mentioned  is  the  peccary, 
or  American  native  pig.  Most  persons  have  heard  of 
this  animal ;  and  probably  know  something  of  its 
general  appearance  and  habits  ;  so  I  need  only  say  that  I 
quite  agree  with  the  usual  accounts  of  its  viciousness 
and  irritable  temper  :  in  fact,  I  have  a  profound  respect 
(almost  amounting  to  fear)  for  this  little  devil — for  that 
is  what  he  is.  I  think  I  might  screw  my  courage  up  to 
the  sticking  place,  in  the  case  of  one  or,  perhaps,  two,  of 
these  pestiferous  little  wretches  ;  but  face  forty  or  fifty 
of  them  ! 

Whenever  I  met  peccaries  in  the  forest,  I  lost  no  time 
in  getting  over  the  way  :  and  if  it  is  thought  I  am  rather 
bald  and  am  revealing  a  weakness  that  might  have  been 
covered,  I  have  only  to  say  you  have  not  seen  peccaries 
on  the  rampage.  It  is  positively  awful  to  witness  such 
rage  and  wickedness  in  so  small  an  animal :  and  if  I  am 
a  coward  in  this  matter,  I  lack  courage  in  a  very  goodly 
band ;  for  I  have  seen  the  boldest  trappers  out  West 
change  countenance  at  the  sight  of  peccaries ;  and  seen 
them  "  run  like  mad  to  tree  "  at  sound  of  those  gnashing 
tusks.  What  makes  the  courage  run  out  like  water  is 
the  knowledge  that  there  is  absolutely  no  defence  against 


THE   TAPAJOS   AND  THE    ARAGUAY      221 

these  ugly  little  fiends.  The  very  beasts  of  prey  know 
that  ;  and  my  lord,  the  jaguar,  if  ever  he  does  seize  a 
peccary  (which  I  very  much  doubt)  only  does  so  when 
he  can  surprise  a  solitary  pig,  and  rush  to  tree  with  it 
at  once. 

Amongst  other  things  I  am  a  bit  of  a  hedge-surgeon, 
and  one  day  a  poor  Indian  was  brought  to  me — I  was 
going  to  say,  in  pieces.  He  had  blow-piped  a  peccary, 
and  the  peccary's  relatives  had  cut  up  rough  about  it, 
as  he  might  have  known  they  would  ;  and  his  legs  and 
the  lower  part  of  his  body  hung  in  ribbons.  Do  anything 
for  him  ?  There  was  not  a  man  in  the  Faculty  that 
could  have  kept  him  alive  six  hours.  This  is  not  a  soli- 
tary case  :  I  once  helped  to  gather  up  the  fragments  of 
a  white  hunter  who  had  tried  conclusions  with  a  herd 
of  these  brutes,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  his  friends. 
When  the  peccaries  had  done  with  him  there  was  nothing 
but  rags  and  bones  left.  Two  of  his  mates  came  up  in 
time  to  interfere,  and  shot  several  of  the  peccaries  ; 
but  they  had  to  make  a  rush  for  trees  ;  and  the  animals 
got  at  the  legs  of  one  man  before  he  could  swing  himself 
clear  of  the  ground,  and  made  him  a  hopeless  cripple 
for  life.  I  have  heard  scores  of  yarns  about  these  animals, 
in  which  life  or  limb  was  lost,  some  of  them,  I  dare  say, 
exaggerated  ;  but  the  majority  true  enough. 

I  have  shot  peccaries  ;  even  when  standing  on  the 
ground.  Fortunately  for  me  I  was  under  cover  at  the 
time  ;  and  these  little  pigs  have  not  good  sight.  You 
may  see  them  standing  quite  still,  their  snouts  raised 
to  the  level  of  their  backs  and  all  pointing  the  same  way, 
apparently  listening.  Suddenly  away  they  rush,  full 
charge  and  all  together  ;  and  if  you  happen  to  be  their 


222  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

objective,  let  us  hope  you  have  lived  a  decent,  godly 
life  :  for  you  will  have  no  time  to  pray  now.  You  place 
your  back  against  some  support,  determined  to  fight  it 
out.  You  fire  your  second  barrel,  and  roll  one  of  the 
enemies  over  ;  up  goes  the  butt  of  your  gun  and  you 
brain  another ;  you  may  even,  if  you  are  a  lanky- 
bodied,  desperate  creature,  full  of  pluck  and  muscle, 
earth  a  third  :  you  will  do  no  more.  Peccaries'  tusks 
cut  like  razors.  You  may  have  on  the  stoutest  leather 
stockings  man  can  walk  in  :  they  will  be  no  more  pro- 
tection to  your  legs  than  rotten  muslin.  In  two  seconds 
they  will  fly  into  rags,  and  your  flesh  will  go  with  them. 
The  rest  will  soon  be  over  ;  you  will  not  suffer  long — 
on  this  side  of  the  Styx,  at  any  rate. 

This  is  an  exaggerated  picture  ?  I  have  no  doubt 
many  persons  will  think  so.  But  why  should  I  stretch 
the  truth  ?  What  is  gained  by  so  doing  ?  When  I  was 
new  to  the  southern  States  of  America,  self-sufficient 
and  rash,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  peccary  stories 
I  heard  were  silly,  and  I  went  out  to  see  for  myself.  I 
saw :  and  I  had  a  more  fortunate  escape  than  my  rash- 
ness deserved  ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  tell  that  story. 
I  have  met  other  fortunate  ones  who  have  by  chance 
escaped  from  an  open  battle  with  peccaries  ;  and  they 
were  all  of  one  opinion — that  they  had  experienced 
fools'  luck  ;  and  had  better  take  the  lesson  to  heart. 

Now  I  have  had  the  courage  to  state  what  no  man 
before  me  has  had  the  boldness  to  say  plainly — that  the 
peccary  is  the  most  dangerous  and  most  determined 
enemy  man  has  amongst  wild  beasts.  The  habits  of 
this  animal,  and  of  the  banded,  or  white-collared, 
variety  have  been  laid  down  by  one  or  two  persons 


THE  TAPAJOS  AND  THE  ARAGtfAY     223 

whom,  it  would  seem,  the  scientists  have  decided  to 
accept  as  authorities,  for  no  particular  reason  except 
that  they  are,  or  were  (for  I  think  one,  at  least,  of 
them  is  dead),  men  of  social  position. 

Social  position  is,  no  doubt,  a  very  good  and  pleasant 
thing,  and  to  be  treated  with  high  respect ;  but,  in 
common  with  systematic  science,  and  theory  which  is 
not  systematic,  it  stands  open  to  criticism  ;  and  the 
assertion  that  the  white-collared  peccary  differs  in  habits 
from  the  common  kind,  and  is  a  harmless  animal,  is 
not  correct :  neither  is  it  true  that  any  peccary  can  be 
approached  with  safety.  Both  varieties  are  irascible 
little  animals,  and  seem  to  know  instinctively  that  man 
cannot  stand  against  their  numbers.  Two  or  three  of 
them  could  not  do  a  man  much  hurt,  if  he  stood  on  his 
defence  ;  it  is  the  combined  attack  that  is  fatal  to  him. 

The  habits  of  both  kinds  of  peccaries  are  similar.  They 
herd  in  droves,  which  are  usually  from  forty  to  seventy 
strong.  Occasionally  one  sees  more  than  a  hundred  of 
them  together  ;  but  this  is  not  usual.  They  are  emi- 
nently forest  dwellers  ;  and  are  never  seen  in  open 
country.  When  feeding  they  scatter,  and  on  coming  up 
with  a  drove  the  hunter  may  not  see  more  than  two  or 
three.  If  he  keeps  quiet  they  may  not  notice  him,  and 
will  pass  quietly  on  :  for  they  are  dull  of  both  sight  and 
hearing.  If  they  do  get  suspicious,  and  make  an  attack, 
one  high-pitched  grunt  brings  the  whole  band  rushing 
together  like  mad  furies.  They  squeal  and  grunt 
defiance,  at  the  same  time  gnashing  their  tusks  with  a 
loud  rasping  sound.  They  are  light-limbed,  and  as 
active  as  dogs,  or  wolves,  though  I  have  never,  seen 
them  actually  leap  from  the  ground. 


224  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

Pigs  in  every  respect,  they  are  clean-living,  and  do  not 
wallow  in  the  mire  like  the  common  hog.  They  seem 
to  prefer  the  drier  parts  of  the  forest ;  but  do  occasion- 
ally frequent  swamps,  and  run  through  mud  and  shallow 
water.  Possibly  they  swim  across  rivers  and  streams  ; 
but  I  have  never  seen  them  do  so  ;  and  the  only  animal 
food  I  have  known  them  devour  was  snakes.  In  attack- 
ing these  they  evince  their  usual  boldness  and  pluck, 
or  blindness  to  danger.  Rattlesnakes,  moccasins  and 
coral-snakes,  some  of  which  are  six  or  seven  feet  long, 
and  poisonous  in  the  first  degree,  have  no  chance  what- 
ever with  a  peccary.  Perhaps  the  animal  is  impervious 
to  the  venom.  The  usual  diet  of  peccaries  is  fruits,  nuts, 
seeds,  roots,  grain  and  vegetation  of  many  different 
kinds.  I  have  never  seen  them  touch  filth,  such  as  the 
common  hog  rejoices  in  ;  and  the  Indians  say  they  will 
devour  mice,  small  birds  and  pieces  of  flesh  ;  but  nothing 
that  is  tainted. 

Peccaries  are  never  met  with  singly,  or  in  pairs,  as  is 
stated  in  every  natural  history  I  have  seen  ;  and  the 
assertion  that  there  are  half  a  dozen  different  species 
is  simply  fudge.  There  are  two  species  only  :  and  these, 
like  every  other  animal  under  the  sun,  form  local  varieties 
in  some  districts. 

This  information  will  show  that,  notwithstanding  the 
dangerous  character  of  the  animal,  I  have  watched  it 
pretty  closely.  I  used  to  have  a  platform  placed  in  a 
tree  in  districts  where  these,  and  other  animals  which 
I  wished  to  study,  were  abundant.  Peccary  meat,  I 
should  mention,  is  very  good,  though  lean,  and  I  have 
shot  many  of  these  little  animals  from  the  safety  of  a 
tree-perch.  On  one  occasion  I  was  surrounded  by  a  herd 


THE  TAPAJOS  AND  THE  ARACUAY     225 

forty-nine  in  number.  As  I  was  completely  concealed, 
twenty  feet  above  the  ground,  the  pigs  could  not  see 
me  ;  and  it  was  rare  fun  to  witness  their  fury,  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  rushed  about  in  search  of  their 
unseen  foe.  They  evidently  could  not  tell,  by  hearing, 
from  whence  the  shooting  came,  for  they  never  once 
looked  up,  and  yet  they  associated  the  tree  with  their 
concealed  enemy  :  for  they  rushed  round  and  round 
the  trunk  tearing  the  bark,  and  rooting  up  the 
earth. 

When  I  have  shot  pigs  in  this  manner  the  herd,  after 
a  prolonged  search  for  their  aggressor,  have  generally 
run  off,  leaving  three  or  four  of  their  number  dead  for 
the  benefit  of  my  larder  ;  but  on  this  occasion  they 
showed  a  determined  intention  of  waiting  until  they  had 
discovered  their  enemy. 

I  had  shot  four  of  their  number,  all  that  was  wanted 
for  food :  and,  lighting  a  cigar,  sat  down  on  my  boards 
to  wait  until  the  patience  of  the  survivors  was  exhausted, 
expecting  that  they  would  retire  in  about  an  hour. 
But  no  ;  they  ran  about  squealing  and  gnashing  their 
tusks  for  so  long  a  time  that  I  feared  my  meat  would 
be  spoiled.  For  the  peccary  is  afflicted  with  a  "  protec- 
tive odour,"  though  there  is  not  an  animal  on  earth 
that  dares  to  touch  it :  and  if  the  gland  from  which  the 
offensive  smell  is  emitted  is  not  removed  before  the  car- 
cass becomes  cold,  the  flesh  of  the  entire  animal  is  un- 
eatable. So  when  my  cigar  was  finished  I  became 
impatient.  Two  hours  elapsed,  and  still  my  friends 
below  were  whetting  their  tusks  and  their  courage. 
Some  of  them  were  laid  down  to  rest,  but  kept  up -their 
angry  grunts  and  threatening  rattle  of  the  tusks  :  so 
Q 


226  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

I  shot  four  more,  as  the  first  lot  were  spoiled  ;  and  again 
waited.  I  soon  discovered  that  it  was  of  no  use,  how- 
ever, and  that  the  fiery  little  wretches  below  would  have 
to  be  peppered  in  right  good  earnest.  So  I  opened  an 
exterminating  fire  ;  and  it  was  not  until  I  had  killed 
thirty-eight  that  the  eleven  survivors  saw  fit  to  take 
themselves  off ;  and  it  was  some  time  longer  before  I 
was  satisfied  that  they  were  really  gone,  and  I  might 
venture  to  leave  my  lofty  perch. 

The  European  wild  boar  uses  its  tusks  to  rip  one  up  ; 
the  peccary  reverses  this  operation  and  tears  downward  ; 
but  do  not  imagine  that  the  victim  gains  anything  by 
this  difference  in  the  method  of  attack.  The  tusks  of  the 
peccary,  though  smaller  than  those  of  the  hog,  and  often 
invisible  while  the  animal  is  alive,  are  as  strong  as  steel 
and  as  sharp  as  a  knife ;  and  inflict  the  most  ghastly 
wounds. 

When  the  Indians  hunt  in  bands  they  often  surround 
herds  of  peccaries  ;  and  numbers  giving  the  men  courage, 
they  sometimes  kill  the  greater  part  of  them  ;  but 
wounds  received  in  the  fight  are  often  fatal,  and  always 
terrible.  I  saw  one  man  who  had  a  cicatrice  extending 
from  his  thigh  to  his  shoulder.  The  injury  was  received 
whilst  he  was  lying  on  the  ground,  after  being  knocked 
down  by  the  rush  of  the  herd.  Some  of  the  nerves  had 
been  destroyed,  so  that  he  was  partially  paralysed  on 
that  side. 

The  two  species  of  peccary  keep  separate  from  each 
other ;  but  overlap,  and  often  occupy  the  same  forest. 
In  other  instances  only  the  one  species  or  the  other 
inhabits  a  district,  and  there  are  local  varieties,  as  I  have 
mentioned,  and  these  last  are  always  the  sole  kind  found 


THE   TAPAJOS   AND   THE   ARAGUAY      227 

in  their  particular  region.  In  fact,  the  peccary,  as  all, 
or  nearly  all,  other  animals,  bears  out  my  theory  that 
species  (that  is  variations  from  original  types)  are  the 
outcome  of  locality,  and  not  of  "  natural  "  or  any  other 
kind  of  "  selection." 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

THE  VALLEYS  OF  THE  ARAGUAY  AND  THE  TOCANTINS 

"T  IKE  all  the  other  great  rivers  of  the  Amazon 
-•-^  valley  the  Araguay  bears  several  names  on 
different  parts  of  its  course.  The  upper  four-fifths  of 
its  length  is  divided  into  two  great  branches,  running 
nearly  parallel  to  each  other  at  no  greater  distance  than 
100  miles.  They  are  divided  by  a  picturesque,  and  very 
beautiful,  range  of  mountains,  the  Cordillera  Grande, 
about  800  miles  in  length  ;  but  continued,  after  a  short 
break,  into  the  very  centre  of  Brazil.  This  range  gives 
many  short  tributaries  to  both  branches  of  the  great 
river.  The  stream  to  the  east  is  much  the  shorter  and 
narrower  branch,  but  is  better  known  and  more  used 
than  the  western  stream,  and  gives  its  name  to  the  last 
fifth  of  the  course  which  joins  the  Amazon. 

It  will  be  noted  that  two  great  rivers,  running  parallel 
to  each  other  at  no  great  distance,  and  divided  by  a 
ridge  of  high  mountains,  is  a  not  uncommon  feature  of 
South  American  landscapes. 

I  have  already  described  certain  spots  as  the  most 
beautiful  I  have  seen  in  all  my  wanderings  ;  but  I  am 
not  sure  that  I  have  not  done  the  "  Great  Ridge  "  an 
injustice.  These  mountains,  of  course,  are  no  rivals  of 
the  majestic  Andes  ;  but  for  quiet,  serene  beauty,  and 
marvellous  effect  of  outline,  they  are  matchless.  They 

228 


ARAGUAY    AND   THE  TOCANTINS        229 

offer  no  lofty  peaks  to  strike  the  eye  with  amazement  : 
on  the  very  highest  summits  of  the  range  the  traveller 
may  stand  in  his  loose  pioneer's  shirt,  experience  no 
sense  of  chilliness — suffer  no  difficulty  of  breathing. 
His  range  of  vision  will  take  in  no  huge  rocks,  remark- 
able for  their  snow-capped  baldness  ;  no  mighty  craters 
unique  for  size  and  grandeur  as  in  the  Andes  ;  but  will 
roam  over  rugged  forest-clad  rocks,  graceful  here  in 
feathery  foliage,  picturesque  there  in  jagged  abruptness. 
Trees,  magnificent  in  blossom  and  richly  coloured  foliage, 
clothe  the  mountain  slope,  and  bend  in  pendent  graceful- 
ness over  precipices  that  are  an  elegant  adjunct  to  the 
scenery  rather  than  an  awe-inspiring  feature  to  the  eye 
accustomed  to  the  terrible  declivities  of  the  Ecuador 
Andes. 

The  Cordillera  Grande  stretches  due  north  and  south  ; 
and  is  remarkable  for  the  great  number  of  brooks  and 
rivulets  which  rise  on  its  slopes.  These,  of  course,  have 
very  short  currents  :  there  are,  perhaps,  twenty-five 
streams  on  the  east  side,  exceeding  forty  miles  in  length, 
emptying  themselves  into  the  Tocantins  ;  but  the  head- 
waters of  this  great  river  form  a  huge  network  of  streams. 
On  the  west  there  are  probably  twenty  rivulets  of  forty 
miles,  and  upwards,  in  length,  running  into  the  Araguay. 
On  this  side  there  is  one  river,  the  Aves,  with  a  course 
of  about  120  miles,  having  a  north-west  trend  until  it 
joins  the  Araguay.  This  river  Aves  runs  through  a 
rocky  defile  which  is  a  soul's  delight  from  end  to  end. 
I  defy  any  man,  not  a  born  brute,  to  pass  through  this 
valley  without  a  cheerful  joy  at  his  heart,  as  he  witnesses 
the  continual,  and  wonderful,  change  of  beauty  at  'every 
turn  of  his  route. 


230  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

An  adequate  description  of  this  spot,  with  pen  alone, 
is  impossible.  The  valley  is  narrow,  often  a  canon,  the 
rocks  are  broken  and  rugged  past  thought,  and  the  stream 
often  noisy  and  turbulent,  now  and  then  broken  into 
rapids,  cascades  and  falls  ;  but  there  is  not  a  gloomy  or 
forbidding  spot  in  the  whole  valley.  Sometimes  the 
rocks  are  so  high  that  the  rays  of  the  sun  do  not  reach 
the  bottom  of  the  gully  for  one  half -hour  per  day  ;  but 
all  is  so  ethereal  here,  the  light  so  strong,  though  mellow, 
the  atmosphere  so  clear,  that  one  never  feels  imprisoned 
as  he  must  do  in  some  of  the  vast  crevices  of  the  Andes. 

Every  part  of  the  valley,  and  the  rocks  above  and 
around  it,  are  clothed  with  foliage,  dense  yet  graceful, 
amongst  which  palms  and  tree-ferns  hold  a  prominent 
place.  Feathery  canes  and  graceful  drooping  and  climb- 
ing plants  half  hide  the  rugged  rocks  ;  and  the  whole 
shows  a  rich  profusion  of  blossom  that  is  not  surpassed 
for  glorious  colour  and  curious  shapes  in  any  other  part 
of  the  continent.  There  we  saw  the  bright  yellow 
trumpet-flower  in  its  greatest  perfection.  Some  of  the 
blooms  were  so  large  that  we  men  could  wear  them  as 
hats,  in  imitation  of  the  Indian  women  and  children. 
Other  curious  flowers  were  a  purplish,  tubular  blossom, 
four  inches  long,  something  like  a  huge  fuchsia,  and  a 
large  white  star-shaped  flower  six  inches  across  the  disc. 
But  it  was  not  in  size  that  the  greatest,  or  most  curious, 
beauties  existed.  There  was  a  plant  bearing  clusters 
of  brilliant  coral-red  blossoms  that  was  a  glorious  sight 
in  itself  :  and  a  creeper  covering  acres  of  the  sheer  rocks 
with  masses  of  snow-white  bloom.  These  are  but  a  .few 
of  the  floral  wonders  of  the  district ;  and  I  pause  not  to 
describe  the  remarkable  growths  of  passion-flowers,  and 


ARAGUAY  AND  THE  TOCANTINS        231 

of  flowering  grasses  that  added  their  beauties  to  the 
more  prominent  blossoms  of  size  and  masses. 

Those  persons  who  delight  in  fanciful  shapes  in  rocks, 
in  Turk's  heads  and  old  men's  faces,  in  cathedral  spires 
and  devil's  chimney-pots,  would  revel  here.  We 
exhausted  half  the  objects  on  earth,  I  think,  in  com- 
paring them  to  the  strange  and  remarkable  shapes  these 
rocks  had  weathered  into.  There  were  caves  here,  also, 
some  of  which  were  too  deep  and  extensive  for  us  to 
spare  time  to  even  attempt  to  explore.  Others  took 
more  the  form  of  grottos,  festooned  in  trailing  plants, 
ferns,  feather-palms  and  flowers  that  for  perfection  of 
form,  and  richness  of  hue,  might  have  been  transplanted 
from  the  gardens  of  paradise.  Alas  !  that  I  must  spoil 
this  picture  by  admitting  that  the  serpent  of  Eden  lurks 
here.  In  some  parts  of  the  valley  venomous  species  of 
these  horrible  reptiles  swarmed  in  so  great  numbers 
that  we  had  to  walk  cautiously  to  avoid  treading  on 
them.  As  a  rule,  all  snakes  glide  away  on  the  approach 
of  man  ;  but  none  of  them  appear  to  be  very  acute  of 
hearing,  and  there  is  danger  of  stepping  on  sleeping 
members  of  this  extensive  family — widely  spread,  and 
very  numerous,  in  South  America,  at  any  rate.  Snakes 
were  the  one  drawback  in  this  glorious  valley. 

Birds,  especially  humming-birds,  parrots,  macaws 
and  toucans,  were  the  chief  feature  in  the  animal  life  of 
this  place.  The  humming-birds  were  especially  magnifi- 
cent ;  but  I  can  give  no  specific  names — at  any  rate 
with  certainty — there  are  so  many  local  varieties  of 
these  glorious  little  creatures.  Besides  a  common  green 
species,  about  the  size  of  the  English  wren,  there  "is  here 
a  green-backed,  lily-white  breasted  variety  with  a  purple 


232  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

throat  and  crest,  a  true  "  living  gem  "  when  seen  in  the 
brilliant  light  of  the  sun,  with  a  hundred  fire-like  reflec- 
tions scintillating  from  the  plumage  of  its  little  body, 
which  is  not  larger  than  that  of  a  blue-tit.  Viewed 
hovering,  and  darting  about  in  the  brightness  of  this 
heavenly  region,  humming-birds  seem  much  more  richly 
tinted  than  the  poor  little  specimens  one  finds  in  a 
museum.  It  made  my  heart  ache,  and  my  spirits  sink, 
when  I  saw  the  collection  in  the  British  Museum. 
"  This,  then,  is  what  death  does  for  the  most  beautiful 
of  God's  feathered  creatures,"  I  involuntarily  exclaimed 
— no,  muttered — as  I  viewed  the  cases  of  poor  little  faded 
bodies.  "  Splendid  examples  of  the  taxidermist's  art." 
No  doubt.  "  And  fine  samples  of  the  scientific  systema- 
tist's  arrangement."  Also,  no  doubt.  But  having  seen 
these  beautiful  little  jewels  of  life  fluttering  in  their 
native  element,  in  their  native  climate,  can  you  wonder, 
my  dear  fellows  of  the  systematizing  classes,  that  I  say, 
"  Would  to  God  that  the  people  who  come  to  your  musty 
museums  could  see  these  precious  things  as  I  have  seen 
them  "  ?  But  hold  !  I  think  I  have  said  something,  near 
the  beginning  of  this  book,  about  taking  the  lives  of 
these  charming  creatures  for  the  benefit  of  museum 
directors.  So  I  did  ;  at  the  rate  of  about  five  shillings 
per  body,  which  scarcely  paid  the  carriage  and  customs 
dues.  There  is  a  Nemesis  in  these  bird-murders  some- 
times. 

Yellow,  white  and  red  are  very  uncommon  colours  in 
the  plumage  of  humming-birds  in  Matto  Grosso  ;  but 
there  is  one  in  this  valley  with  a  red  crest,  or  patch  of 
scarlet,  on  the  crown  of  the  head.  It  has  also  a  bright 
red  band  across  the  wings,  with  brilliant  topaz  on  the 


ARAGUAY  AND  THE  TOCANTINS        233 

tail  and  tail-coverts.    It  seems  to  be  scarce,  as  only  two 
specimens  were  seen. 

Trogons,  motmots  and  kingfishers  were  among  the 
other  remarkable  birds  found  in  the  valley.  The  mot- 
mots  are  notable  for  their  racket  tails,  artificially  pro- 
duced ;  so  it  is  said.  The  authority  on  which  this  curious 
habit  is  declared  to  be  common  to  all  the  motmots,  some 
twenty-five  species,  appears  to  be  good.  Gentlemen 
holding  responsible  positions  at  the  British  Museum, 
and  the  Zoo,  will  tell  you  that  the  bird  has  been  seen 
to  nip  away  the  webs  of  the  two  central  feathers  of  the 
tail,  leaving  a  racket-shaped  patch  at  the  end  of  each 
bare  shaft.  The  whole  school  of  professional  naturalists 
believe  this  to  be  a  fact  ;  but  we  need  engage  our  atten- 
tion only  with  those  persons  who  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  studying  the  bird  in  its  native  haunts.  The  late 
Charles  Waterton  "  stoutly  maintained  that  the  bird 
did  not  produce  this  peculiarity  of  plumage  by  its  own 
act ;  but  insisted  that  it  was  natural  to  it."  Waterton, 
like  other  people,  might  make  a  mistake  ;  though  mis- 
takes, with  him,  were  very  rare.  "  Where  can  I  confirm 
the  story  ?  "  I  have  asked.  "  By  watching  the  bird  in 
its  native  haunts,"  was  the  reply.  Just  so.  I  have  done 
this,  and  have  never  seen  the  bird  nipping  its  tail,  or 
doing  anything  of  the  kind.  It  is  very  surprising  that 
I  have  never  met  with  a  mot  mot  with  a  perfect  tail. 
Surely  the  bird  must  let  the  web  grow  before  it  can  shear 
it  off.  But  this  is  precisely  what  it  does  not  seem  to  do. 
With  what  object  does  the  bird  thus  mutilate  itself  ? 
And  note  :  that  the  operation  must  be  repeated  after 
every  moult.  Well !  there  are  a  good  many  things-  some 
of  us  poor  sinful  mortals  cannot  comprehend.  Why  do 


234  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

dear  little  cupids  go  about  stark  naked  ?  Why  do  the 
angels,  who  have  no  shame,  require  raiment  of  white? 
And  why  does  the  motmot  disfigure  its  tail  ?  I  should 
like  to  further  enquire  why  the  domestic  mouse  smells 
like  the  sole  of  an  old  shoe  ;  but  I  think  I  have  dis- 
covered that.  The  delightful  odour  is  intended  to  give 
pleasure  to  Mrs.  Housekeeper,  and  to  protect  little  Miss 
Mouse  from  the  unwelcome  attentions  of  Thomas  Tabby 
Esquire. 

One  more  bird  I  must  mention.  In  the  valley  of  the 
Aves  the  cock-of-the-rock  is  unusually  abundant.  I  had 
seen  this  bird  in  Peru  ;  but  it  is  not  an  inhabitant  of 
the  dense  forest.  It  is  a  bird  of  exceedingly  bright- 
coloured,  and  attractive,  plumage,  yet  it  loves  to  dis- 
play itself  in  open  situations,  where  it  seems  to  be  able 
to  well  maintain  itself,  in  spite  of  potential  enemies. 
Perhaps  the  hawks  and  wild  cats  know  that  all  is  not 
gold  that  glitters,  and  have  reasons  of  their  own  for 
leaving  it  alone. 

This  bird,  called  a  manakin  by  some  naturalists,  and 
a  chatterer  by  others,  is  the  size  of  a  jackdaw,  and  is 
remarkable  for  several  peculiarities  not  noticeable  in 
many  other  birds — if  any.  In  the  first  place  the  feathers 
are  so  loosely  attached  to  its  skin  that  many  of  them 
fall  off,  however  carefully  the  bird  is  handled.  When- 
ever I  shot  one  a  cloud  of  its  feathers  flew  out.  The 
plumage  is  a  very  bright  orange  colour  in  the  male,  with 
a  rich  purple  crest.  The  hens  are  not  so  brilliant,  being 
of  a  canary -green  hue.  But  these  colours  fade  after 
death  with  great  rapidity,  and  soon  become  a  dirty  cream 
tint.  The  bird,  therefore,  cannot  be  seen  in  museums  as 
it  appears  when  alive. 


ARAGUAY  AND  THE   TOCANTINS        235 

It  is  a  very  lively  creature  ;  and,  according  to  some 
describers  of  it,  has  regular  "  dancing-places,"  which  it 
visits  so  frequently  that  the  herbage  is  worn  away  from 
the  ground.  I  think  we  shall  find  a  pinch  of  salt  agree 
with  this  assertion.  However,  a  "  lizard's  body,  lean 
and  long,  a  fish's  head,  a  serpent's  tongue  "  :  it  may 
be  true,  although  I  have  never  seen  anything  of  the  kind  : 
and  I  have  never  been  invited  to  a  birds'  "  dancing- 
party,"  though  I  have  frequently  solicited  the  honour 
of  being  permitted  to  be  present  at  one. 

All  the  short  streams  previously  referred  to  have  rapid 
currents,  with  frequent  cascades,  leaps  and  falls,  some 
of  which  are  precipitated  from  a  very  considerable 
height,  though  they  are  of  no  great  volume.  One  stream 
very  vividly  recurs  to  my  memory.  It  is  a  series  of 
cascades  which,  throughout  its  entire  course,  are  only 
partially  visible  through  thickets  of  flowering  shrubs, 
and  arches  of  overhanging  trees  festooned  together  with 
the  most  lovely  of  climbing  plants. 

At  one  point  it  disappears,  with  a  hoarse  roar,  into  a 
hole  in  the  rock,  which  seems  to  be  a  deep  tunnel  in  the 
heart  of  the  mountain  :  for  the  same  stream  reappears 
three  or  four  miles  lower  down,  shooting  out  with  so 
much  force  that  a  space,  or  recess,  is  left  by  means  of 
which  a  person  can  pass  right  under  the  fall,  in  a  similar 
way  to  that  which  is  done  under  Niagara.  From  this 
point  the  torrent  drops  about  200  feet  into  a  bosky  dell, 
where  it  again  disappears,  this  time  into  a  dense  forest 
growing  on  broken,  rocky  ground,  which  we  found  so 
difficult  of  access  that  we  did  not  penetrate  it  farther 
than  a  few  miles. 

In  this  district  the  babble  of  meandering  brooks,  and 


236  THE    RIVER    AMAZON 

rushing  torrents,  is  incessant.  The  deep  roar  of  heavy 
falls  mingles  with  the  cheerful  rippling  of  rock-impeded 
rapids  ;  and  these  sounds  are  heard  in  various  pitches 
and  modulations,  according  to  the  distance  of  the  flow- 
ing water  from  the  spot  where  the  listener  stands. 
"  Under  the  greenwood  tree  Who  loves  to  lie  with  me, 
And  turn  his  merry  note  Unto  the  sweet  bird's  throat." 
These  words  frequently  recurred  to  me  while  in  this 
paradise  of  Brazil,  as  it  justly  deserves  to  be  named  : 
and,  tired  with  the  strenuous  exertion  of  many  months 
of  toil,  I  lay  here  longer,  perhaps,  than  I  was  justified 
in  doing.  The  greenwood  tree  was  represented  by  some 
of  the  finest  specimens  on  earth,  though  the  foliage  was 
not  always  green.  One  great  tree,  for  instance,  had 
leaves  of  a  decided  puce  colour  ;  another  showed  a  great 
mass  of  orange-red  leaves,  the  exact  hue  of  the  cock-of- 
the-rock's  plumage  ;  but  I  never  saw  the  bird  amongst 
its  branches.  Perhaps  the  protective  tint  was  so  perfect 
that  my  blind  eye  could  not  detect  it. 

And  the  "  sweet  bird's  throat !  "  Early  morning  is 
the  time  for  bird  sound  in  this  region  :  though  many  of 
them  repeat  their  performances  in  the  evening.  I  can- 
not say  that  there  are  many  songsters  in  this  country  ; 
but  there  are  a  few  that  make  singular  sounds,  and  a  few 
more  that  can  produce  sweet  ones.  Columbus,  in  a  long 
letter  (preserved,  I  believe,  in  the  Municipal  Library 
at  Genoa),  narrating  the  discoveries  on  his  first  voyage, 
speaks  of  the  delightful  songs  of  birds  on  Watling's 
Island,  and  particularly  mentions  the  nightingale.  As 
was  pointed  out  in  after  days,  there  are  no  nightingales 
in  the  New  World  ;  but  it  is  rather  singular  that  if  I 
had  not  been  well  assured  of  that  fact  I  should  have 


ARAGUAY  AND  THE   TOCANTINS        237 

thought  I  heard  this  charming  bird  in  the  gorge  of  the 
Aves.  Late  into  the  night  a  series  of  delightfully  varied 
notes  was  poured  from  the  tree-tops,  so  like  those  of 
the  nightingale  that  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  a  listener 
would  certainly  have  been  excusable.  I  have  not  the 
least  idea  what  bird  produces  these  sweet  songs.  It  was 
never  heard  in  the  day-time  ;  and  to  discover  a  bird 
amidst  the  foliage  of  a  bushy  tree  150  feet  high  would 
be  a  task  for  a  wizard. 

I  believe  that  some  writers  have  reported  that  the 
humming-bird  has  a  pretty  song.  I  have  never  heard 
it.  The  sound  that  these  beautiful  little  creatures 
usually  make  is  in  singular  contrast  to  their  gorgeous 
plumage,  being  a  high-pitched,  rather  angry-sounding 
squeak,  varied  occasionally  by  a  sharp  chirp.  Nothing 
approaching  a  song  from  these  birds  ever  reached  my 
ears. 

Two  or  three  species  of  night- jars  keep  things  lively 
till  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning — that  is  if  the 
howling  dervishes  do  not  spoil  their  efforts  by  a  too 
boisterous  rivalry ;  but  there  happened  to  be  no 
howlers  in  this  favoured  valley.  Other  songsters  are 
few  ;  though  we  heard  a  bell-bird  tolling  on  two  occa- 
sions, at  ten  o'clock  and  midnight  respectively.  After- 
wards these  birds  were  heard  at  various  hours  between 
four  o'clock  afternoon  and  midnight ;  and  from  five  to 
eight  in  the  morning.  I  have  it  in  my  notes  that  in 
this  region  they  were  never  heard  in  the  middle  hours 
of  the  day  ;  and  time  after  time  I  have  jotted  down 
my  observance  of  the  death-like  silence  which  prevails 
between  early  morning  and  early  evening. 

Other  noises  of  the  night  indicated  that  the  inhabi- 


238  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

tants  of  the  forest,  generally,  were  on  the  move  ;  a 
curious  natural  comment  on  the  doctrine  that  the 
nocturnal  habit  is  adopted  for  purposes  of  safety.  I 
have  certainly  supported  this  theory,  which  seems  to  be 
a  most  natural  one  :  but  the  fact  is  that  nearly  all 
animals  are  more  or  less  nocturnal.  Birds  are  the  least, 
and  insects  the  most  so.  Very  few  mammals  are  strictly 
diurnal :  lizards  love  to  run  and  to  bask  in  the  sunshine  ; 
but  frogs,  toads,  snakes  and  our  friend  "  with  the  fine 
open  countenance  "  (the  cayman)  love  the  hours  of 
darkness  :  and  for  a  good  reason — their  deeds  are  evil 
enough,  even  froggy  (in  this  country)  often  bolting  a 
victim  half  as  big  as  himself. 

The  croaking  of  frogs  is  one  of  the  characteristic 
sounds  of  a  Matto  Grosso  evening  ;  as  is  the  hissing  of 
snakes.  Rarely,  for  the  reptile  is  comparatively  scarce, 
will  be  heard  the  bellowing,  roaring,  grunting — I  know 
not  what  word  to  choose  to  describe  the  noise — of  the 
anaconda.  Perhaps  it  may  be  termed  a  hoarse  hiss  ; 
but  it  is  a  much  deeper  sound  than  the  voice  of  any  other 
serpent.  It  appears  to  be  uttered  in  anger,  and  is 
probably  provoked  by  the  too  near  approach  of  the 
jaguar,  or  some  other  creature  which  the  snake  dislikes. 
That  the  anaconda  ever  attacks  the  larger  cats,  or  any 
other  animal  larger  than  the  deer  of  the  country,  I  do 
not  believe.  No  doubt  an  anaconda  could  destroy  a 
man  ;  but,  as  I  think  I  have  already  noted,  I  never  met 
with  an  authenticated  instance  of  its  having  done  so. 
I  may,  in  any  case,  safely  put  the  ratio  of  danger  between 
the  large  constricting  snakes  and  the  small  venomous 
ones  at  10,000  to  1  !  This  statement  may  cause  momen- 
tary astonishment ;  but  take  the  official  statistics  of 


ARAGUAY  AND  THE  TOCANTINS        239 

India  into  consideration.     As  many  as  20,000  persons 
per  annum  lose  their  lives  through  snake-bites  :    but 
there  are  twenty  poisonous  snakes  in  South  America  to 
one  in  India — and  I  am  miles  within  bounds  in  this 
statement — and  how  many  persons  die  of  snake-poison 
in  this  country  ?     Nobody  knows  and  nobody  cares. 
South  America  is  not  a  land  of  statistics  and  fatherly 
officials  to  look  after  the  interests  of  your  precious  souls, 
and  still  more  precious  bodies  !    but  here  you  may  do 
much  as  you  like,  and  suffer  quite  what  you  do  not  like. 
So  if  you  choose  to  get  in  the  way  of  coocooradi,  rattle- 
snake or  coral-snake,  and  die  in  consequence,  Johnny 
Portuguese  is  very  sorry,  shrugs  his  shoulders  and  sends 
for  the  nearest  priest,  who,  as  you  are  an  infidel,  orders 
you  to  be  buried  in  the  nearest  convenient  spot,  as  the 
lost  may  not  lie  in  consecrated  ground.     In  a  word, 
judging  from  what  I  have  seen  and  heard,  I  believe  the 
mortality   from   snake-poison   is   simply   awful.     The 
Indians  go  about  naked,  or  nearly  so ;  the  negroes  never 
wear  shoes ;    and  the  consequence  is  that  these  people 
move  about  silently,  and  therefore  are  continually  tread- 
ing on  snakes  which  have  not  heard  their  approach. 
As  a  rule,  all  snakes,  the  horrible  bushmaster  excepted, 
glide  away  when  they  hear  a  noise. 

Often  have  persons  suffering  from  snake-bites  been 
brought  to  me.  Sometimes  I  have  saved  them  :  gener- 
ally I  have  seen  them  too  late  to  be  of  service  to  them. 
In  the  case  of  rattlesnake  bites,  and  a  few  others,  I 
have  found  large  doses  of  whisky  an  effectual  antidote. 
Probably  brandy  would  be  equally  efficacious  ;  but  I 
have  never  had  the  opportunity  of  administering  suffi- 
cient quantities  :  for  it  must  be  understood  that  spirits, 


240  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

unless  given  in  very  large  doses,  are  not  likely  to  do  much 
good — in  fact  the  patient  must  be  made  blind  drunk. 

If  the  bitten  person  was  brought  to  me  speedily,  I 
cut  the  injured  part  clean  away,  or  put  a  heated  iron 
on  it — deadly  diseases  require  desperate  remedies.  I 
have  found  spirits  of  ammonia  poured  into  the  wound 
of  great  use  ;  and  on  three  occasions  I  rallied,  and 
saved,  persons  who  had  reached  the  comatose  state, 
by  injecting  a  preparation  of  strychnine,  according  to 
the  directions  of  an  American  surgeon  who  was  one  of 
the  first  persons  to  use  this  remedy — in  the  American 
continent,  at  any  rate. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  CORDILLERA  GRANDE  REGION 

MONGST  the  more  remarkable  trees  of  the  valleys 
of  the  Araguay  and  the  Tocantins  are  two  or  three 
species  of  the  gutta-percha  tribe  ;  and  the  bullet -wood 
and  cow  tree. 

The  bullet -wood  is  so  called  because  it  is  so  hard  that 
it  is  believed  it  will  resist  the  impact  of  a  musket- 
ball.  It  is  evidently  a  species  of  gutta-percha  ;  for  on 
wounding  the  trunk,  or  a  branch,  a  white  juice  exudes, 
which  speedily  condenses  into  a  thick  semi-fluid  sub- 
stance which  can  be  rolled  into  a  ball.  It  does  not  appear 
to  have  a  commercial  value  ;  and  some  which  I  brought 
to  England  was  looked  upon  as  a  curiosity  by  manufac- 
turers of  india-rubber  articles,  who  had  not  previously 
seen  anything  like  it.  It  is  called  the  boorooah  tree  by 
the  Portuguese,  a  corruption,  I  suppose,  of  "  bullet 
tree."  The  timber  is  well  known  to  the  merchants.  The 
fruit  is  like  a  plum,  and  the  tree  is  said  to  bear  it  only 
once  in  five  years. 

The  cow  tree  may  be  an  allied  species  :  for  it,  also, 
gives  forth  a  white  juice,  which,  on  being  exposed  to  the 
air,  thickens  in  some  degree.  It  has  the  properties  of 
cream  ;  and  may  be  used  in  tea  and  coffee  as  a  substi- 
tute for  cow's  milk.  It  is  a  delicious-flavoured  and  highly 
nutritious  substance. 

R  241 


242  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

I  have  not  hitherto  mentioned  the  armadillo,  one  of 
the  most  characteristic  animals  of  South  America. 
There  were  some  in  this  district ;  and  I  must  say  a  few 
things  about  them,  as  we  shall  not  meet  them  again. 
There  may  be  many  in  different  parts  of  the  Amazonian 
valley,  though  I  do  not  think  that  there  are,  the  nature 
of  the  soil  not  being  favourable  to  them.  The  armadillo 
loves  dry  ground,  and  is  far  more  often  found  on  plains 
than  in  forests.  I  know  the  natural  histories  say  that 
they  frequent  forests  ;  but  I  have  never  seen  any  signs 
of  them  where  the  trees  were  growing  thickly.  In  open 
forests  there  are  a  few  ;  but  practically  they  are  all 
armoured-moles.  They  rarely  show  above  ground  ;  and 
those  who  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  dig  out  of  the 
ground  "  the  little  gentleman  in  black  velvet  "  may 
guess  the  trouble  one  has  to  surprise  an  armadillo. 
They  are  never  found  on  hard  ground,  and  they  burrow 
so  quickly  that  if  one  is  placed  on  the  soil  to  race  against 
a  man  stationed  fifty  yards  away,  the  armadillo  will 
win  :  that  is  it  will  burrow  so  quickly  that  it  will  be  at 
least  a  yard  deep  before  the  runner  can  get  up  to  it. 
I  have  succeeded  in  digging  them  out  of  the  ground  ; 
but  only  rarely,  and  with  the  assistance  of  several  other 
persons.  When  the  animal  gets  a  certain  distance 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground,  it  tunnels  in  various 
directions.  The  passages  must  be  marked,  and  a  number 
of  men  dig  down  quickly  to  head  the  armadillo  off. 
When  the  animal  perceives  that  its  passage  will  be 
intercepted,  instead  of  burrowing  lower,  it  shuffles  back- 
wards stern  foremost.  Then  is  the  time  to  capture  it. 

The  depth  of  the  burrow,  in  the  first  place,  depends 
on  the  size  of  the  armadillo.  I  have  never  found  any 


THE   CORDILLERA   GRANDE   REGION    243 

sunk  lower  than  six  feet.  Then  a  kind  of  chamber  is 
made,  from  which  tunnels  radiate  in  all  directions  ;  and 
to  an  indefinite  extent.  I  have  followed  some  of  the 
passages  170  feet  without  reaching  the  end ;  and  I  have 
found  that  a  large  number  of  these  animals  join  together 
to  form  quite  a  labyrinth  underground,  so  that  it  is  not 
possible  to  assign  any  portion  of  the  work  to  one 
animal. 

None  of  the  species  that  I  am  acquainted  with  are 
"  strictly  nocturnal  animals."  They  do  not,  however, 
come  out  of  their  burrows  till  evening,  except  the  weather 
is  dull  and  wet.  Heavy  rains  drown  them  out ;  but 
these  are  exceptional  circumstances.  As  soon  as  the  sun 
is  well  down  armadillos  come  out  of  their  retreats  and 
begin  to  search  for  food.  This  is  the  time  to  capture 
them.  As  soon  as  you  see  one  well  away  from  its  burrow, 
rush  forward.  The  animal  will  at  once  bury  itself.  Now 
you  must  watch  carefully  and  patiently  ;  surveying  the 
ground  all  round  :  for  the  armadillo  cannot  turn  in  a 
chamberless  burrow.  Presently  it  will  seek  to  come 
forth  from  its  temporary  lurking-place  ;  breaking  up  a 
fresh  opening  at  a  probable  distance  of  twenty  feet  or 
less  from  the  first  hole.  Run  forward  quickly.  The 
armadillo  will  have  no  alternative  but  to  back  into  its 
burrow  ;  and  as  it  cannot  do  this  as  fast  as  you  can  dig, 
it  will  soon  be  in  your  possession.  At  any  rate,  this  is 
the  method  I  have  adopted  to  capture  several.  I  have 
also  used  dogs,  and  the  lasso  ;  but  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  the  animal  should  be  surprised  in  the  first 
place  at  a  distance  from  its  usual  retreat,  otherwise  it 
will  burrow  back  to  its  labyrinth,  and  you  will  have  your 
trouble  for  nothing. 


244  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

The  species  which  inhabit  the  valleys  of  the  twin 
rivers  which  bound  the  sides  of  the  Cordillera  Grande 
are  the  giant  armadillo,  and  another  kind  not  identified. 
The  first  is  a  burly,  thick-set  animal  weighing  from 
eighty  to  100  pounds,  usually  about  thirty  inches  in 
length,  but  sometimes  much  longer  :  this  measurement 
not  including  a  thick,  armoured  tail  of  twelve  or  thirteen 
inches.  The  head  is  small ;  and,  I  should  think,  the 
tremendous  claws  are  proportionally  the  largest  of  any 
animal  in  existence.  If  this  animal  chose  to  stand  on 
its  defence,  its  foes  would  probably  have  an  exciting 
time  of  it ;  but  it  is  as  innocent  and  harmless  as  a  child. 
You  can  turn  it  over,  and  pull  it  about  just  as  you  think 
fit :  it  does  nothing  but  snuffle  and  grunt,  and  strive  to 
escape.  It  is  an  enormously  powerful  creature  ;  and 
you  will  have  much  trouble  in  handling  it ;  but  have 
nothing  to  fear. 

It  is  said  to  be  insectivorous,  naturalists  evidently 
judging  by  the  character  of  its  teeth.  It  certainly  does 
eat  worms,  slugs,  beetles,  and  small  fry  generally ;  but 
is  nearly  omnivorous  so  far  as  regards  animal  food.  My 
negro  used  to  take  the  offal  of  any  animal  we  killed  and 
throw  it  some  distance  from  the  camp,  instead  of  bury- 
ing it  as  directed.  This,  in  a  few  minutes,  would  be 
completely  covered  with  flies  ;  and  beetles  would  burrow 
under  it.  In  this  climate  the  whole  mass  would  be  a 
festering,  heaving  heap  of  maggots  and  corruption  in 
an  hour  or  two,  and  it  served  as  a  lure  to  the  armadillos, 
who  assembled  round  it  as  soon  as  evening  set  in,  and 
devoured  the  whole  loathsome  mass.  I  have  also  seen  the 
armadillo  devour  centipedes  and  scorpions,  these  veno- 
mous things  having,  apparently,  no  power  to  do  it  hurt.  I 


THE   CORDILLERA  GRANDE  REGION    245 

have  never  seen  it  meddle  with  ants  or  termites  ;  but  it 
may  do  so,  it  being  obvious  that  I  could  not  make  myself 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  the  habits  of  every 
animal  I  met  with.  The  smaller  armadillo  of  this  region 
is  singularly  like  a  miniature  species  of  the  giant  kind, 
but  with  a  shorter  tail,  and  certainly  feeds  on  termites, 
as  it  was  seen  to  burrow  into  the  hills  of  these  insects, 
some  of  which,  in  our  neighbourhood,  were  of  a  remark- 
able height. 

Sloths  there  were  in  this  region  ;  and  the  little  ant- 
eater,  Tamandua  tetradactyla.  It  does  not  differ  from  the 
great  ant-eater  in  general  form  ;  but  the  tail  is  not 
bushy,  the  fur  is  parti-coloured — dirty  white  and  dingy 
black,  and  the  animal  is  very  much  less  in  size  than  its 
big  relative  ;  and  there  are  some  very  remarkable  dif- 
ferences between  the  two  species.  The  great  ant-eater, 
for  instance,  never  climbs  trees  ;  in  fact,  it  cannot  do 
so  under  any  circumstances.  The  little  ant-eater  often 
does  so  ;  and  still  more  remarkable,  its  tail  is  prehensile 
in  no  uncertain  measure — evolution  with  a  vengeance  : 
but  with  what  object  ?  Not  to  search  for  its  food,  which 
is  found  on  the  ground  :  and  why  has  Nature  given  it  a 
monkey's  tail,  and  left  it  in  possession  of  the  enormous 
claws  destined  to  break  down  the  citadels  of  the  termites? 
Clearly  it  is  simply  a  freak  on  the  part  of  Nature  ;  the 
more  marked  that  the  creature  is  not,  as  often  reported, 
"  mainly  of  arboreal  habits."  The  fact  is  that  it  is  more 
often  on  the  ground  than  in  trees,  and  never  ascends 
them  to  any  great  height !  It  has  the  curious  habit 
(curious  because  there  is  no  discoverable  reason  for  it) 
of  climbing  bushes  and  young  trees  to  a  height  of  ten 
or  twelve  feet,  and  hanging  listlessly  to  a  branch  by  its 


246  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

long  tail.  There,  like  a  great  opossum,  it  remains 
pendent  for  hours  at  a  time,  quite  motionless,  but  not 
asleep.  When  it  wishes  to  repose  it  descends  to  the 
ground  and  curls  itself  up  under  the  shelter  of  a  dense 
cluster  of  bushes.  Strange  that  a  creature  capable  of 
climbing  trees,  and  furnished  with  a  prehensile  tail, 
should  sleep  upon  the  ground  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt 
whatever  about  the  fact  :  and  perhaps  there  is  no  greater 
danger  in  such  a  situation  than  in  trees,  which  are  in- 
fested by  two  of  the  most  destructive  creatures  in  South 
America — the  jaguar  and  the  anaconda  :  and  though 
the  last  is  a  rare  reptile,  there  are  other  serpents,  more 
numerous  in  numbers,  and  not  less  dangerous  in  habit, 
that  make  trees  none  too  safe  a  place  of  resort  for  any 
animal. 

Birds,  and  other  creatures,  migrate  in  South  America, 
as  they  do  in  all  other  parts  of  the  world.  It  therefore 
happens  that  a  species  found  in  a  district  by  one  traveller 
may  be  searched  for  in  vain  by  one  visiting  the  same 
district  at  a  different  season  of  the  year.  This  remark 
is  suggested  by  the  fact  that  we  found  several  trees  full 
of  pendulous  nests  similar  to  those  of  the  cassiques,  but 
no  birds  of  that  genus  were  seen  in  this  region.  None 
of  the  nests  appeared  to  have  been  recently  occupied  ; 
and  the  birds  to  which  they  belonged  were  probably 
absent  in  some  other  part  of  the  country  ;  and  this,  I 
believe,  was  the  case  with  other  species. 

During  the  next  month  we  suffered  great  privations 
while  exploring  the  country  towards  the  Xingu.  Our 
corn-flour  was  quite  consumed,  and  some  of  our  stores 
accidentally  lost  in  an  uninhabited  country  where  it 
was  impossible  to  replace  them.  Still,  I  was  anxious  to 


THE   CORDILLERA  GRANDE   REGION     247 

push  on  into  the  heart  of  this  region,  as  I  heard  at  Lara 
and  other  places  that  it  was  a  terra  incognita.  Game 
there  was  in  this  country  ;  but  owing  to  the  broken, 
rugged  character  of  the  ground,  and  the  density  of  the 
forest,  we  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  it  and  approach- 
ing near  enough  to  kill  it.  For  this  work  the  two  Indians 
proved  to  be  invaluable  ;  but  their  frequent  want  of 
success  proved  that  these  people,  in  the  wild  parts  of 
the  country,  must  often  suffer  great  privations.  This 
indeed  they  admitted,  and  said  that  it  was  a  chief 
reason  why  the  men  of  several  villages  banded  together 
to  surround  the  animals  in  a  tract  of  the  forest,  and  so 
ensure  their  destruction  :  otherwise  they  would  some- 
times starve,  individual  hunters  being  quite  unable  to 
track  down  sufficient  game  for  the  support  of  their 
families. 

Reverting  to  this  time,  I  recall  that  we  had  some 
startling,  if  not  remarkable,  adventures.  One  evening 
we  had  just  lighted  our  fire,  and  begun  to  cook  supper, 
when  a  huge  jaguar  (magnified  by  our  fears,  I  dare  say, 
and  am  not  too  squeamish  to  admit)  dropped  into  our 
midst  from  the  branches  above  our  heads.  We  rolled 
one  over  another,  and  the  jaguar  gathered  himself  up 
and  bolted  with  great  celerity — not  the  only  case  of 
mutual  fright  I  have  experienced  in  the  wilds. 

We  looked  at  one  another  with  curious  expressions 
of  countenance  :  the  Indians  grunted  :  the  negro  said 
his  prayers  ;  and  the  white  portion  of  the  party  swore 
a  little,  I  am  afraid  ;  but  everybody  was  thankful,  and 
brave,  when  the  danger  was  past.  We  all  looked  into  the 
tree,  and  carefully  examined  it,  lest  the  jaguar  had  left 
a  partner  behind  :  and  our  nerves  were  altogether  so 


248  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

shaken  that  nobody  was  satisfied  until  we  had  moved 
to  what  was  considered  a  safer  spot. 

During  the  month,  also,  we  killed  no  fewer  than  five 
or  six  anacondas,  each  of  them  approximating  twenty 
feet  in  length.  The  Indians  and  the  negro  feasted  on 
the  flesh  of  these  ;  but  George  and  I  were  not  yet  suffi- 
ciently starved  to  stomach  such  food.  I  did,  indeed, 
taste  anaconda  flesh,  and  found  it  coarse  and  stringy, 
and  almost  flavourless.  What  taste  there  was  in  it  was 
decidedly  fishy. 

Travelling  due  south  we  crossed  several  big  streams, 
one  of  them  the  river  Guapindas  :  and  a  few  days  after- 
wards the  Xingu,  by  swimming,  at  a  place  where  it  was 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  and  infested  by  caymans. 
Subsequently  we  were  compelled  to  cross,  and  recross, 
it  several  times,  and  two  of  the  mules  were  drowned  ; 
and  all  of  us  had  narrow  escapes  of  a  similar  fate.  But 
I  am  not  justified  in  further  detailing  this  part  of  my 
experiences  in  Brazil.  I  wish  simply  to  reveal  the 
character  of  the  country,  and  the  great  difficulties  the 
explorers  of  it  must  face.  During  the  period  I  have 
mentioned  I  do  not  think  we  ever  travelled  so  much  as 
ten  miles  in  twenty -four  hours  :  frequently  we  could  not 
have  made  more  than  four  or  five  ;  though  all  of  us 
worked  axe  in  hand  during  the  hours  of  daylight.  We 
became  so  exhausted  by  privation  and  want  that  it 
was  a  question  of  life  or  death  with  us  to  move  on  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  One  of  the  remaining  mules  had  to 
be  killed  for  food  ;  and  I  was  compelled  to  abandon 
most  of  the  specimens  I  had  collected  on  this  section  of 
my  journey — a  circumstance  that  grieved  me  much. 

A  few  more  words  about  the  Cordillera  Grande,  an 


THE   CORDILLERA    GRANDE   REGION    249 

important  part  of  the  Amazonian  valley  ;  for  it  is  its 
easternmost  boundary  ;  and  I  must  return  to  the  Upper 
Amazon,  and  commence  the  last  section  of  this  book. 

I  can  only  guess  at  the  heights  of  the  peaks  of  this 
range,  or  deduce  them  from  barometric  observations. 
One  or  two  of  them  seem  to  verge  on  7000  feet  ;  and 
several  certainly  are  at  least  6000.  Bare  rocks  crop  up 
here  and  there  ;  but  the  range  is  completely  clothed 
with  splendid  forests.  Its  gorges  are  mere  clefts,  through 
which  small  streams  flow  ;  but  they  are  exceedingly 
picturesque  ;  and,  in  spite  of  their  comparatively  small 
size,  many  of  them  are  impassable  :  indeed,  passes  over 
the  mountains  are  not  easily  found,  and  do  not  seem 
to  be  so  numerous  as  is  usual  in  ridges  of  so  small  an 
elevation.  In  a  distance  of  eighty  miles  we  could  find 
only  one  ;  and  it  is  certain  that  there  was  no  other 
within  fifty  miles  of  it. 

The  bare  rocks  are  generally  huge  crags  split,  rent, 
torn  by  weather,  or  natural  convulsions,  and  often  pre- 
senting great  flat,  cliff-like  faces  of  100  to  400  feet  in 
height,  so  perpendicular  and  smooth  that  not  even  a 
blade  of  grass  can  find  a  roothold  on  them.  They  form 
a  beautiful  variation  of  the  landscape,  and  contrast  to 
the  dense  tropical  forest  which  surrounds  their  bases. 
From  the  valleys  below  one  can  look  up  and  see  the  clear- 
cut  forms  of  these  rocks  silhouetted  against  the  sky,  a 
glorious  sight  on  a  bright  night  when  the  moon  gives  a 
light  that  is  not  even  dreamt  of  in  our  hard  northern 
hemisphere. 

The  whole  of  the  mountains  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Matto  Grosso  abound  with  caves,  a  feature  which,  so  far 
as  I  know,  is  almost  absent  from  the  Andes.  I  do  not 


250  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

know  that  any  of  these  caves  are  very  remarkable  for 
size  or  depth — none  of  them  are  such  natural  wonders 
as  those  of  Kentucky — but  they  afford  some  strange  and 
interesting  features.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  Cor- 
dillera, the  portions  of  the  range  with  which  we  are 
mostly  concerned,  they  are  small ;  but  one  which  I 
entered  and  explored  ran  upwards  into  the  heart  of  the 
mountains  a  distance  of  about  four  miles.  It  appeared 
to  have  been  formed  by  the  splitting  and  reclosing  of 
two  enormous  rocks  in  some  remote  age  :  for  there  is 
no  sign  of  modern  volcanic  action. 

Water,  no  doubt,  rushes  down  this  channel  after 
heavy  rains  ;  and  I  should  imagine  that  a  person  would 
be  in  great  danger  if  he  were  caught  by  a  storm-burst 
when  at  the  far  end. 

Of  course,  artificial  light  is  necessary  to  enable  one 
to  explore  this  cave,  and  a  much  stronger  one  than  that 
of  a  lantern  is  desirable.  I  had  no  better  light,  however, 
and  this  enabled  me  to  see  only  that  the  roof  was  a  con- 
siderable height  above  the  floor.  As  far  as  I  could  see, 
the  sides  of  the  tunnel  were  almost  perpendicular  ;  but 
in  a  few  places  they  bulged,  or  leaned  together,  closing 
the  cleft  above  my  head.  Twice  I  was  compelled  to  stoop 
in  order  to  proceed  ;  and  more  often  my  difficulties  were 
increased  by  deep  holes,  or  fissures,  in  the  floor. 

Under  foot,  the  ground  was  generally  composed  of 
rough  stones  of  various  sizes  ;  some  of  them  boulders, 
but  the  greater  quantity  large  pebbles  mixed  with  sand  ; 
all,  at  this  time,  dry,  or,  at  most,  merely  damp,  though 
marks  on  the  sides  showed  that  water  percolated  through 
the  rocks  if  it  does  not  actually  run  in  a  stream  at  times. 
A  slimy  lichen  discoloured  the  rocks  and  stones,  and  I 


THE   CORDILLERA  GRANDE  REGION     251 

once  or  twice  saw  large  frogs,  or  toads,  a  small  lizard 
and  several  mice  scuttling  away  from  before  me.  Stalac- 
tites of  a  pendent  form  hung  down,  and  sometimes 
almost  blocked  the  way  ;  but  I  contrived,  as  I  have  said, 
to  push  forward  about  four  miles,  when  I  found  the 
passage  too  narrow  to  squeeze  through.  It  was  then  a 
mere  crack,  slanting  upwards,  and  not  more  than 
eighteen  inches  wide. 

I  do  not  think  that  the  tunnel,  or  cave,  was  anywhere 
more  than  twenty  yards  wide  :  in  many  places  it  was 
scarcely  as  many  inches  ;  and  I  had  to  turn  sideways 
to  squeeze  through.  No  doubt  it  had  been  wider  ;  but 
the  stalactic  formations  had  encroached  very  much,  and 
would,  no  doubt,  ultimately  fill  the  entire  crevice. 

Other  caves  in  these  mountains  were  of  the  usual 
form,  and  of  no  remarkable  size  :  the  largest  was, 
perhaps,  a  couple  of  acres  in  extent,  and  led  to  others 
of  much  smaller  size.  All  were  full  of  stalactites  and 
stalagmites,  showing  many  curious  formations  and 
groups. 


CHAPTER    XX 

HIGH   UP   THE   AMAZON   RIVER 

rilHE  head- waters  of  the  Amazon  have  already  been 
-*-  described.  The  matter  dealt  with  in  the  following 
letter  has  also  been  referred  to  in  an  early  chapter  : 

"  ADMIRALTY, 

"  28th  September,  1912. 
"  SIR, 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  19th  instant, 
I  am  commanded  by  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty  to  inform  you  that  H.M.S.  Pelorus,  a 
protected  cruiser  of  2135  tons,  sailed  in  the  early  part 
of  1909  up  the  River  Amazon  from  Para  to  Iquitos 
in  Peru,  1935  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

"2.  The  permission  of  the  Brazilian  Government 
was  obtained  for  this  visit. 

"  3.  An  account  of  the  cruise,  by  one  of  the  crew, 
appeared  in  the  issue  of  the  '  Standard '  for  the 
13th  April,  1909. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  O.  MURRAY. 
"  P.  FOUNTAIN,  Esq, 

Rawridge,  Ripley,  Surrey." 

I  would  remark  that  if  Yquitos,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  Ecuador,  and  not  Peru,  is  only  1935  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  distances  have  been 
exaggerated,  and  the  total  length  of  the  river  is  not  so 

252 


HIGH    UP   THE    AMAZON    RIVER        253 

great  as  is  usually  represented.  I  thought  Yquitos,  or 
Iquitos,  was  at  least  100  miles  farther  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  Altogether  the  Pelorus*  reckoning  would 
reduce  the  total  length  of  the  river  by  200  or  250  miles. 
It  is  not  very  material ;  but  I  deemed  it  desirable  to 
note  the  circumstance.  The  point  is  that  the  Amazon 
is  navigable  for  the  lower  2000  miles  of  its  course  by 
ships  of  fully  3000  tons.  For  much  larger  vessels  than 
the  Pelorus  can  get  as  far  as  Nauta,  fifty  miles  higher  up 
the  river  than  Yquitos.  For  at  these  places  the  depth  of 
water  is  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet.  Above  Nauta,  how- 
ever, it  suddenly  shoals,  and  there  are  many  shallow 
places  and  rocks  in  the  bed  of  the  river.  Still,  vessels  of 
200  or  300  tons  can  ascend  a  long  way  farther  if  care  is 
taken  in  the  navigation.  I  would  undertake  to  carry 
a  vessel  of  250  tons  nearly  up  to  the  first  cataract. 
The  question,  however,  is  not  how  far  the  river  may  be 
actually  navigated  ;  but  to  show  that  mercantile  vessels 
of  heavy  tonnage  can  practically  cross  the  continent, 
and  ship  the  products  of  the  largest  river  valley  in  the 
world. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  British  naval  authorities 
adopt  a  different  spelling  of  names  from  that  I  use.  I 
follow  the  older  maps  and  navigators  ;  and  still  more 
frequently  stick  to  the  names  given  by  the  original 
founders  and  discoverers.  I  do  not  think  that  reasonable 
fault  can  be  found  with  this  method.  In  the  first  chapter 
I  have  given  my  reasons  for  writing  Amazons,  and  not 
Amazon.  The  stream  is  really  the  "  Rio  de  Amazones." 
That  is  what  its  discoverer  called  it,  as  already  men- 
tioned. With  regard  to  Yquitos  :  it  is  a  Spanish  word, 
and  the  accent  is  put  on  the  "  Y  "  exactly  as  it  is  in 


254  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

our  word  "  eye."  Iquitos,  therefore,  cannot  possibly  be 
the  correct  spelling.  It  is  usual  to  pronounce  the  name 
quickly,  and  in  an  abbreviated  form  thus  :  '  Y-tos  (both 
vowels  long).  On  the  Amazon  "  lingua  franca,"  a 
sort  of  jargon,  is  in  vogue,  and  it  is  largely  dominated 
by  "  Yankee  English."  The  United  States  are  usurping 
all  the  trade,  all  the  style,  and  all  the  customs  in  South 
America.  Their  dream  is  a  cluster  of  American  republics 
which  shall  oust  all  European  trade,  ways,  and  influence ; 
and  they  are  making  big  strides  in  this  direction.  Spanish 
and  Portuguese  are  already  much  corrupted ;  and 
changes  of  names  and  spellings  are  largely  due  to  United 
States  influence.  Nobody  hears  of  Rib  now  (the  true 
pronunciation) ;  it  is  always  Rio — even  in  the  mouth 
of  a  Portuguese.  Similarly,  if  in  the  States  you  speak 
of  Medina,  you  provoke  a  broad  smile  :  and,  "  I  s'pose 
you  mean  Medi'na  ?  "  If  I  remember  right,  last  year 
Mr.  Secretary  Somebodyorother  wanted  to  reform  the 
orthography  of  the  American  language,  and  spell  circle 
with  a  round  O  ! 

Twenty-eight  years  is  a  long  time  in  the  world's 
history,  and  between  American  and  Briton  and  pushing 
German  I  have  no  doubt  there  have  been  considerable 
developments  of  commercial  matters  on  the  Amazon 
since  1884. 

There  were  indications  of  it  at  that  time  ;  and  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhoods  of  the  towns  and  villages, 
and  also  up  the  tributary  streams,  there  were  consider- 
able clearings  of  the  forest — clearings  which  may  be 
divided  into  old  and  new.  But  it  must  be  understood 
that  compared  with  the  whole  forest-clad  region  these 
inroads  on  the  timber  were  a  series  of  mere  flea-bites. 


HIGH    UP    THE    AMAZON    RIVER        255 

I  am  not  going  to  indulge  in  a  calculation  of  the  time 
the  forest  would  last  if  a  determined  effort  were  made  to 
clear  it  away.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  square  miles 
would  have  to  be  drained  before  a  tree  could  be  touched  ; 
and  this  would  be  a  job  for  a  gentleman  named  Hercules  ! 
Timber,  to  be  worth  transport,  must  be  got  cheap,  at 
least  until  old  Time  has  put  another  century  or  two  on 
the  world.  So  the  great  bulk  of  the  forest  is  safe  for  the 
present. 

Another  circumstance  that  will  tend  to  preserve  the 
more  distant  parts  of  it  is  the  fact  that  cleared  ground 
rapidly  becomes  reafforested  without  any  replanting  by 
the  hand  of  man.  Trees  grow  very  rapidly  in  this 
country  ;  and  though  the  giants  of  the  forest  may  take 
a  long  time  to  attain  full  development,  it  is  not  the  very 
largest  trees  that  the  timber-merchant  seeks  with  most 
eagerness.  The  buttressed  cotton- wood,  and  the  huge 
mora  (of  which  there  are  several  species),  for  instance, 
seldom  pay  for  cutting  down.  The  largest  trees  are 
seldom  free  from  defects,  nor  do  they  yield  the  firmest 
and  finest  timber.  Some  of  the  most  picturesque  trees, 
therefore,  will  not  be  destroyed,  even  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  settlements. 

This  is  proved  by  what  I  have  termed  the  old,  and 
the  new,  clearings.  Formerly  lumberers  went  some 
distance  from  towns  and  villages,  where  the  land  was 
mostly  owned  by  private  persons,  or  by  Government, 
and  felled  the  timber  at  their  uncontrolled  will.  There 
was  no  machinery,  and  no  power,  not  even  horse  help, 
as  a  rule  :  consequently  only  such  trees  were  cut  as 
would  fall  into  the  water,  or  could  be  easily  pushed  into 
it.  Thus  it  could  scarcely  be  seen  where  these  fellings 


256  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

had  taken  place.  But,  when  richer  men  than  the 
pioneers  of  the  lumber  trade  in  this  region  saw  that 
there  was  wealth  to  be  made  from  the  forest  growth, 
they  obtained  grants  and  concessions,  and  erected  saw- 
mills and  wharves.  In  the  case  of  the  older  works,  these 
were  generally  temporary  erections  :  and  when  the 
forest  had  been  cut  down  over  a  fixed  area,  they  were 
removed  to  a  fresh  site.  I  have  examined  many  of  the 
old  clearings  ;  and  found  that  in  the  space  of  about 
twenty  years  there  is  a  new  growth  of  trees  fit  for 
timber  purposes.  So  it  will  certainly  be  a  very  long 
time  before  the  distant  parts  of  Matto  Grosso  are 
invaded. 

The  worst  mischief,  at  present,  is  done  to  trees  of 
particular  species — the  cinchona  for  instance.  The 
bark  of  this  tree  is  very  valuable,  and  ought  to  be 
stripped  off  with  care  ;  and  only  partially,  so  that  the 
life  of  the  plant  should  not  be  destroyed  :  but  irrespon- 
sible persons,  long  prior  to  1884,  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  searching  the  forests,  as  far  as  they  could  penetrate, 
for  the  cinchona  and  the  rubber  trees.  The  cinchona 
they  cut  down  to  strip  off  the  bark  :  the  rubber  they 
bled  to  death  in  their  greed  to  obtain  as  much  of  the 
valuable  substance  as  possible. 

The  opinion  that  the  trees  yielding  these  products 
are  only  found  in  the  highlands  of  Peru,  Guiana,  etc.,  is 
an  incorrect  one.  They  were  formerly  very  plentiful  in 
the  accessible  parts  of  the  forests  bordering  the  Amazon, 
and  still  are  so  in  the  remote  districts  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  ;  and  in  all  parts  where  the  ground  is  not  a 
swamp. 

In  1884  there  was  not  a  yard  of  railway  within  hun- 


HIGH   UP   THE   AMAZON   RIVER        257 

dreds  of  miles  of  either  bank  of  the  Amazon,  and  I  am 
not  aware  that  this  state  of  the  country  has  since  been 
altered.  There  were  no  great  towns  in  the  interior  of 
Brazil  or  the  neighbouring  states  to  warrant  the  tre- 
mendous outlay  which  is  usually  necessary  in  this 
country  for  the  making  of  railways.  I  gave  some  atten- 
tion to  the  matter  when  on  the  Amazon  ;  and  heard 
the  opinions  of  both  American  (U.S.)  and  English 
engineers.  We  could  find  no  place  at  all,  away  from  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  cleared  grounds  around  the 
towns,  where  a  line  could  be  made  for  less  than  £5000 
English  per  linear  mile.  In  many  places  double  this 
amount  would  not  cover  the  cost.  Sufficient  local 
labour  could  not  be  found  ;  and  the  cost  of  clearing  the 
ground  alone  would  be  enormous.  In  a  stretch  of  fifty 
miles  of  forest  ground  lying  between  Olivenca  and 
Matura  it  was  found  that  150  bridges,  viaducts,  and  cul- 
verts would  have  to  be  constructed  ;  10,000,000  trees 
felled  and  about  300  square  miles  of  swamp  made  firm, 
or  embanked  !  Where  would  the  capital  come  from  ? 
and,  if  found,  what  would  the  return  be  ?  It  occurred 
to  me  at  the  time,  and  I  have  seen  no  reason  to  alter 
the  opinion,  that  centuries  must  elapse  before  an  exten- 
sive system  of  railways  will  be  needed,  or  can  be  con- 
structed, in  Central  Brazil.  I  suppose,  to-day,  it  would 
be  quite  easy  to  find  six  or  eight  tracts  in  the  valley  of 
the  Amazon,  varying  from  100  to  400  miles  square  (not 
square  miles)  which  do  not  contain  a  single  white  inhabi- 
tant. The  whole  continent  is  sparsely  populated : 
Central  Brazil  particularly  so.  The  population  is  con- 
centrated on  the  water-ways,  and  is  little  more  than  two 
per  square  mile  for  the  whole  country  ;  and  it  is  to  her 
s 


258  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

extensive  and  magnificent  rivers  that  Brazil  must  long 
look  for  her  means  of  internal  transit.  In  no  country  in 
the  world  are  there  so  few  hamlets  and  isolated  dwellings 
of  the  farm  and  plantation  class  ;  and  in  no  land  are 
peasants  so  few.  Brazil  is  a  country  of :  1.  Rich  men. 
2.  Comparatively  rich  men.  3.  Proud  beggars.  4. 
Miserable  abjects. 

The  third  class  are  what  are  (or  used  to  be)  called 
"  mean  whites  "  in  the  southern  States  of  the  North. 
They  live  anyhow,  and  by  any  means — except  work. 
The  great  mass  of  half-breeds  may  be  placed  with  them ; 
and  some  of  these  are  soldiers  or  sailors  ;  the  true  whites 
being  altogether  too  exalted  personages  to  hold  any 
military  rank  under  that  of  commissioned  "officer.  I 
do  not  wish  to  say  anything  unkind  against  a  nation  in 
whose  land  I  have  sojourned,  and  received  some  hos- 
pitality ;  but  it  is  a  fact  that  Brazil  suffers  severely 
from  lack  of  the  mechanic  and  labourer  classes.  The 
slaves  have  now  died  out — there  are  no  negroes  in  the 
country  who  are  not  nominally  free — and  for  all  practical 
purposes,  really  so  :  and  the  black  is  not  nearly  so 
numerous  in  South  America  as  he  is  in  the  States.  He 
is  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to  till  the  soil  and  harvest 
the  crops  ;  and  the  proud  beggars  will  not  condescend  to 
do  work  of  any  kind,  unless  drinking,  stabbing,  making 
love,  and  card-playing  be  counted  works. 

So  Brazil  has  more  than  once  endeavoured  to  people 
her  waste  lands  with  emigrants ;  and  Russians,  Germans, 
and  a  few  Irish  and  English  have  come  hither  "  to  better 
themselves."  These  unfortunate  people  were  promptly 
sent  into  the  interior  of  the  country  ;  and  then  found 
themselves  compelled  to  do  the  work  of  the  emancipated 


Plioto  Underwood  &>  Underwood 

A    FREIGHT  TRUN    IN   GUAYAQUIL.     A  TYPICAL   SCENE   IN   THE   LARGE 
CITIES   OF  AMAZON   VALLEY 


HIGH    UP   THE    AMAZON   RIVER        259 

slaves — or  starve.  Pay  they  seldom  got,  and  thousands 
have  died  miserable  deaths  of  semi-starvation  and  the 
diseases  engendered  of  improper  and  insufficient  food. 
In  fact,  these  European  emigrants  have  over  and  over 
again  been  subjected  to  the  position  of  slaves  ;  and 
whole  bands  have  met  the  fate  of  extermination  through 
ill-usage  and  starvation.  If  enquiry  is  made  :  "  Where 
were  the  respective  consuls  of  these  people  ?  "  that  is 
precisely  what  I  have  repeatedly  asked  !  So  far  as 
England  is  concerned,  various  notices  and  cautions  have 
been  inserted  in  the  public  papers  ;  but  ought  not 
something  more  than  this  to  be  done  ? 

Let  me  add  my  caution.  There  is  a  Government  in 
this  land,  and  I  believe  it  is  honestly  striving  to  do  its 
duty  :  but  Brazil  is  pretty  much  about  the  size  of 
Europe.  In  the  interior  there  are  about  one  policeman 
and  two  soldiers  to  a  hundred  thousand  miles  of  territory. 
There  are  no  railways,  and  you  may  walk  a  thousand 
miles  in  any  direction  before  you  come  to  a  made  road. 
The  proprietor  of  a  large  estate  of  any  kind — owner  of 
from  a  hundred  to  a  thousand  square  miles  of  land,  is 
a  little  god  in  his  way — and  in  yours.  He  does  what  he 
likes,  and  if  you  do  not  like  it,  take  my  advice  and  clear 
out.  In  no  country  is  it  a  safe  game  to  oppose  arrogant 
wealth — in  this  it  is  a  positively  dangerous  one.  You 
will  certainly  get  no  justice  :  but  in  all  probability  you 
will  get  a  good  broad  knife  between  your  blade-bones, 
placed  there  by  a  gentleman  of  class  No.  3,  who  knows 
the  exact  position  of  your  liver,  and  of  the  effect  of  a  deep 
stab  therein.  The  Sefior  Portuguese  resembles  the  (fcvil 
in  two  points  :  he  is  superlatively  polite,  and  fiendishly 
vindictive.  So  beware  ! 


260  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

The  current  of  the  Amazon  is  ponderous,  not  rapid. 
In  the  upper  parts  of  the  Ucayali  and  Maranon  it  is  tur- 
bulent, boisterous,  full  of  rapids,  cascades,  and  falls,  as 
already  described.  Nauta  is  situated  at  the  junction 
of  the  Ucayali  and  the  main  stream  ;  but  notwithstand- 
ing the  tremendous  body  of  water  discharged  by  the 
great  tributary  the  meeting  of  the  two  currents  causes 
no  particular  commotion,  no  noticeable  impact  on  the 
opposite  bank  ;  but  the  force  must  be  very  powerful  ; 
for  a  huge  quantity  of  sedimentary  deposit  is  brought 
down  by  the  Ucayali,  yet  it  is  all  swept  away — there  is 
no  formation  of  mud,  or  sand-banks,  or  of  islands,  as 
there  is  at  the  embouchures  of  the  Javari,  Jurua,  Purus, 
Rio  Negro,  Madeira,  the  Tapajos,  and  the  Xingu  :  all  of 
them  sluggish  streams  on  their  upper  reaches  ;  and  some 
of  them  throughout  their  entire  courses.  This  is  a  proof 
that  the  Ucayali  has  a  swifter  and  stronger  stream  than 
the  other  rivers  just  mentioned  ;  and  also  that  the  current 
of  the  Amazon  itself  must  be  very  powerful ;  yet  one 
would  hardly  think  so,  judging  from  superficial  appear- 
ances. It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Amazon  is 
seventy  feet  deep  just  below  Nauta  ;  a  very  great  depth, 
indeed,  for  any  river ;  and  it  is  the  only  stream  in  the 
world  which  can  show  anything  like  such  a  depth,  and 
volume  of  water,  2000  miles  from  its  mouth.  In  fact, 
the  Amazon  is  an  exemplification  throughout  the  whole 
of  its  main  course  of  the  adage  that  "  still  waters  run 
deep."  Below  Nauta  the  main  channel  is  nowhere  less 
than  seventy  feet  deep  ;  and,  with  some  variations,  it 
gradually  increases  in  depth  till,  below  the  junction  of 
the  Rio  Negro,  it  is  never  less  than  200  feet ! 

By  main  channel  I  mean  the  deepest  part :   for  the 


HIGH    UP    THE    AMAZON    RIVER        261 

river  is  often  so  broad,  even  in  its  upper  parts,  that  a 
boat,  or  small  vessel,  may  drift,  or  sail,  along  either 
bank  for  days  and  yet  never  be  within  a  mile  of  the  chief 
or  central  current ;  though,  by  the  by,  the  current  is  not 
always  in  the  centre  of  the  river,  or  even  near  it. 
There  are  places  where  the  deepest  soundings,  and  the 
strongest  currents,  are  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
bank,  though  the  river  may  be  two  or  three  miles  broad. 
No  doubt  the  Pelorus  made  a  systematic  series  of  sound- 
ings ;  I  cannot  pretend  to  have  done  that ;  but  I  have 
plumbed  every  mile  of  it,  and  examined  it  from  bank  to 
bank,  with  the  results  I  here  give.  Notices  of  unusual 
depths,  and  of  shoal  places,  must  be  given  as  we  reach 
them  ;  but  I  may  remark  here  that  the  Amazon  is 
unusually  clear  of  deep  holes ;  though  there  are  many 
shallows  with  deep  currents  on  either  side  of  them. 

Below  Puca-allpa,  which  is  about  twelve  miles  farther 
down  the  stream  than  Yquitos,  there  is  a  vast  stretch, 
which  is  one  of  the  straightest  parts  of  the  Amazon. 
For  nearly  200  miles  there  is  no  great  bend  in  the  course 
of  the  river,  which  is,  all  this  way,  of  considerable  width. 
Just  below  Pevas  there  is  a  reach  of  twenty  miles  in 
extent  ;  and  beyond  Pernate,  looking  straight  forward, 
the  stretch  and  breadth  of  water  are  so  great  that  one 
could  easily  believe  he  was  looking  out  to  sea. 

On  these  great  reaches  a  boat  allowed  to  drift  will 
keep  near  the  centre  of  the  river,  and  drop  downstream 
at  the  rate  of  about  a  mile  an  hour,  though  there  is  no 
perceptible  current  on  the  surface.  When  a  stiff  breeze 
is  blowing,  or  a  storm  raging,  the  water  is  so  much  dis- 
turbed that  a  small  craft,  such  as  the  Firefly  (which  had 
a  tonnage  of  nearly  twenty),  rolls  and  rocks  as  if  it  were 


262  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

well  out  to  sea.  On  some  of  the  broads  I  have  seen 
waves  rise  apparently  about  three  feet,  making  it  im- 
possible to  launch  a  canoe,  and  dangerous  to  use  a  small 
row-boat. 

There  are  a  few  small  islands  in  these  reaches  which 
call  for  no  particular  notice  ;  but  some  of  them  which 
are  very  low  and  denuded  of  timber — sand-banks,  in 
fact — are  much  resorted  to  by  Amazon  river  tortoises, 
which  are,  I  believe,  a  distinct  species  ;  and  are,  in  any 
case,  of  gigantic  size,  some  of  them  measuring  not  much 
under  a  yard  in  length  ;  and  weighing,  I  should  think, 
at  least  200  pounds  :  in  fact,  they  rival  sea-turtle  in 
dimensions. 

Hundreds  of  them  were  seen  lying  on  the  mud  and 
sand  ;  and  they  were  of  all  sizes  from  tiny  things  a  few 
inches  across  to  giants  of  thirty-three  inches,  the  length 
of  the  biggest  captured  by  us.  They  love  to  repose 
exposed  to  the  blazing  hot  sun,  and  apparently  asleep  ; 
but  on  the  approach  of  a  boat  they  slip  into  the  water 
with  an  ease  and  speed  one  would  scarcely  believe  such 
ungainly  creatures  could  possess  :  and  they  swim  with 
great  activity  ;  not  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  but  well 
beneath  it.  I  have  seen  them  at  as  great  depths  as  the 
eye  can  penetrate  the  water,  which  may  be  forty  or 
fifty  feet  where  it  is  clear  and  undisturbed.  Very  few 
come  near  the  surface — six  or  eight  feet  beneath  it, 
perhaps  :  and  these,  on  seeing  me  watching  them  from 
the  branch  of  a  tree,  hanging  over  from  the  shore  thirty 
feet  or  more,  changed  direction  at  right  angles,  and 
darted  away  as  rapidly  as  fish  could  do.  They  are  much 
persecuted  by  Indians,  and,  indeed,  all  classes  and  races 
of  men  ;  which,  I  suppose,  accounts  for  their  great  shy- 


HIGH    UP   THE    AMAZON    RIVER        263 

ness.  The  Indians  along  the  shore  destroy  great  numbers 
of  them  ;  and  also  their  eggs  by  the  thousand.  The 
tortoises  are  generally  surprised  at  night-time  when  they 
land  on  the  sand-banks  after  feeding,  the  Indians  lying 
in  wait  for  them.  The  eggs  are  beaten  up  into  a  batter  ; 
and  this,  on  being  placed  over  a  slow  fire,  gives  up  a 
great  quantity  of  oil,  which  is  much  relished  by  the 
native  rovers  of  the  forest.  The  flesh  of  the  tortoise, 
cut  into  strips  and  steaks,  is  boiled  or  toasted.  In  the 
case  of  old  animals  it  is  tough  and  flavourless  ;  but 
younger  ones  are  passable.  The  flesh  is  not,  however, 
to  be  compared  to  that  of  the  turtle,  and  there  is  never 
much  fat  on  it.  The  Indians  often  keep  it  a  full  day 
before  eating  it ;  which  is  tantamount,  in  this  climate, 
to  rendering  it  "  gamy  "  :  and  I  found  that  this  method 
made  it  more  palatable. 

The  tortoise  feeds  chiefly  on  river-weed  ;  but  it  also 
eats  grass  and  leaves  on  the  banks.  It  is  said  to  resort 
to  favourite  sand-banks  to  deposit  its  eggs,  which  are 
left  to  be  hatched  by  the  heat  of  the  sun.  They  are 
deposited  in  layers  at  a  depth  of  about  eighteen  inches  ; 
but  I  could  not  ascertain  how  many  each  female  lays. 
The  Indians  do  not  seem  to  trouble  their  heads  about 
such  details  ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  make  them  under- 
stand numbers  above  ten  or  twelve.  Generally,  if  they 
wish  to  say  20,  100,  or  1000  they  use  a  word  import- 
ing a  great  number.  Small  numbers  they  indicate  by 
holding  up  their  fingers.  Indians  who  have  been  bred 
and  brought  up  near  towns  or  settlements  learn  to  count 
greater  numbers,  but  it  is  rare  to  find  one  who  can  ex- 
press a  greater  number  than  100,  except  in  general 
terms. 


264  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

This  tortoise  is  remarkable  for  its  flatness  of  form  :  it 
is  much  the  flattest  tortoise,  or  turtle,  I  have  seen,  a 
very  fine  specimen  not  being  more  than  ten  inches  high 
when  drawn  within  its  shell.  Both  shell  and  reptile  seem 
to  be  heavier  than  in  the  sea-turtle.  Formerly  banks 
were  completely  covered  with  these  creatures  ;  but  at 
the  time  of  which  I  am  writing,  the  numbers  were 
beginning  to  show  signs  of  the  constant  persecution 
to  which  they  are  subjected ;  and  particularly  of 
the  enormous  quantity  of  their  eggs  which  are  yearly 
destroyed. 

I  do  not  know  that  the  cayman  molests  these  tortoises ; 
but  it  is  a  fact  that  the  two  reptiles  are  never  seen  on  the 
same  bank,  or  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  each 
other.  In  describing  the  Purus,  I  have  wondered  where 
caymans  could  obtain  a  constant  and  sufficient  supply 
of  food.  On  the  Amazon  I  have  heard  the  Indians  say 
that  this  last-named  reptile  captures  large  fishes.  I 
have  not,  myself,  seen  anything  of  the  kind  ;  but  the 
Indian  accounts  are  probably  reliable.  I  have  formed 
the  opinion  that  the  children  of  the  wild  are  truthful 
and  accurate  when  describing  the  creatures  and  objects 
with  which  they  are  surrounded  and  come  into  daily 
contact  with  ;  though  I  have  no  doubt,  where  their 
personal  interests  are  concerned,  they  can,  like  Jones 
of  Westoria  Street,  and  Lazarus  of  Eastend  Alley,  tell 
a  "  crack "  or  two  :  this  is,  I  believe,  the  cautious 
Scottish  way  of  putting  it. 

On  the  north  bank  of  the  Amazon,  between  Yquitos 
and  the  mouth  of  the  lea,  a  distance  of  about  300  miles, 
there  are  a  considerable  number  of  towns,  villages,  and 
ranches  which  appear  to  be  in  a  prosperous  condition. 


HIGH    UP    THE    AMAZON    RIVER        265 

Some  of  these  are  miles  inland  from  the  river-bank  ;  and 
there  are  roads,  or  what  in  England  we  should  call  bridle- 
paths, leading  some  distance  into  the  interior.  All  these, 
I  believe,  are  maintained  and  kept  open  by  private 
enterprise — no  light,  or  inexpensive,  work  in  a  country 
"where  you  may  stand  and  see  the  vegetation  grow." 
The  assertion  has  been  made,  and  it  is  not  devoid  of  truth ; 
for  there  are  plants  here  which  I  have  proved  by  careful 
measurements  will  grow  thirty-six  inches  in  twenty- 
four  hours  !  In  fact,  the  growth  and  development  of 
many  of  the  herbal  wonders  of  this  region  are  so  extra- 
ordinary and  amazing  that  I  have  often  imagined  the 
line  between  animal  and  vegetable  life  is  not  so  broad 
as  is  usually  thought ;  especially  when  the  habits  of 
some  plants  are  considered.  For  instance,  there  is  a  "fly- 
trap," or  carnivorous  shrub,  in  this  region,  which  I 
frequently  saw  on  cultivated,  or  cleared,  ground,  but 
never  in  the  forest ;  and  which  may  have  been  imported 
here  by  human,  or  animal,  agency — that  I  cannot  say  : 
but  I  have  seen  flies  and  butterflies  of  considerable  size 
alight  on  this  plant.  Instantly  the  prickly-edged,  hairy- 
surfaced  leaf  has  closed  on  the  unfortunate  insects.  In- 
terested beyond  measure  in  the  development  of  the 
tragedy,  I  have  put  aside  all  other  work  and  consider- 
ations to  watch  the  end  of  this  curious  plant-action. 
In  about  two  hours'  time  the  leaf  would  begin  to  slowly 
unfold  ;  and  another  hour  would  elapse  before  it  was 
fully  open.  The  body  of  the  fly,  beetle,  or  spider  would 
be  completely  consumed,  only  the  wings,  legs,  and 
elytra  remaining,  and  these  broken  and  rent  as  if  they 
had  passed  through  the  mandibles  of  a  bird  or  lizard. 
The  wings  of  butterflies  would  be  crushed  into  minute 


266  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

fragments  ;  and  even  the  hard  elytra  of  beetles  broken 
into  very  small  pieces. 

I  tried  a  number  of  experiments  with  this  strange 
plant.  A  plump  caterpillar  was  greatly  enjoyed,  and 
was  very  speedily  consumed,  the  leaf  beginning  to  re- 
open soon  after  an  hour  had  elapsed,  and  scarcely  any 
ejecta  remaining.  Some  caterpillars  and  spiders  are 
very  lively  and  active,  and  I  thought  ought  to  be  able 
to  escape  from  the  leaf  ;  but  they  could  not  do  so, 
although  the  action  of  the  trap  was  anything  but  sudden 
or  spring-like.  I  noticed  that  the  spiders  drew  in  their 
legs  as  if  injured  or  in  pain  ;  and  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  plant  was  poisonous.  Upon  putting  my 
finger  on  a  leaf  I  found  that  this  was  the  case.  The  hairs 
with  which  its  surface  was  covered  gave  quite  a  sharp 
sting,  which,  however,  did  not  cause  persistent  irritation, 
for  the  moment  I  removed  the  ringer  the  pain  ceased. 
The  leaf  which  I  had  touched  seemed  to  be  disturbed. 
It  partly  closed,  slightly  reopened,  wavered  a  little, 
closing  and  unclosing  ;  and  then  remained  fixed  in  a 
partially  closed  state.  Some  hours  afterwards,  however, 
it  was  spread  wide  open,  waiting  for  a  victim. 

Next  I  tried  what  a  fat  cockroach  could  do.  I  have 
a  particular  aversion  to  cockroaches,  chiefly  I  think 
because  they  are  so  aggressive  with  their  protective 
odour,  inflicting  it  on  everything  eatable  and  drinkable 
that  they  can  get  at ;  so  I  was  not  sorry  to  discover 
that  even  this  strong  and  evil-smelling  creature  could 
not  escape  the  toils  of  Venus'  love-trap  (is  it  love-trap, 
or  fly-trap  ?).  He  got  his  head  and  fore-quarters  out, 
it  is  true  ;  but  the  leaf  closed  on  his  fat  and  succulent 
rear  parts,  and  he  took  his  fate  very  quietly — paralysed 


HIGH    UP    THE    AMAZON    RIVER         267 

or  rendered  comatose,  I  suppose.  When  Venus  had  done 
with  him  there  was  very  little  of  him  left  besides  head 
and  whiskers. 

A  scorpion,  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  had  a  better  fate 
than  he  deserved.  He  contrived  to  get  out  of  the  trap 
very  easily  ;  but  he  did  not  seem  to  have  admired  his 
experiences.  After  he  had  made  three  or  four  escapes 
he  seemed  rather  sickly  :  so  I  kept  him,  thinking  he 
would  die  of  Venus'  poison  ;  but  he  did  not :  so  next 
day,  as  he  appeared  quite  lively,  and  in  a  very  aggressive 
mood,  I  let  him  go  ;  to  make  a  meal  off  some  poor  in- 
offensive worm,  or  grub,  we  may  make  pretty  sure. 

I  have  called  this  plant  a  Venus'  fly-trap ;  but  it  was  a 
very  different  growth  from  the  plant  commonly  so  called. 
Its  great  spike -protected  leaves  were  four  inches  long, 
and  one  and  a  half  wide  ;  and  it  was  of  shrub-like  growth 
and  more  than  four  feet  high. 

Along  these  reaches  of  the  river  is  a  sort  of  border- 
land. Peru  and  Ecuador  are  peopled  by  the  descendants 
of  Spaniards,  Brazil  by  those  of  Portuguese — one  race, 
in  the  opinion  of  persons  best  qualified  to  judge  ;  but  it 
is  as  great  an  insult  to  a  Portuguese  to  tell  him  he  is  of 
the  same  stock  as  the  Spaniard,  as  it  is  to  compare  a 
Japanese  with  John  Chinaman.  But  in  this  region  the 
two  peoples  are  in  close  relationship,  and  as  is  usually 
the  case  in  similar  circumstances  all  the  world  over, 
they  agree  better  in  close  proximity  to  each  other  than 
they  do  when  a  thousand  miles  apart.  There  are  Portu- 
guese in  this  quarter  of  Ecuador  (or  Peru  as  it  now  is), 
and  Spaniards  settled  over  the  border  of  Brazil ;  and 
these  people  of  both  nationalities  I  found  more  amicable 
and  hospitable  than  in  any  other  parts  of  their  countries  : 


268  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

not  that  I  wish  to  make  any  kind  of  attack  on  the 
people  of  either  country.  Everywhere  I  met  some 
persons  who  were  mostly  kindly  disposed — and  every- 
where there  are  some  churls,  even  in  Merry  England. 
Only,  in  a  book  of  this  description,  it  is  desirable  to 
state  just  exactly  what  were  the  experiences  of  a  sojourner 
in  the  country — mine  were  decidedly  mixed. 

But  one  of  the  pleasantest  episodes  of  my  life  on  the 
Amazon  is  connected  with  a  Spanish  family  in  this 
region.  They  occupied  a  rancho  on  the  little  river  Yano, 
Chimnath  or  Lerote,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  town 
of  the  last  name,  and  sixteen  from  the  north  bank  of 
the  Amazon. 

The  Senor  and  his  charming  wife  and  daughters  were 
unconventional  people,  who,  exceedingly  happy  in  their 
own  family  life  (not  by  any  means  a  common  thing  in 
this  part  of  the  world),  seemed  to  have  no  other  desire 
towards  a  stranger  but  to  make  him  as  happy  and  com- 
fortable as  themselves.  I  met  the  Senor  by  accident ; 
and  our  friendly  relations  commenced  at  once,  on  the 
instant ;  and  he  induced  me  to  remain  a  whole  fortnight 
lying  off  the  little  private  wharf,  where  the  produce  of 
his  estate  was  put  on  board  the  lighters  which  conveyed 
it  to  Olivenca,  the  port  at  which  it  was  usually  shipped. 
My  friend  grew  both  coffee  and  cocoa  very  extensively, 
and  had  the  largest  plantation  of  bananas  I  have  ever 
seen,  all  of  which  went  to  the  United  States  ;  the  trade 
in  this  fruit  with  England  not  then  being  so  extensive 
as  it  is  at  the  present  time. 

I  resided  at  the  house  during  this  fortnight,  and  ob- 
tained a  much-needed  rest.  My  host  was  one  of  those 
amiable  characters  who  are  ever  ready  to  enter  into  all 


HIGH    UP   THE    AMAZON    RIVER        269 

the  tastes  and  pursuits  of  their  friends  ;  and  we  were  soon 
botanizing  and  specimen  hunting  together  ;  and  it  was 
here  that  I  first  saw  and  studied  the  web-spinning,  bird- 
eating  spider,  which  is  the  one,  I  suppose,  referred  to  by 
Madame  Marian,  a  French  lady,  as  long  ago  as  1720.  It 
is  not  one  of  the  largest  of  the  bird-eating,  or  rather, 
killing,  class,  being  about  two  inches  in  length  of  body, 
and  three  and  a  half  inches  the  longest  legs.  It  is  very 
quick  and  nimble  ;  and,  I  should  think,  very  venomous, 
since  its  victims  seem  to  be  paralysed  the  moment  it 
bites  them.  Birds  are  not  its  chief  food  ;  and  it  cannot 
master  those  which  are  as  large  as  the  English  sparrow, 
and  seems  to  be  afraid  of  them.  I  have  seen  birds  as  big 
as  starlings  and  sparrows  break  through  the  web,  and 
escape  before  the  spider  attacked  them  ;  and  others  it 
has  itself  cut  loose  and  let  go.  But  very  small  ones, 
such  as  the  gem-bird,  ant-bird,  and  humming-bird,  are 
often  captured  and  destroyed,  the  spider  sucking  every 
drop  of  blood  and  moisture  from  the  tiny  bodies  of  its 
victims,  and  dropping  the  little  carcasses,  shapeless 
masses,  except  for  wings  and  legs,  clear  of  the  web, 
where  what  remains  of  them  is  soon  demolished  by  ants 
and  beetles. 

The  web  is  not  spread  vertically,  but  horizontally, 
between  two  bushes,  or  tufts  of  herbage,  so  that  birds 
darting  upwards  are  prevented  from  rising.  They  do 
not  seem  to  have  sense  to  fly  away  laterally,  or  down- 
wards, but  keep  bobbing  upwards  in  an  endeavour  to 
break  through  the  web,  with  the  result  that  they  become 
more  and  more  entangled.  Meanwhile  the  spider,  on 
the  first  shake  of  his  snare,  rushes  from  his  lurking-place 
on  the  top  side  and  hangs  partly  over  the  edge  to  watch. 


270  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

As  soon  as  he  sees  that  his  prey  is  too  much  entangled 
to  offer  resistance,  he  darts  upon  it,  burying  his  ugly 
fangs  amongst  its  feathers,  and  with  a  quiver  the 
little  victim  subsides  into  quietude,  and,  let  us  hope,  a 
painless  death.  The  bird-slayer  proceeds  much  as  does 
a  common  spider  with  a  fly.  He  commences  his  feast 
on  that  part  of  the  web  where  the  prey  was  captured  ; 
but  he  soon  spins  a  strong  line  or  two  around  it,  and  hold- 
ing these  with  his  two  hindmost  legs,  drags  it  to  the 
lower  side  of  his  lurking-den,  which  is  placed  under  the 
shelter  of  a  leaf,  or  broad  bough.  Here  he  finishes  his  meal, 
and  immediately  cuts  the  remains  loose,  letting  them 
drop  to  the  ground  beneath  where  we  may  see  a  whole 
heap  of  insects'  wings,  elytra,  etc.  For  this  spider  preys 
largely  on  beetles  and  flies  of  all  descriptions  which  are 
not  too  small  to  be  worth  its  attention.  At  night-time 
many  beetles,  some  of  them  quite  large  creatures,  take 
wing,  and  go  forth  for  an  airing,  some  of  them  never  to 
return  to  their  accustomed  hiding-places  :  for  they  are 
preyed  on  by  a  host  of  nocturnal  birds  and  other  animals 
abroad  for  protective  purposes,  or  in  search  of  a  supper  ; 
and  amongst  others  by  this  spider.  Cockroaches  fly 
about  much  at  night-time  ;  and  I  noticed  from  the 
remains  under  the  webs  that  many  of  them  find  their 
way  into  the  poisonous  maw  of  this  bird-trapping  spider. 

The  web  is  closely  woven  like  that  of  the  house-spider, 
is  of  a  very  light  grey  colour  and  remarkably  strong. 
I  placed  my  hand  under  one  or  two,  and  found  I  had 
to  use  considerable  exertion  to  break  them  up  ;  and 
several  portions  stuck  to  my  fingers  so  pertinaciously 
that  I  could  not  get  rid  of  them  without  some  trouble. 

This  spider  is  quite  distinct  from  the  ordinary  bird- 


HIGH    UP    THE    AMAZON   RIVER        271 

killing  species,  of  which  there  are  several  varieties. 
The  largest  is  a  tremendous  creature,  with  legs  spreading, 
as  I  have  already  mentioned,  over  a  foot  of  surface — 
laterally  at  any  rate.  It,  also,  is  an  active  creature, 
capable  of  running  and  rushing  about  with  so  great 
activity  that  the  details  of  its  structure  cannot  be  seen  ; 
and  to  the  unaccustomed  eyes  it  might  be  mistaken  for 
a  small  animal.  It  can  jump  upwards  from  the  ground  a 
distance  of  at  least  a  foot,  and  forwards  three  times  that 
length.  I  have  also  seen  it  spring  backwards  several 
inches  ;  and  when  it  pauses,  or  moves  slowly,  it  holds 
up  its  nippers  in  a  threatening  attitude  ;  and  seems 
prepared  to  show  fight.  Its  colour  is  a  deep  black  ; 
but  other  kinds,  or  species,  are  grey,  and  some  incline 
to  a  brown  tint ;  while  several,  though  apparently 
closely  related  to  the  bird-killers,  are  evidently  too 
small  and  weak  to  capture  such  large  prey.  All  these 
spiders,  however,  can  master  and  carry,  at  a  running 
pace,  prey  which  weighs  double  their  own  weight.  The 
large  race — the  true  bird-killer — lives  entirely,  I  think, 
on  birds  ;  at  any  rate,  these  form  its  chief  food.  It  is  a 
hunting-spider ;  and  young,  unfledged  birds  are  those 
which  form  the  bulk  of  its  prey  ;  though  I  have  seen  it 
suddenly  leap  upon  old  birds  from  the  shelter  of  clusters 
of  leaves.  It  likewise  spins,  or  rather  lines,  with  a  silk- 
like  web,  dens  under  roots,  boughs  of  trees,  and  in  the 
crevices  of  rocks,  from  which  it  springs  out  upon  any 
birds  which  come  within  range. 

These  spiders  are  so  repulsive -looking  that  I  have 
never  cared  to  handle  them  ;  but  I  have  held  them  down 
with  a  stick  while  I  examined  them  ;  and  have  captured 
several,  and  kept  them  for  a  time.  They  would  eat 


272  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

blood,  and  gorge  themselves  to  so  great  an  extent  that 
they  became  torpid,  and  apparently  slept  for  twenty- 
four  hours  ;  then  they  again  became  lively,  and  ready 
for  another  meal.  They  would  not  touch  dead  birds 
which  I  put  into  the  cage  ;  and  the  blood  of  large  mam- 
mals seemed  to  upset  them,  though  they  took  it  eagerly. 
Live  birds  they  literally  rushed  upon,  and  one  of  them 
took  a  mouse  without  hesitation,  but  seemed  to  have 
some  difficulty  in  mastering  it.  I  watched  carefully 
whenever  I  had  an  opportunity,  but  never  saw  these 
spiders,  in  a  wild  state,  attack  mice,  or  any  other  small 
mammal.  I  found  one  running  quickly  with  a  bird  the 
size  of  a  thrush  in  its  mandibles  ;  which  circumstance 
is  a  good  illustration  of  its  size  and  strength. 

Their  legs  are  very  thick  and  strong,  and  give  the 
animal  the  appearance  of  a  crab.  Those  which  I  kept 
in  confinement  were  so  quarrelsome  that  they  had  to 
be  separated.  If  I  kept  them  long  without  food,  their 
bodies  diminished  in  size  but  not  their  legs,  and  they 
became  gaunt  and  exceedingly  irascible  creatures. 
Those  which  I  killed  and  stuffed  shrank  and  warped  out 
of  shape  ;  and  those  which  were  preserved  in  spirits 
lost  their  natural  colours. 

These  spiders  are  most  numerous  in  the  thick  forests 
growing  between  the  river  Ucayali  and  the  Madeira.  I 
never  saw  any  in  the  countries  westward  of  the  Ucayali, 
nor  in  any  mountainous  district ;  they  are  inhabitants 
of  thickly  wooded,  level  country,  and  of  Matto  Grosso 
in  particular.  They  do  not  seem  to  extend  into  the 
northern  parts  of  South  America  :  at  least,  I  never  saw 
any  there.  I  think,  however,  the  web-spinning  species 
may  extend  its  habitat  a  considerable  distance  north- 


HIGH   UP   THE   AMAZON   RIVER        273 

wards  in  the  central  parts  of  the  continent ;  though 
there,  and  in  some  other  parts  of  South  America,  it  is 
replaced  by  a  large  species  which  is  not  a  bird-eater. 

I  do  not  know  the  specific  denomination  of  this 
spider,  because  I  cannot  find  that  it  is  figured,  or 
preserved,  anywhere  in  England ;  but  its  native  name, 
on  the  upper  Amazon,  is  teeteeroo ;  and  among  some 
tribes  lower  down  the  stream,  pernon.  But  I  have  half 
a  dozen  other  names  jotted  down,  the  languages  of  the 
Indians  being  quite  different  in  parts  of  the  country 
which  are  not  even  widely  sundered. 

The  habits  of  the  teeteeroo  are  those  of  a  hunter ; 
but  a  peculiarity  of  this  species  is  that  it  is  a  carrion 
feeder.  If  a  beetle,  or  a  cockroach,  be  crushed  and 
thrown  down  where  these  arachnids  abound,  one  is 
pretty  sure  to  be  found  in  the  morning  feeding  on  the 
carcass.  They  also  eat  dead  worms,  slugs,  and  grubs  : 
and  I  believe  that  in  this  case  the  term  "  eat  "  is  the 
correct  one  :  they  actually  devour  the  soft  parts  of  the 
creatures  I  have  named,  and  do  not  merely  suck  the 
juices.  But  they  cannot  of  themselves  kill  beetles  and 
cockroaches  ;  and  I  have  never  succeeded  in  getting 
them  to  touch  blood,  meat,  or  dead  or  living  birds  ; 
and  when  I  enclosed  one  with  a  large  centipede,  this 
creature  made  short  work  with  the  spider  ;  and  had  it 
doubled  up  and  half  eaten  in  a  few  minutes. 

The  body  of  a  fine  specimen  of  the  teeteeroo  (or 
titiru  may  be  a  better  spelling  of  the  word)  is  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  length  ;  but  the  spread  of  the  long 
and  rather  slender  legs  is  tremendous,  being  quite  eight 
inches.  As  may  be  imagined,  the  speed  with  which  the 
creature  can  run  is  very  great ;  and  this  faculty  is;  no 
T 


274  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

doubt,  more  highly  protective  than  colouring  it  pink, 

blue,  or  green  could  be  ! 

The  birds  alluded  to  in  my  description  of  these  spiders 
are  American  warblers  ;  but,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the 
creatures  I  have  to  incidentally  mention,  I  cannot 
specifically  identify  them.  I  fully  acknowledge  any 
kindness  I  have  received  at  the  hands  of  naturalists  and 
museum  officials  ;  but  I  have  noticed  that  these  gentle- 
men meet  my  suggestions  that  my  creatures  may  be 
new  species,  or  at  least  not  known  in  England,  with  a 
pitying  smile,  and  a  decided,  "  /  don't  think  so :  you 
must  be  mistaken."  It  might  be  worth  while  to  enquire 
what  became  of  the  Emperor  of  Brazil's  collection  of 
birds,  reptiles,  and  insects.  He  received,  from  my  hands, 
a  great  many  specimens  which  were  entirely  new  ;  and 
which,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  have  never  been  seen 
in  Europe. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

ANOTHER  FIVE    HUNDRED    MILES   DOWN   STREAM 

OON  after  passing  Marco,  a  small  town  a  little  way 
back  from  the  south  bank,  the  Amazon  makes  a 
turn  direct  to  the  north,  and  for  something  under  fifty 
miles  the  course  is  slightly  serpentine.  I  could  discover 
no  adequate  reason  for  this  sudden  change  of  direction. 
It  is  probably  caused  by  a  slight  inclination  of  the  land 
toward  the  north.  Just  before  reaching  Olivenca  (ten 
or  twelve  miles)  it  sweeps  round  to  due  east  again  ;  and 
after  a  short  reach  to  the  north,  commences  a  great  bow- 
shaped  bend  of  300  miles  or  more.  This  is,  roughly,  the 
configuration  of  the  river  between  long.  64°  and  70°  W. 
It  winds  and  turns  a  little  ;  but  the  bends  are  never 
very  abrupt ;  and  there  are  no  long  reaches.  The 
width  of  the  stream  varies  greatly  in  this  course  ;  and 
there  are  many  islands,  large  and  small ;  and  throughout 
the  entire  distance,  and  far  beyond  it,  the  north  bank 
of  the  river  has  an  unbroken  series  of  islands  of  peculiar 
formation.  They  are  formed  by  the  rivers  joining  the 
Amazon  on  the  north  shore  being  connected  by  cross 
streams  ;  which,  though  not  a  feature  confined  to  this 
region,  is  here  more  extensively  developed  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world.  It  means  that  from  just  below 
Tunantins  to  Ayrao  on  the  Rio  Negro,  a  distance  ap- 
proximating 500  miles,  the  whole  of  the  north  bank  of 

275 


276  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

the  Amazon  is  formed  of  a  series  of  great  river-islands. 
Further  down,  this  peculiar  feature  is  continued  on  the 
south  bank  for  another  150  miles  ;  and,  thereafter,  at 
intervals,  on  both  banks  almost  to  the  embouchure  of  the 
mighty  stream. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  the  reason  for  this  con- 
figuration of  the  country.  It  yis  occasioned  by  the 
extreme  flatness  of  the  land,  which  prevents  the  currents 
of  the  lesser  rivers  acquiring  sufficient  strength  to  cut 
their  way  straight  through  to  the  main  stream  ;  they 
consequently  take  a  circular,  or  cross-country,  course, 
and  meeting  other  rivulets,  become  confluent  with  them. 

These  islands  vary  in  size.  There  are  fifteen  large  ones, 
besides  those  below  the  confluence  of  the  Rio  Negro. 
They  are  all  of  them  very  low  and  marshy,  and  almost 
without  white  population.  On  the  whole  of  them  there 
are  only  three  or  four  small  towns  and  villages  ;  and 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Jutay  to  Pesquera  near  the 
embouchure  of  the  Rio  Negro  appeared  to  our  eyes  an 
unbroken  line  of  swampy  forest  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Amazon  ;  and  the  south  bank  was  of  much  the 
same  character,  though  here  and  there  we  saw  clusters 
of  towns  and  villages.  Town,  in  this  region,  is  generally 
a  relative  term.  It  may  consist  of  a  few  widely  spread 
private  houses,  intermixed  with  the  hovel-like  residences 
of  mean  whites  and  half-breeds.  There  will  be  a  few 
general  stores  in  such  a  place,  and  perhaps  a  straggling 
street  or  two.  A  band  of  Indians  is  generally  hutted  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  town ;  and  they  live  much  as  gypsies 
do  in  Europe.  In  many  of  the  towns  mentioned  in  these 
pages  there  is  but  a  single  church,  which  speaks  volumes 
for  the  comparative  poverty  of  these  collections  of  houses 


DOWN    STREAM  277 

in  a  country  where  priestly  religion  dominates  every 
place  and  every  class.  The  rich  planters  live  in  lordly 
haciendas,  with  what  are  really  small  towns  of  their 
servants  and  retainers  ;  and  a  church  and  batch  of 
priests  of  their  own.  Slavery  is  abolished — that  is  to 
say,  no  person  may  purchase  fresh  slaves  ;  and  those 
blacks  who  are  still  in  bondage  may,  if  they  can,  buy 
their  liberty.  So  in  1884-5  the  number  of  slaves  was 
already  greatly  reduced ;  but  such  free  negroes,  and  not 
a  few  whites,  as  had  to  work  for  their  daily  bread,  were 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  still  slaves. 

The  islands  referred  to  above  are,  to  a  great  extent, 
impenetrable  on  account  of  the  denseness  of  the  forest 
growths  and  the  moist  conditions  of  the  ground.  In  an 
extent  of  500  miles  of  river  course  we  actually  passed  a 
greater  number  of  merchant  ships  than  we  saw  individual 
Indians,  the  only  people  who  can  be  said  to  really  people 
these  swampy  tracts  of  land  ;  few  of  which  have  a  name. 
The  chief  of  them  are  Mercicra,  about  100  miles  by 
40  ;  Codaya,  100  by  50  ;  Pesquera,  150  by  100  in  the 
broadest  part ;  and  He  de  Tupinambaranas,  on  the 
south  bank,  150  by  50.  He  de  Campinhas,  also  on  the 
south  bank,  is  smaller.  These  are  the  only  large  ones 
that  I  know  to  possess  acknowledged  names  :  though 
many  of  the  others  have  local  designations  ;  and  the 
Indians  appear  to  know  them  all  by  appellations  of 
some  kind. 

The  swamps  of  the  islands  form  a  perfect  paradise 
for  caymans,  and  huge  snakes  of  the  boa  and  anaconda 
families  ;  though  I  did  not  see  any  of  these  reptiles 
which  exceeded  twenty  feet  in  length.  Amongst  other 
curiosities  found  here,  I  shot  an  iguana,  or  water-monitor, 


278  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

much  more  than  six  feet  in  total  length.  These  enormous 
lizards  are  much  sought  after  by  all  classes  in  this  region  ; 
and  fetch  heavy  prices  for  the  tables  of  the  rich.  They 
are  certainly  delicious  eating ;  and  the  flesh  is  as  white, 
and  as  tender,  as  that  of  the  cod-fish. 

I  found  it  possible,  by  means  of  the  small  streams,  to 
get,  in  my  canoe,  well  into  the  heart  of  some  of  the 
swamps  :  for  the  water  is  so  deep  that  it  has  killed 
many  of  the  trees,  or  prevented  their  growth.  There 
was  some  danger  in  these  little  journeys,  on  account  of 
the  numerous  caymans,  which  were  unpleasantly  tame. 
I  feared  they  would  upset  my  tiny  craft :  for,  even 
when  they  decided  to  run,  they  waited  until  I  was  so 
close  before  they  turned  that  I  momentarily  expected 
some  scaly  tail  to  fetch  me  a  blow  that  would  swamp  me. 

These  terrible  reptiles  are  much  the  largest  croco- 
dilians  in  America.  When  full  grown  a  cayman  measures 
at  least  twenty  feet  in  length.  I  have  seen  a  stuffed 
specimen  which  was  twenty-five  feet  long,  and  several 
which  exceeded  twenty-two  feet.  I  have  shot  one  which 
was  the  last-named  length.  No  effort  seems  to  be  made, 
by  the  people  of  the  land,  to  reduce  the  numbers  of  these 
dangerous  reptiles  ;  and  they  are  the  most  numerous  of 
all  land  animals  throughout  the  Amazonian  valley.  For 
though  amphibians,  they  spend  much  of  their  time  out  of 
the  water.  I  have  sailed  past  mud-bank  after  mud-bank, 
each  of  which  had  from  sixty  to  200  caymans  lying  asleep 
upon  it ;  and  I  have  seen  as  many  as  1000  in  a  single 
herd.  They  are  so  little  afraid  of  a  shot  that  a  rifleman 
may  pick  off  several  before  the  herd  takes  alarm.  They 
are  disposed  to  be  aggressive  ;  and  are  credited,  all 
along  the  Amazon,  with  daring  attacks  on  human 


DOWN    STREAM  279 

beings  ;  such  as  rushing  into  the  streets  of  waterside 
towns,  and  bearing  off  men,  women,  and  children.  I 
have  mentioned  seeing  many  mutilated  persons  ;  but 
I  am  disposed  to  question  the  likelihood  of  caymans 
coming  ashore  to  seize  victims.  In  the  first  place  the 
streets  of  Amazonian  towns  are  very  narrow — only  six 
to  eight  feet  wide  (so  built  to  shade  off  the  sun's  rays), 
and  I  cannot  believe  that  a  cayman  could  turn  in  so 
narrow  a  space,  especially  with  a  victim  in  its  jaws. 
Again,  I  have  demonstrated  many  times  that  a  cayman 
cannot  overtake  a  human  being  ;  and  supposing  it  to 
surprise  a  decrepit  person,  it  can  easily  be  avoided  owing 
to  the  difficulty  it  displays  in  turning  at  a  sharp  angle. 

Amongst  the  weird  and  loathsome  things  of  these 
island  swamps  are  slugs  eight  inches  long,  and  snails  as 
big  as  a  man's  fist ;  there  are,  also,  large  earthworms ; 
and  a  host  of  creatures  one  would  rather  not  meet, 
amongst  which  undesirable  acquaintances  the  mosquito 
is  neither  the  least  nor  the  last.  I  think  this  is  almost 
the  first  time  I  have  mentioned  this  abominable  little 
fly  ;  the  truth  being  that  I  have  written  so  much  about 
it  in  former  books  that  I  was  ashamed  to  recur  to  it  here, 
lest  I  should  have  the  charge  made  that  I  was  hard  up 
for  a  subject.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  I  never  spent 
a  day  on  the  Amazon,  or  any  of  its  tributaries,  in  which 
I  was  not  at  some  hour,  or  all  hours,  of  the  twenty-four 
driven  to  a  desperation  verging  on  lunacy  by  the  tor- 
ments of  these  hateful  pests.  I  have  always  been  an 
object  of  particular  persecution  on  the  part  of  mosqui- 
toes ;  and  have  sometimes  been  reduced  to  such  a  piti- 
able state  that  I  could  not  see  until  the  swelling  of  the 
face  had  subsided. 


280  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

I  have  somewhere  read  that  the  mosquito  never  rises 
above  a  certain  height ;  and  that,  therefore,  a  high  wall, 
or  a  thick  grove  of  trees,  will  keep  them  back.  I  do  not 
know  where  this  writer  made  his  observations — it 
certainly  was  not  in  South  America,  unless  he  was  a 
blind  man.  There  is  nothing  under  a  mile  high  in  this 
country  that  they  will  not  get  over,  or  under,  or  through  ; 
and  their  cursed  whining  buzz,  like  the  top  note  of  a 
tuning-fork  gone  wrong,  is  the  warning,  not  that  they 
are  going  to  do  the  deed,  but  that  they  have  done  it,  as 
you  will  speedily  discover  :  for  a  peculiarity  of  this 
detestable  thing  is  that  you  do  not  feel  the  bite  until 
it  begins  to  itch — and  such  an  itch  I 

In  the  Great  Dismal  Swamp,  and  other  parts  of  the 
southern  States,  I  have  seen  these  flies  so  thick  together 
that  they  looked  like  clouds  of  dust :  here  in  the  forests 
of  Amazonia  they  were  actually  in  clouds  so  dense  that 
the  lower  parts  of  the  tree-trunks  could  not  be  seen. 

There  are  three  great  northern  tributaries  of  the 
Amazon  that  I  cannot  describe  here.  They  are  the 
Putumayo,  or  lea  ;  the  Caqueta,  or  Japura  ;  and  the 
Rio  Negro.  It  is  with  regret  that  I  pass  them  by,  especi- 
ally as  they  drain  an  immense  tract  of  the  great  Ama- 
zonian plain  ;  but  there  is  no  help  for  it.  A  cursory 
glance  at  them  would  be  disappointing  ;  and  the  country 
they  pass  through  is  so  wonderful,  so  full  of  changing 
lights  and  shades,  so  to  say,  that  if  I  attempted  to  do 
them  even  moderate  justice  I  should  double  the  length 
of  this  book.  But  I  hope  I  see  a  light  gleaming  through 
the  forest — I  trust  that  the  success  of  this  poor  effort 
of  mine  to  give,  at  least,  a  dim  conception  of  the  majesty 
of  glorious  Amazonia  may  be  so  far  good  as  to  encourage 


DOWN    STREAM  281 

the  publishers  to  consider  a  companion  work  on  the 
sister  river — the  Orinoco. 

For  the  two  wonderful  streams  of  South  America, 
the  Amazon  and  the  Orinoco,  are  sisters — they  are 
linked  together  (a  natural  feature  unique  in  itself — at  any 
rate,  on  anything  approaching  so  vast  a  scale)  by  the 
Casiquiare  :  so  that  a  boat  entering  the  mouth  of  one 
of  these  great  rivers  could  proceed  to  explore  two-thirds 
of  the  whole  South  American  continent ;  and  if  the 
supposed  craft  did  not  draw  more  than  two  feet  of  water, 
I  think  I  could  very  easily  show  that  it  might  traverse 
at  least  100,000  miles  of  waterways  !  Could  anything 
on  this  earth  be  more  wonderful  ?  And  what  would  be 
seen — what  discovered — in  the  course  of  such  a  voyage 
as  this  ? — a  world  which  it  would  take  many  volumes 
to  describe. 

There  are  spots  on  the  Amazon,  especially  where 
many  small  islands  in  mid-stream  cluster  together, 
where  the  river  widens  out  to  the  dimension  of  a  lake  : 
indeed  such  expansions  as  those  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Jurua  (ten  to  sixteen  miles  when  the  river  is  in  full  flow) ; 
opposite  the  town  of  Cassara  (six  to  eight  miles) ;  and 
abreast  of  Coary  (sometimes  twenty  miles),  undoubtedly 
are  lakes.  The  lake  of  Codaya,  really  an  inundation  of 
the  north  bank,  sixty  miles  below  Coary,  is  not  so  broad 
as  the  Amazon  off  the  last-named  town. 

There  are  many  small  lakes  on  both  banks  which  may 
be  described  as  permanent  inundations.  They  would 
probably  drain  away  to  a  great  extent  if  they  got  an 
opportunity  of  doing  so  :  but  the  climate  of  Amazonia 
is  as  unique  as  her  mighty  river.  The  main  stream, 
right  across  the  continent,  is  never  more  than  three  or 


282  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

four  degrees  south  of  the  Equator,  and  at  its  true  mouth 
right  under  it ;  yet  the  heat  is  not  so  great  as  in  other 
tropical  regions  ;  and  there  is  no  real  rainy  season — no 
marked  division  of  season  at  all.  Rain  comes  at  any  time 
so  far  as  months,  or  quarters,  are  concerned  ;  though 
night-time  is  nearly  always  the  clearest — moonlight  here 
is  anything  but  a  "  lesser  light  "  of  heaven — it  is  visible 
glory.  Storms,  and  torrential  rains,  usually  occur  in  the 
afternoons,  between  three  and  five  o'clock  ;  and  often 
recur  day  after  day  for  considerable  periods  of  time — 
weeks,  if  not  months.  If  there  are  intervals  between 
these  storms  they  are  very  short — three  or  four  days  at 
most.  There  is  no  dry  season.  Rain  is  never  long  absent 
from  the  Amazon  valley.  Without  question,  it  is  the 
vast  forest  that  fosters  the  downfall  of  wet — that  con- 
trols the  climate  of  Matto  Grosso. 

The  seasons  of  the  valley  are  wonderfully  like  those 
of  Europe  :  that  is,  the  majority  of  the  trees  blossom  in 
the  same  months  they  do  in  England,  and  fructify  in 
autumn — September  to  December.  There  are  incidental 
variations,  of  course.  Some  trees  and  shrubs  are  con- 
tinuously blooming  :  others,  like  the  coco  shrub,  bear 
fruit  several  times  a  year  :  but,  on  the  whole,  May,  June, 
and  July  are  the  flowering  months,  September,  October, 
and  November  the  months  when  fruits  most  abound. 
Creatures  which  estivate  (take  a  prolonged  summer 
sleep — synonymous  with  the  hibernation  of  the  north) 
in  other  parts  of  South  America,  do  not  do  so  here. 
The  cayman  is  abroad  all  the  year  round  ;  though  in 
Bolivia,  and  other  parts,  north  and  south,  it  buries  itself 
in  mud  to  pass  the  "  dry  season."  Iguanas,  frogs,  toads, 
snakes,  and  tortoises,  as  well  as  many  insects,  etc.,  do 


DOWN    STREAM  283 

the  same  ;  but  these  classes  of  animals  are  in  full  life 
and  vigour  at  all  times  in  the  Amazonian  region  ;  and 
what  is  as  remarkable,  they  attain  their  maximum  size 
here  :  there  are  no  such  tortoises,  serpents,  lizards,  and 
caymans  elsewhere  as  there  are  in  Amazonia. 

By  the  by,  I  never  learned  the  origin  of  the  word 
"  cayman,"  which  some  writers  spell  "  caiman."  It  is 
not  an  existing  native  name  of  the  creature,  which  is  an 
alligator.  I  have  many  Indian  names  noted  down,  that 
which  is  most  in  use,  apparently  because  it  has  been 
adopted  by  the  Portuguese,  being  "  yacara."  None  of 
them  come  nearer  to  "  cayman  "  than  this.  In  some 
tribes  they  use  the  same  word  to  designate  a  cayman, 
an  iguana,  and  a  small  lizard :  others  use  the  same  word, 
with  a  prefix  to  denote  the  various  species. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  mention  that  frogs  abound 
in  all  the  marshes  and  swamps  of  this  region.  I  do  not 
know  that  I  am  justified  in  making  the  distinction  ;  but 
I  invariably  use  the  word  marsh  for  open  ground,  desti- 
tute of  trees,  which  is  sodden,  and  partially  covered  with 
water.  Swamp  is  inundated  forest  land.  The  bull-frog, 
and  other  varieties,  inhabit  both  marsh  and  swamp  ; 
and  there  is  in  this  region  the  largest  tree-frog  I  have 
seen.  It  is  of  an  olive-green  hue  with  black  irregular 
markings,  and  bright  yellow  on  the  lower  parts.  Several 
specimens  which  I  captured  weighed  about  six  ounces 
each.  They  are  bright-eyed,  but  not  very  active  crea- 
tures ;  and  as  they  keep  at  a  great  height  above  the 
ground  are  not  easy  to  find,  especially  as  they  do  not 
seem  to  be  numerous.  I  should  think  this  is  a  bad  place 
for  tree-frogs,  even  when  protectively  coloured  ;  there 
are  so  many  snakes  in  the  trees  ;  and  other  creatures 


284  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

to  which  a  plump  frog  would  be  a  bonne  bouche.  I  may 
instance  the  turkey-buzzard,  the  harpy-eagle,  the  king- 
vulture  ;  and  some  others  which  love  to  harbour  in  the 
trees  of  the  densest  swamps  in  most  of  the  Amazonian 
forests.  As  I  have  not  said  much  about  birds  of  prey, 
the  condor  excepted,  this  may  be  a  good  place  to  describe 
a  few  which  ought  to  be  mentioned. 

We  will  take  the  turkey-buzzard  first.  A  weird  bird, 
of  unpleasant  appearance  and  filthy  habits,  is  this 
avian.  I  have  already  insisted  that  no  terrestrial 
creature,  which  feeds  on  living  prey,  has  an  enemy  other 
than  man.  The  turkey-buzzard  has  not  even  to  reckon 
"  order  Primates,  genus  homo,"  a  foe :  for  everywhere 
in  South  America  it  is  protected  by  popular  opinion,  if 
not  by  the  law,  as  a  useful  scavenger.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  it  obtained  its  name  from  its  superficial  likeness  to 
a  turkey  when  viewed  from  a  little  distance.  In 
one  of  the  good  old  natural  histories,  published  a 
hundred  years  ago,  decades  before  the  scientists  and 
evolutionists  had  begun  to  chip  the  shells  of  their  un- 
hatched  eggs,  it  is  narrated  how  a  naval  officer,  a  lover 
of  good  feeding,  serving  on  board  a  ship  that  had  long 
been  without  a  supply  of  fresh  meat,  saw  some  of  these 
birds  from  the  deck  of  his  vessel.  Hastening  to  his 
captain,  he  begged  for  leave  to  go  ashore  and  secure 
the  valuable  prize.  The  captain  granted  permission  ; 
and  the  officer,  hastening  ashore,  shot  at  the  lordliest 
and  fattest  of  the  "black  gobblers,"  as  he  called  them. 
Running  up  to  secure  his  game — "  phew  !  "  He  dropped 
it  in  disgust,  discovering  his  mistake,  and  intolerant  of 
its  stench  at  one  and  the  same  moment. 

That  it  gives  forth  a  very  offensive  odour  I  can  vouch 


DOWN    STREAM  285 

from  personal  knowledge  ;  and  when  a  flock  of  them 
comes  between  your  nobility  and  the  wind,  you  may 
perceive  this  "  protection  "  from  a  considerable  distance. 
Squire  Waterton  used  to  dissect  them.  Some  silly  goby 
in  search  of  a  castigation  asked  the  Squire  how  he  could 
handle  "  such  filthy  things."  "  Why  shouldn't  I  ?  " 
demanded  the  Squire.  "  Can't  you  smell  how  they 
stink?"  "So  does  an  alderman  after  a  City  feast," 
was  the  cool  retort. 

I  have  never,  myself,  dissected  an  alderman,  not  having 
courage  enough  to  defy  the  police,  legal,  and  Ward-mote 
regulations  made  for  the  protection  and  conservation  of 
these  civic  feasters  ;  to  say  nothing  of  my  being  a  victim 
of  that  inherent  fear  of  the  unknown  which  most  of  us 
dread  ;  and  consequently  thinking  that  it  must  be  a 
dreadful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands,  or  jaws,  or  claws 
of  a  "  Ward-mote,"  and  the  "  liverymen  "  who  guard 
the  fearsome  beast.  But  I  have  no  doubt  the  Squire 
knew  ;  and  that  we  may  take  the  fact  on  his  authority. 

Here,  on  the  Amazon,  turkey-buzzards  live  mostly 
in  the  trees  ;  but  they  seem  to  know  that  they  have 
little  to  dread  from  man  or  beast ;  and  are  so  tame  that 
they  may  be  approached,  anywhere,  to  within  a  yard  or 
two.  They  regularly  visit  the  streets  of  the  towns  on 
the  river's  banks,  and  rows  of  them  may  be  seen  sitting 
on  the  parapets  of  the  houses,  which  are,  so  far  as  I  can 
remember,  all  flat-roofed.  This  is  in  the  early  morning  : 
for  the  turkey-buzzards,  like  all  other  living  creatures 
in  this  region,  take  a  siesta  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 
What  becomes  of  them  between  ten  o'clock  and  evening- 
time  I  do  not  know.  In  common  with  every  living 
creature,  except  the  gnats,  and  the  butterflies,  they  hide 


286  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

away  somewhere  ;  probably  in  the  midst  of  dense 
foliage  at  the  tops  of  the  trees  :  at  any  rate,  they  are 
not  discoverable  in  the  middle  of  the  day  ;  nor  are  the 
monkeys,  the  parrots,  macaws,  and  the  toucans,  or  any 
other  living  thing  of  importance,  the  before-mentioned 
gnats,  or  mosquitoes,  excepted  :  and  these  contrive  to 
make  themselves  of  very  great  importance,  indeed,  to 
people  who  do  not  consider  bulbous  noses  and  bunged-up 
eyes  inconsiderable  trifles. 

When  the  turkey-buzzards  are  at  home — that  is  when 
they  are  gorged  to  the  extent  of  being  unable  to  swallow 
any  more  (and  I  have  often  seen  them  with  food  hanging 
from  the  gapes  of  their  beaks) — their  favourite  perches 
are  the  branches  of  dead  trees,  or  those  which  are  leafless, 
and  at  no  great  height  from  the  ground.  As  I  have  said, 
you  may  approach  very  close  to  them  ;  but  if  you  get 
too  near,  they  become  restless,  eye  you  with  suspicious 
glances,  droop  their  wings,  shuffle  along  the  boughs  to 
get  farther  away  from  you,  utter  a  kind  of  hoarse  hiss 
to  show  their  displeasure  ;  and  if  they  are  very  full, 
begin  to  vomit  their  food  ;  not,  as  the  "  popular  " 
natural  historians  assert,  as  a  means  of  intimidation,  or 
offensiveness,  but  to  get  rid  of  a  weight  which  prevents 
them  from  rising  and  flying  away.  They  seem  to  visit 
the  ground  as  little  as  possible,  and  only  for  the  purpose 
of  feeding,  or  searching  for  food.  I  may  have  already 
mentioned  my  opinions  about  the  sustenance  of  carrion - 
feeding  creatures  ;  but  the  subject  will  bear  further 
consideration.  Death  reigns  over  every  living  creature  ; 
and  all  the  excited  kickings,  ravings,  and  dogmatic 
theories  of  the  scientist  cannot  abolish  that  fact.  But 
what  becomes  of  the  billions  of  living  things  that  perish 


DOWN    STREAM  287 

annually  ?  The  evolutionists  do  not  tell  us  much  about 
this,  Darwin  saw  a  guanacos'  cemetery  somewhere 
down  south  ;  and  Sinbad  found  a  nest  of  elephants' 
bones  :  but  these  are  isolated  cases.  In  both  North  and 
South  America,  in  the  time  I  roamed  about  them,  five  or 
six  large  mammals  must  have  died  annually  on  every 
square  mile  of  wilderness — and  this  I  consider  a  very 
moderate  calculation.  But  one  of  the  rarest  of  sights 
was  that  of  the  carcass  of  a  wild  creature  which  had  met 
a  natural  death.  How  are  dead  wild  animals  disposed 
of  ?  Do  they  form  the  chief  portion  of  food  of  the  carrion- 
eating  portion  of  them  ?  Probably  they  do  :  for  when- 
ever I  have  shot  a  large  animal,  carrion  vultures  of  all 
sorts  have  assembled  to  feast  on  the  offal :  and  although, 
as  I  have  said,  one  beast  or  bird  of  prey  will  not  attack 
another  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  on  it,  vultures  will 
feast  on  the  putrid  carcass  of  a  puma  or  any  other  animal 
without  reference  to  genus  or  class.  That  I  admit  :  and 
I  have  also  seen  an  animal  of  the  polecat  tribe  devour 
the  contents  of  the  stomach  of  a  similar  mammal  which 
had  been  ripped  open  in  a  contest  over  prey  :  but  did 
anybody  ever  see  one  hawk  strike  another ;  or  a  tiger 
devour  a  lion,  or  even  a  jackal  ?  I  challenge  the  whole 
world  of  "  scientific  systematists  "  to  bring  undeniable 
evidence  of  such  a  thing  in  wild  animals  living  under 
normal  conditions.  These  remarks  apply  to  the  higher 
vertebrates  only.  Fishes  and  reptiles  devour  one 
another  without  reference  to  preying  habits  :  in  fact, 
with  them  the  general  rule  is  "  all  is  fish  that  comes  to 
the  net." 

The  turkey-buzzard,  and  most  other  vultures,  devour 
living  prey  of  a  sort — the  sort  being  such  as  requires-  no 


288  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

rending  or  tearing  :  for  these  birds  do  not  seem  to  be 
able  to  rip  flesh  from  the  bones  until  it  is  rotten.  I  have 
seen  vultures  devour  rats,  mice,  young  birds,  dead  fish, 
snakes,  frogs,  toads,  lizards,  eels,  and  young  domestic 
poultry  :  and  a  favourite  feast  with  the  buzzards  is  the 
newly  hatched  tortoises  and  alligators,  of  which  they 
consume  thousands,  visiting  the  sand-banks  for  this 
purpose.  All  the  small  fry  enumerated  above  is  devoured 
just  as  it  is  caught,  without  any  preliminary  killing  that 
I  could  observe.  No  doubt  the  gastric  juices  of  Rhino- 
gryphus  aura  are  highly  soporific  ! 

Though  all  the  older  naturalists  called  this  bird  a 
buzzard,  and  the  name  still  sticks  to  it,  it  is  undoubtedly 
a  vulture.  It  is  clothed,  like  a  croque-mort,  in  a  suit  of 
rusty  black.  The  cadaverous-looking  face  is  turkey- 
red,  and  sometimes  dirty  yellow  ;  for  there  are  several 
varieties  of  the  bird,  which  are  classed  as  distinct  species  ; 
but  I  have  some  grounds  for  believing  that  they  inter- 
breed. The  nest  is  placed  in  a  tree,  from  twelve  to 
twenty  feet  above  the  ground,  and  is  here,  on  the 
Amazon,  composed  of  twigs,  roots  of  plants,  and  stems 
of  creepers,  etc.,  and  resembles  a  large  rook's  nest,  but 
is  of  looser  construction.  The  eggs,  three  in  number, 
are  in  curious  contrast  to  the  bird  :  for  they  are  beauti- 
fully blotched  and  flecked  with  various  shades,  light  and 
dark,  of  reddish  brown.  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  the 
turkey-buzzard  does  not  make  a  nest,  but  lays  its  eggs 
on  the  ground.  Wherever  I  have  found  the  bird  it  was  a 
swamp -haunt  ing  and  swamp-breeding  species  ;  and  it 
does,  in  any  case,  make  a  nest. 

Waterton  knew  this  bird  well ;  and  held  a  contro- 
versy with  Audubon  about  it,  the  Frenchman  insisting 


DOWN    STREAM  289 

that  it  found  its  prey  (carrion)  by  sight.  The  Squire 
knew  better  ;  but,  as  is  usual,  the  man  of  sound  know- 
ledge was  thrust  aside  to  make  room  for  the  ignoramus, 
whose  views  have  been  generally  adopted — by  the  arm- 
chair naturalists.  The  truth,  however,  cannot  be  over- 
ridden :  it  is  by  the  sense  of  smell,  not  sight,  that  all 
vultures  find  their  food.  I  have  placed  that  beyond 
even  the  shadow  of  doubt ;  but  all  I  have  to  say  here 
on  the  subject  is  to  ask,  "  How  could  a  carcass  be  found 
in  an  Amazon  forest  by  sight  ?  Go  and  look  at  the 
country  and  then  come  and  tell  me  it  is  possible  ;  and 
I  will  give  you  a  Caudle  lecture  that  will  last  you  for  the 
remainder  of  your  life. 

As  to  smell.  In  the  north,  my  party  perceived  the 
odour  of  a  burning  forest  that  was  afterwards  proved  to 
be  sixty  miles  away.  Darwin  says  the  scent  of  the 
skunk  can  be  easily  detected  a  distance  of  five  miles  ; 
and  I  have  known  a  party  of  Indians  smell  a  town  (quite 
a  small  one)  which  was  fifteen  miles  off :  so  there  can 
be  no  difficulty  about  scent  and  distance  :  for  all  the 
systematists  are  satisfied  that  the  senses  of  animals  are 
far  more  acute  than  those  of  man.  I  believe  they  are — 
sometimes. 

I  have  chosen  the  turkey-buzzard  for  particular 
description  ;  but  there  are  other  vultures  in  the  Ama- 
zonian valley,  notably  the  king-vulture,  one  of  the 
handsomest  of  the  family  :  were  it  not  for  the  condor 
I  should  write — the  handsomest.  It  is  a  much  larger 
and  bulkier  bird  than  the  turkey-buzzard  ;  and  may  be 
described  as  parti-coloured,  though  the  white  portions 
of  the  plumage  are  deeply  tinged  with  yellowish,  or 
buff.  There  are  a  number  of  excrescences  round  the  base 
u 


290  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

of  the  beak,  forming  a  kind  of  comb,  and  this,  and  the 
naked  face  and  throat,  are  coloured  with  brilliant  red 
and  blue  hues.  The  bird  is  remarkable  amongst  vultures 
for  its  bright  and  expressive  eye  :  and,  in  fact,  it  is  a 
condor  in  general  appearance  and  habits,  except  that 
it  inhabits  forests,  and  not  lofty  mountain  ranges.  It 
is  not  a  common  bird  on  the  Amazon  ;  but  is  more 
prevalent  farther  north,  especially  along  the  course  of 
the  Orinoco.  In  some  books  it  is  described  as  a  solitary 
bird.  This  is  a  mistake.  I  know  that  none  of  the  Ameri- 
can vultures  are  of  solitary  habits  :  but  the  king- vulture 
is  certainly  not  so  gregarious  as  most  of  them.  This 
seems  to  be  owing  to  its  restricted  numbers  :  for  it  is 
nowhere  an  abundant  bird.  Books  assert  that  it  spreads 
north  as  far  as  Texas,  and  other  southern  States  of  the 
north.  I  can  only  say  that  I  have  not  seen  it  farther 
north  than  the  south  part  of  Mexico,  where  it  is  anything 
but  common. 

It  spreads  rather  widely  in  tracts  which  it  haunts  ; 
but  there  are  usually  about  forty  in  a  flock  ;  and  they 
are  as  tenacious  as  rooks  in  their  love  of  particular  trees  ; 
always  roosting  and  breeding  in  the  same  grove.  Like 
the  condors,  they  make  but  little  nest,  and  lay  two,  and 
often  three,  eggs,  which  are  light  pearl-grey  in  colour, 
without  spots,  and  except  that  they  are  smaller,  greatly 
resemble  those  of  condors.  The  nest  is  a  scanty  collection 
of  rotten  sticks,  decayed  bark  and  vine-stems,  without 
any  pretence  to  lining.  It  is  placed  in  a  great  fork  of  a 
tree,  usually  where  the  trunk  makes  its  first  bifurcation, 
some  forty  to  sixty  feet  above  the  ground  ;  and  the 
tree  selected  is  always  sufficiently  large  to  completely 
conceal  both  nest  and  bird  when  sitting. 


DOWN    STREAM  291 

In  general  habits  and  food,  I  could  not  perceive  that 
the  king-vulture  differs  much  from  other  American 
members  of  its  genus.  They  are  all  fond  of  taking  great 
circular  flights  at  an  immense  height  above  the  earth  ; 
so  that  they  sometimes  appear  as  mere  specks  in  the 
sky,  and  perhaps  disappear  entirely  ;  but  as  they  utter 
no  cries  when  on  the  wing,  it  is  difficult  to  make  sure 
that  this  is  the  case.  Like  that  of  the  condor,  and, 
indeed,  all  the  vultures,  their  flight  is  exceedingly 
beautiful  and  graceful.  It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say 
that  it  is  majestic.  One  never  sees  these  birds  flying  in 
a  straight  line,  or  taking  a  journey  from  place  to  place. 
They  wheel,  and  perform  evolutions,  gradually  ascending 
higher  and  higher,  and  when  they  are  tired,  descending 
in  the  same  way.  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  the  Ameri- 
can vultures,  except,  perhaps,  the  condor,  ever  go  more 
than  a  few  miles  from  home.  Their  flights  seem  to  be 
chiefly  undertaken  for  amusement ;  but  as  their  wheel- 
ings are  over  a  considerable  area  of  ground  it  is  possible 
that  they  are  in  search  of  the  scent  of  their  prey  ;  I  am 
the  more  disposed  to  think  that  this  is  a  correct  surmise, 
as,  when  watching  them  from  the  boat,  I  have  seen  them 
suddenly  descend,  and  alight  on  the  tree-tops,  from 
whence  they  rapidly  dropped  to  the  ground  in  twos  and 
threes.  These  remarks  apply  to  the  turkey-buzzards, 
as  well  as  to  the  king- vultures.  I  have  never  actually 
proved  that  there  was  carrion  under  the  trees  where 
these  birds  alighted  :  for  on  the  two  or  three  occasions 
when  I  attempted  to  reach  the  spot  I  found  the  forest 
quite  impenetrable.  What  I  can  say,  and  that  positively, 
is,  that  the  vultures  could  no  more  see  the  ground  than 
I  could.  Also,  I  have  had  the  turkey-buzzards  come 


292  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

trooping  up  when  I  have  slain  animals  in  forests  so  dense 
that  a  glimpse  of  the  sky  could  not  be  obtained  in  days 
of  travel. 

I  have,  once  or  twice,  seen  the  black  vulture  on  the 
Amazon,  viz.  near  Fonteboa  and  Cassara,  and  a  few 
miles  above  Miranas  on  the  river  Jutay  ;  and  also  on 
the  Madeira,  between  Borba  and  Missao  :  but  it  is  not 
a  common  bird  in  this  region.  It  is  the  smallest,  and 
least  vulture-like,  of  the  American  members  of  the 
genus  ;  and  is  called  a  crow  in  the  United  States — a 
bird  which  it  resembles  in  general  appearance,  and  the 
colour  of  its  eggs,  which  differ  entirely  from  those  of 
other  species.  The  bird  is  evidently  not  a  true  vulture  ; 
or  is  well  on  in  its  "  evolution  "  ;  in  which  case,  where 
are  its  immediate  ancestors?  Not  in  America,  I  am  pre- 
pared to  assert. 

I  should  mention,  perhaps,  that  the  turkey-buzzards 
not  only  pick  a  carcass  clean  when  it  is  sufficiently 
decomposed  ;  but  carry  away  the  bones  likewise  ;  so 
that  I  have  known  the  decayed  body  of  a  jaguar,  a  tapir, 
or  a  deer  completely  disappear  in  the  course  of  one  day  ; 
and  I  have  seen  them  toying  with  the  smaller  bones  on 
the  boughs,  and  in  their  nests.  They  do  not  seem  to  be 
able  to  carry  the  larger  bones  up  to  their  breeding-places  ; 
but  there  are  generally  some  animal  remains  on  the  nests ; 
such  as  smaller  bones,  hair  and  fragments  of  skin,  carried 
thither  probably  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  their  young  ; 
though  I  believe  that  most  vultures,  like  pigeons,  feed 
their  progeny  direct  from  the  stomach. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  eagles  in  all  parts  of  the 
Amazonian  valley,  mostly  of  the  crested  kinds,  or  harpy- 
eagles.  These  may  at  once  be  distinguished  from  the 


DOWN    STREAM  293 

vultures  by  their  appearing  singly,  or  in  pairs,  which  the 
last-named  birds  never  do.  Otherwise  there  is  not  so 
mighty  a  difference  between  the  two  classes  as  the  book- 
men try  to  make  out.  The  common  crested  eagle, 
Thrysaetus  harpyia  ;  and  the  Guianan  variety,  Morphuus 
guianensis,  for  instance,  might  both  be  taken  for  vul- 
tures if  seen  sitting  on  a  tree  at  thirty  yards  distance  ; 
and  they  are  both  dear  lovers  of  a  bit  of  putrid  flesh, 
though  they  do  not  go  to  work  systematically  on  carrion, 
like  their  near  relatives  the  condors  and  vultures.  How 
closely  they  resemble  these  is  proved  by  the  circum- 
stance that  the  older  naturalists,  before  the  advent  of 
Messrs.  Huxley  and  Darwin,  and  their  host  of  second- 
fiddlers,  always  described  the  condor  as  an  eagle.  But 
I  am  no  slave  of  old  school  or  new  ;  and  I  quite  admit 
they  made  a  mistake  on  this  point.  The  condor  is  a 
vulture  with  some  strong  resemblances  to  the  eagles.  It, 
however,  goes  in  flocks,  which  no  true  eagle,  or  falcon, 
ever  does. 

Next  to  the  condor,  the  crested  eagle  is  the  largest 
bird  of  prey  in  America,  slightly  exceeding  in  size  the 
golden  eagle  of  the  north.  I  have  shot  them  of  about 
forty  inches  in  length,  with  stronger-looking,  bulkier 
bodies  than  other  birds  of  the  genus  ;  but  I  cannot  tell 
of  which  sex  they  were.  In  most  eagles  there  is  a  con- 
siderable difference  between  the  males  and  the  females, 
the  last  being  the  larger. 

In  spite  of  their  size,  these  birds  do  not  prey  on  animals 
so  large  as  those  generally  attributed  to  fall  victims  to 
their  rapacity.  They  may  occasionally  pounce  on  the 
straggling  young  of  deer,  monkeys  and  peccaries  ;  they 
dare  not  meddle  with  these  when  their  mothers  are  at 


294  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

hand  to  defend  them  :  for  they  have  neither  the  strength 
nor  the  courage  of  the  golden  eagles.  They  may  have 
been  seen  feasting  on  the  carcasses  of  these  animals 
slain  by  other  creatures,  or  by  accident — the  terrible 
hail-storms  of  this  country  being  responsible  for  the 
deaths  of  many  large  animals  every  year  ;  and  of  men, 
too,  who  fail  to  find  shelter  in  time.  Horses  and  oxen, 
to  say  nothing  of  lesser  cattle,  are  often  killed  by  hail- 
stones. The  yarns  about  harpy-eagles  killing  animals 
two  or  three  times  their  own  weight — are  yarns  :  and 
that  is  all  that  need  be  said  about  it.  As  to  the  Primitive 
Peruvians  of  philosophic  fame  calling  it  "  the  bird  of  the 
wolf  "  ;  pray,  where  did  the  wolves  come  from  ?  One 
may  travel  from  Paramaribo  to  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and 
remain  innocent  of  such  an  animal. 

I  must  hasten  to  mention  one  or  two  more  birds  that 
I  think  deserve  a  word  of  notice  ;  though  even  to  give 
a  bare  list  of  those  that  characterize  the  Amazonian 
region  would  take  up  half  the  pages  of  a  volume. 

Often  at  night-time  I  should  be  startled  by  the  sound 
of  a  burst  of  insane  laughter,  followed  by  a  mournful 
wail.  Knowing  what  strange  noises  are  emitted  by  the 
goat-suckers,  or  night- jars,  of  this  region,  the  "  willy- 
come-goes,"  Chordeiles  virginianus ;  and  "whip-poor- 
wills,"  Antrostomus  vociferus,  and  a  small  host  of  others 
which  I  could  not  identify,  I  took  but  little  notice,  at 
first,  of  this  unpleasant  laughter,  attributing  it  to  one 
of  these  night -jarring  gentry.  One  early  morning,  how- 
ever, I  was  awoke  by  the  horrible  "  Ah  !  ah  !  ah  !  Oh  ! 
oh  !  oh  !  Eh  !  eh  !  eh  !  "  close  over  my  head.  I  was 
very  tired,  and  very  cross  at  being  disturbed  ;  and  I 
reached  for  my  gun,  exclaiming,  "  I'll  give  you  some- 


DOWN    STREAM  295 

thing  to  laugh  over,  my  little  friend."  Looking  up,  I 
perceived,  by  the  moonlight,  that  "  my  little  friend  " 
was  a  great  hulking  owl,  as  big  as  a  buzzard,  perched 
not  twelve  feet  above  me.  As  I  moved,  it  flew  off  into 
the  shadows  of  night,  but  did  not  travel  far :  for  presently 
I  was  saluted  with  a  renewed  outburst  of  maniacal 
merriment.  I  heard  this  bird  often  afterwards,  and  saw 
it  once  or  twice,  always  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  or 
very  early  morning  ;  and  once  I  tried  to  shoot  it,  but 
missed  in  the  uncertain  light.  So  far  as  I  can  tell,  it  was 
a  species  of  eagle-owl.  These  birds  haunt  the  banks  of 
the  Amazon  ;  and  I  have  seen  one  or  two  fine  specimens 
which  were  killed  by  other  persons. 

The  common  "  horned  owl,"  of  precisely  the  same 
species  as  those  found  in  England,  was  shot  by  me  on  the 
lower  Amazon  :  and  I  have  found  this  bird  in  widely 
separated  districts  in  both  great  divisions  of  the  Ameri- 
can continent ;  having  frequently  seen  it  in  Canada, 
several  of  the  eastern,  western,  and  southern  States  ; 
and  in  Brazil  and  Bolivia.  A  third  species,  the  common 
screech-owl  of  the  northern  States,  completes  the  list  of 
owls  I  have  found  in  the  Amazonian  valley ;  but  this 
genus  of  birds  is  not  numerously  represented  in  this 
region.  The  screech-owl  cannot  be  mistaken.  Those 
who  have  been  used  to  its  atrocious  noises  in  the  woods 
of  the  north  will  bless  it  wherever  heard. 

I  attempt  no  description  of  the  towns  on  the  Amazon. 
Towns  and  cities  are  not  in  my  line  :  besides,  there  is 
(or  was  at  the  time  I  visited  them)  nothing  particular 
to  describe  concerning  them.  Some  few  were  showing 
signs  of  eventually  becoming  places  of  importance, 
under  the  influence  of  Yankee  and  Teutonic  push  and 


296  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

energy — the  Briton,  I  am  sorry  to  record,  was  not  con- 
spicuous in  any  of  these  places. 

Those  who  have  seen  a  Spanish  town  may  picture 
the  urban  collections  of  houses  along  the  banks  of  the 
Amazon — they  are  all  faithful  reproductions  of  the  old- 
world  towns  and  cities — the  houses  and  walls  generally 
white-washed,  or  yellow-washed,  but  occasionally 
coloured  with  fancy  tints.  All  buildings  are  flat -roofed  ; 
and  as  serious  seismic  disturbances  are  unknown  along 
the  course  of  the  river,  they  are  often  built  higher,  and 
more  substantially,  than  houses  situated  along  the  line 
of  the  Andes.  Barra  de  Rio  Negro,  commonly  called 
Manaos,  the  capital  of  the  great  province  of  the 
Amazonas,  is  situated  a  short  distance  up  the  Rio 
Negro  ;  and  with  Obydos  and  Para,  were  the  only 
places  of  real  importance,  and  trade  on  a  large  scale,  in 
1884. 

We  sailed  for  days  between  forest-covered  shores 
without  seeing  a  town,  house,  clearing,  or  break  of  any 
kind  ;  and  unless  we  chanced  to  meet  a  ship  or  steamer, 
were  to  all  intents  and  purposes  in  as  isolated  and  wild 
a  position  as  Orellana,  when  he  dropped  down  this  mag- 
nificent river  300  years  ago.  Some  of  the  towns,  also,  are 
invisible  from  the  centre  of  the  stream,  or  nearly  so, 
being  situated  a  little  way  inland  to  avoid  the  swamps 
and  seasonal  inundation.  What  towns  there  are  on  the 
upper  and  central  portions  of  the  Amazon  are  fre- 
quently placed  in  groups,  and  very  close  together. 
This  is  the  case  with  Santiago  and  San  Borgia  ;  San 
Ignacio  and  Barranon  ;  Nauta  and  Omaguas  ;  Yquitos 
and  Puca-Allpa;  Loreto,  Tabatinga,  and  Marco;  Cas- 
sara,  Magueira,  and  Ega. 


DOWN    STREAM  297 

Ega,  sometimes  called  Teffe,  because  it  is  situated  on 
the  river  Teffe,  a  few  miles  from  the  south  bank  of  the 
Amazon,  is  the  place  which  the  naturalist  Bates  made 
his  head-quarters.  I  went  up  there  especially  to  make 
enquiries  about  him  ;  and  to  my  surprise  could  find 
nobody  who  remembered  him.  There  were  no  Indians 
living  near  the  town,  though  a  few  were  roving  about 
the  streets.  I  applied  for  information  to  some  of  the 
older  men  :  no  ;  they  had  never  heard  of  Bates,  or  any 
other  Englishman  ;  nor  could  any  of  the  head  inhabi- 
tants, or  priests,  remember  having  seen  him.  Strange, 
and  sad,  that  a  worker  in  the  paths  of  peace  and  know- 
ledge should  be  so  soon  forgotten  in  the  very  place  that 
he  made  the  centre  of  his  enquiries :  and  not  very  en- 
couraging to  those  who  follow  in  his  footsteps.  But, 
alas  !  I  know  something  about  this  ! 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THE    LOWER   REACHES   OF   THE    RIVER   AMAZON 

TT7E  are  drawing  near  the  end  of  our  journey,  and 
a  few  general  observations  may  be  permitted. 
Throughout  the  whole  course  of  the  Amazon  below 
Nauta  there  is  not  a  single  hill,  or  rise  of  the  ground,  on 
either  bank,  of  sufficient  importance  to  deserve  particu- 
lar notice.  I  cannot  give  the  geological  formations, 
that  being  a  branch  of  knowledge  in  which  I  am,  un- 
fortunately, very  deficient ;  but  on  the  rivers  Madeira 
and  Tapajos  ;  and  at  a  few  isolated  spots  that  I  have 
visited,  a  kind  of  granitic  formation  crops  up  in  the 
form  of  isolated  hills  of  no  great  elevation  :  and  there 
are  some  heights,  approximating  mountains  in  extent, 
in  the  province  of  Para,  which,  it  may  be  claimed,  are 
within  the  Amazonian  radius. 

Of  course,  I  am  writing  now  of  the  main  stream  only, 
and  excluding  those  mountain  systems  already  described 
as  the  Cordillera  Grande,  and  the  plateaus  of  the 
Araguay  and  the  Upper  Tapajos.  A  few  specimens 
which  I  collected  within  twenty  miles  of  the  banks  of 
the  Amazon  proved  to  be  of  no  particular  interest  or 
value.  They  were  mostly  crystals  of  aqueous  origin, 
some  of  them  brightly  coloured.  A  green  feldspar  and 
a  green  madrepore  were  obtained  on  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  Purus,  and  on  the  tablelands  just  mentioned  ; 

298 


THE    LOWER    REACHES  299 

and  on  some  other  streams  I  obtained  a  few  rubies  of 
small  value.  So  far  as  I  could  perceive  there  are  no 
precious  metals  or  stones  in  any  of  the  waters  of  the 
great  plain  of  Matto  Grosso.  What  there  may  be  in  the 
upper  waters  of  the  Madeira,  and  the  Araguay,  and 
some  of  the  smaller  tributaries,  I  cannot  tell ;  but  I 
suspect  a  good  deal. 

There  is  certainly  gold  in  the  Cordillera  Grande ;  but 
I  could  not  find  a  rich  vein.  Probably  it  runs  six  to 
eight  ounces  to  the  ton  of  quartz  :  a  company  with 
capital  would,  therefore,  do  well,  provided  that  John 
Portuguese  granted  a  reasonable  concession. 

There  are  several  spots  in  these  highlands  where  there 
are  diamonds  ;  and  I  should  be  surprised  if  other 
precious  stones  were  not  found — perhaps  of  more  value 
than  diamonds  :  for  I  am  not  sure  that  these  last  are  of 
good  quality,  though  I  think  they  may  be  of  large  size. 
I  saw  a  good  deal  during  the  time  I  spent  in  Central 
Brazil ;  and  I  am  not  sure  that  some  persons  are  not 
quietly  making  a  little  market  for  themselves.  These 
people  are  of  my  opinion,  that  if  the  Government  and 
the  priests  (who  rule  everything  in  Brazil,  though  they 
have  not  so  much  open  authority  as  in  Ecuador)  learn 
of  the  knowledge  that  is  in  private  possession  at  present, 
it  will  mean  the  effectual  repression  of  individual  enter- 
prise. I  have  been  watching  for  years  for  developments  ; 
but  have  heard  nothing  yet.  This  is  surprising  ;  and 
means  that  good  prospects  have  suddenly  failed,  or  a 
secret  has  been  marvellously  well  kept. 

To  come  back  to  mid-stream  on  the  Amazon.  I 
have  read  that  after  the  rainy  season  the  current  on  this 
great  river  runs  four  miles  an  hour.  I  have  already  said 


300  THE  RIVER  AMAZON 

that  there  is  no  real  rainy  season  in  the  Amazon  valley. 
After  storms  and  prolonged  heavy  rains  there  is  certainly 
a  great  increase  in  the  strength  and  rapidity  of  the 
current ;  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  ever  so  much  as  four 
miles  per  hour,  except,  perhaps,  after  the  waters  of  the 
Tapajos  have  joined  it.  All  the  great  tributaries  cause 
a  very  perceptible  increase  in  the  strength  of  the  flow  ; 
but  this  gradually  subsides  as  it  runs  downwards  towards 
the  sea.  However,  the  great  depth  throughout  the 
course  of  the  Amazon,  and  its  remarkable  width,  give 
an  enormous  body  of  water,  the  force  of  which  is  scarcely 
graspable  by  the  human  mind.  At  its  mouth  it  has  the 
tremendous  power  to  push  the  sea  back  and  aside  ;  and 
I  have  myself  drunk  water  drawn  up  over  the  side  of  a 
ship  sixty  miles  from  land,  which  was  as  clear  and  pure 
as  spring  water,  and  had  not  the  slightest  brackish 
flavour.  At  the  meeting  of  the  fresh  water  with  the 
ocean,  the  roar  and  turmoil  are  equal  to  those  which 
occur  when  a  hurricane  rages.  The  Amazonian  current 
has  not  entirely  lost  its  force  200  miles,  in  a  straight  line, 
out  to  sea. 

In  certain  states  of  the  weather  a  bore  is  apt  to  rush 
up  the  river.  I  saw  one  which  was  six  feet  high,  and 
did  terrible  damage  to  small  craft,  swamping  many  boats, 
though  as  these  were  nearly  all  manned  by  Indians, 
half-breeds  and  negroes,  who  swim  as  if  born  to  the  water, 
the  loss  of  life  was  not  very  great.  This  bore  was  felt  as 
high  up  the  Amazon  as  Serpa,  which  is  only  thirty 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Madeira.  High  tides  are 
felt  as  high  up  as  this  place  ;  and  ordinary  tides  to 
above  Villa  Nova,  which  is  more  than  400  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  great  river. 


THE    LOWER    REACHES  301 

The  favourite,  and  acknowledged,  chief  entrance  to 
the  Amazon  is  by  the  southern  branch,  very  improperly 
called  the  Para  river.  The  upper,  or  northern,  fork  is 
the  true  mouth  ;  but  it  is  blocked  by  a  great  number  of 
large  and  small  islands.  The  two  branches  embrace  the 
large  island  of  Marajo,  or  Joannes,  which  has  a  greater 
surface  area  than  Wales.  Actually  the  mouth  of  the 
river  forms  two  great  gulfs  ;  and  many  miles  before 
the  sea  is  reached,  and  while  the  water  is  still  perfectly 
fresh,  a  person  on  board  a  vessel  in  mid-stream  cannot  see 
either  bank.  These  are  low,  it  is  true  ;  but  there  are 
trees  on  them  which  are  at  least  150  feet  high.  I  have 
several  times  had  to  use  the  expression  "  largest  in  the 
world,"  in  describing  objects  and  attributes  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Amazon ;  and  I  must  once  more  resort  to 
a  superlative.  From  Para  downwards  to  the  sea-coast, 
a  distance  of  about  eighty  miles,  it  is  not  possible  to  see 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  the  stream  varying  in 
width  from  twenty  to  forty  miles.  On  the  other  side  of 
Marajo  island,  the  true  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  it  is 
more  than  120  miles.  These  then  (the  mouths  of  the 
Amazon  and  Para)  are,  beyond  comparison,  the  two 
widest,  and  strongest,  fresh-water  currents  in  the 
world.  At  some  distance  off  the  coast  the  rush  of 
fresh  water  is  met  by  several  cross-currents  of  the 
sea.  The  turmoil  occasioned  by  these  has  just  been 
described. 

All  the  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon  were 
originally  covered  with  dense  forest ;  but  their  proximity 
to  the  sea  made  the  timber  valuable,  as  it  was  easily 
accessible  ;  and  much  of  it  has  been  felled.  All  the  larger 
islands  are  well  watered.  On  Marajo  there  is  a  "river 


302  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

exceeding  100  miles  in  length,  besides  nearly  a  dozen 
streams  of  twenty  miles  and  upwards. 

So  vast  a  body  of  water  as  that  contained  in  the 
Amazon  and  its  tributaries  would  naturally  be  the  home 
of  many  strange  creatures.  Amongst  other  animals 
worthy  of  notice  this  great  fluvial  system  is  the  home  of 
a  species  of  dolphin,  which  is  peculiar  to  it.  Unfortun- 
ately, I  did  not  see  a  great  deal  of  this  animal ;  but  I 
think  I  may  safely  say  that  it  was  always  confined  to 
the  lower  reaches  of  the  Amazon  and  some  of  its  great 
tributaries.  Most  of  my  information  about  it  was 
gathered  from  the  Indians,  and  the  people  of  the  land. 
This  I  checked,  as  far  as  possible  ;  but  I  do  not  like 
relying  on  the  assertions  of  ignorant  people,  especially 
of  those  of  uninformed  coloured  men — they  are  so  very 
apt  to  say  what  they  think  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear — 
true,  or  untrue. 

However,  this  much  is  certain  about  the  Amazonian 
dolphin — that  it  is  so  much  like  the  common  porpoise 
in  appearance  and  habits  and  size,  "  breaching,"  or 
partially  leaping  from  the  water,  like  that  animal,  that 
I  lost  several  good  opportunities  of  studying  its  habits, 
I  not  knowing,  at  the  time,  that  the  river  was  the  home 
of  a  special  species  of  dolphin. 

There  seem  to  be  several  varieties  of  this  animal ; 
and  it  is  asserted  locally  that  none  of  them  ever  frequent 
the  tidal  portions  of  the  Amazon.  They  ascend  the 
Madeira  as  high  as  the  first  falls  ;  but  there  are  none 
above  this  point.  As  there  are  some  in  the  Tapajos 
these  must  be  a  distinct  variety,  or  it  cannot  be  correct 
that  it  does  not  enter  the  tideway.  I  did  not  see  any  in 
the  Purus  ;  but  a  strange  creature  momentarily  seen 


THE    LOWER    REACHES  303 

here,  and  which  my  man  insisted  was  a  mermaid,  was 
probably  a  siren,  or  manati.  Dolphins  are  found  in  the 
Rio  Negro  and  Orinoco,  and  in  the  Amazon  as  high  up 
as  fifty  or  sixty  miles  above  Nauta.  None  were  seen  in 
the  upper  reaches  of  the  river,  nor  in  the  head-waters  of 
any  of  the  great  tributaries.  They  swim  together  in 
herds  of  ten  to  forty,  and  are  not  numerous  in  any  part 
of  the  river,  as  the  Portuguese  fishermen  persecute  them 
very  much,  as  there  is  a  market  for  their  flesh  and  oil ; 
and  also  because  they  devour  large  numbers  of  fish. 

In  length  these  dolphins  do  not  much  exceed  six 
feet ;  but  they  are  bulky  animals,  and  are  said  to 
often  weigh  more  than  300  pounds  English.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  Indians  neglected  so  valuable  an 
animal ;  and  concluded  that  they  disliked  dolphin  meat, 
or  had  a  prejudice  against  it.  Since  leaving  the  country 
I  have  heard  that  this  is  the  case. 

Concerning  the  manati,  or  siren  ;  this  is  a  rare  animal 
in  the  Amazon.  I  believe  it  was  seen  in  the  Purus,  and 
it  certainly  was  in  the  Javari ;  and  in  the  tidal  stream 
of  the  Amazon  as  low  as  the  mouth  of  the  Tapajos. 
It  is  a  very  different  creature  from  the  dolphin,  though 
it  is  about  the  same  size  and  length  as  that  animal.  If 
I  were  an  evolutionist  I  should  describe  it  as  "  a  special- 
ized seal  "  ;  but  I  know  nothing  about  its  cranial  bumps, 
or  dentition  ;  and  cannot  say  if  it  be  mono-cusped,  or 
bi-cusped,  or  tri-cusped,  or  not  cusped  at  all ;  but  I  can 
tell  that  the  fishermen  of  this  region  consider  it  a  prize, 
and  never  lose  an  opportunity  of  capturing  it,  with  the 
inevitable  result  that  it  is  well  on  the  way  to  extinction. 
While  the  dolphin  certainly  does  destroy  great  quanti- 
ties of  fish,  the  siren  is  a  most  harmless  animal,  'and 


304  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

strictly  herbivorous.  It  has  a  very  thick  hide  of  a 
dark  grey  colour,  which  is  wrinkled  something  like  that 
of  one  of  the  great  pachyderms,  and  sparsely  sprinkled 
with  very  fine  bristles,  which  stand  upright.  The 
common  assertion  that  dolphins  and  sirens  abound  in 
the  Amazonian  region,  and  especially  in  the  upper 
reaches,  is  incorrect,  or  was  so  in  the  years  1884-5. 

Tons  of  fish  captured  in  the  Amazon,  chiefly  near 
its  mouth,  are  annually  exported  to  the  United  States, 
as  well  as  to  many  other  places  in  South  America, 
Mexico,  and  the  West  India  Islands.  Some  of  it  is  pre- 
viously cured ;  but  great  quantities  are  sent  away  alive 
in  boats  provided  with  wells  for  the  purpose.  Thousands 
of  United  Staters  visit  the  towns  on  the  lower  reaches 
to  enjoy  the  splendid  fishing  the  river  affords  :  for  the 
vast  quantities  captured  have  not,  as  yet,  produced  a 
perceptible  diminution  of  numbers. 

But  this  trait  of  Uncle  Sam  of  going  abroad  to  catch 
fishes  in  other  men's  ditches  was  fated,  many  years 
afterwards,  to  tie  me  in  a  bit  of  a  knot,  as  Pat  would 
say.  It  happened  thus  :  there  are  two  very  large 
fish  in  the  Amazon,  the  tarpon  and  the  arapaima. 
Now,  Sam  calls  the  tarpon  the  "  king  -  herring." 
This  must  not  be  confounded  with  "  the  king-of-the- 
herrings,"  a  fish  wrhich  "  belongs  to  quite  another 
genus,"  and  has  no  resemblance  whatever  to  the  tar- 
pon ;  being,  in  fact,  Mr.  Banks 's  riband  fish  Regalecus 
banksi;  while  the  tarpon  is  Megalops  atlanticus.  But 
all  this  I  did  not  know  in  1884,  any  more  than  I  knew 
there  were  "  authorities  on  fishes  "  ;  so  when  I  was  in- 
vited to  join  a  party  of  affable  southern  gentlemen  in  a 
fishing  excursion,  and  we  caught  an  arapaima,  Arapaima 


THE    LOWER    REACHES  305 

gigas,  weighing  nearly  500  pounds,  and  several  tarpons 
of  89,  132,  168,  and  222  pounds  respectively,  I  was 
naturally  much  interested  and  surprised,  never  having 
seen  or  heard  of  these  fish  before.  But  these  gentlemen, 
like  myself,  were  not  authorities  and  scientists  ;  and 
when  one  of  them  remarked,  "  We  call  these  fish  king- 
herrings  in  Louisiana,"  and  I  could  find  no  other  names, 
native  or  otherwise,  for  them  but  "  tarpon "  and 
"  arapaima,"  I  naturally  described  them  under  these 
appellations  :  I  did  even  worse.  Having  no  fear  of 
Caesar  before  mine  eyes,  I  classed  them  together  I  and 
sent  an  account  of  the  fishing  for  them  to  the  leading 
sporting  paper !  There,  fortunately,  my  misdoing 
received  a  check.  The  gentleman  who  presides  over  the 
fishes  at  the  British  Museum  saw  my  article,  and  sent 
a  correction  to  the  paper  ;  and  I  now  know  more  about 
gigas  and  megalops  than  I  ever  knew  before.  I  am 
greatly  indebted  to  the  gentleman  who  so  kindly  cor- 
rected my  error. 

But  among  the  things  I  learned  was  that  the  tarpon 
"  is  now  becoming  well  known."  Is  it  ?  Twenty  years 
ago,  and  much  more  recently,  I  could  not  find  anybody 
who  had  heard  of  the  fish  ;  and  I  do  not  believe  that 
there  was  a  museum  in  Europe  that  possessed  a  speci- 
men of  it ;  or  a  "  natural  history  book  "  which  contained 
the  name !  [I  should  like  to  know  who  "  megalopsed  "it.] 

If  the  fish  is  becoming  "  well  known  "  it  is  surprising 
that  errors  about  it  are  spreading  so  rapidly.  Among 
the  things  concerning  the  tarpon  which  require  correct- 
ing are  the  assertions  that  it  affords  "  excellent  sport," 
leaping  six  feet  out  of  the  water  when  hooked.  It  does 
nothing  of  the  kind.  It  is  one  of  the  tamest  fish,  that 


306  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

swim.  In  America  ladies  habitually  kill  it :  a  child  might 
do  so.  It  usually  sinks  to  the  bottom  when  hooked : 
if  it  runs,  it  does  so  in  a  confused  and  uncertain  way, 
turning  frequently  at  right  angles,  and  is  soon  exhausted. 
It  may  struggle  a  little  when  lifted  into  the  boat ;  but 
often  it  does  not  even  do  this.  I  have  seen  many  caught ; 
have  caught  many  myself  :  and  not  infrequently  a 
forced  run  of  half  an  hour  will  kill  your  fish  without  any 
further  trouble. 

The  tarpon,  like  every  other  fish,  varies  in  weight 
according  to  size,  and  other  circumstances  ;  but  a  full- 
grown  fish  in  good  condition  is  never  under  200  pounds. 
The  arapaima  averages  400  to  500  pounds  ;  but  I  assisted 
to  kill  one  on  the  Rio  Negro  which  scaled,  even  after  it 
was  cut  in  pieces,  628  pounds.  I  thought  I  had  finished 
with  the  Amazonian  superlatives ;  but  I  must  endorse 
what  a  well-known  naturalist  has  written,  "  the  ara- 
paima holds  the  proud  position  of  being  the  largest  fresh- 
water fish  in  the  world.'*  Both  tarpon  and  arapaima 
are  excellent  fish  for  food.  Many  of  the  scales  of  the 
arapaima  are  five  inches  in  diameter  ;  and  I  have  seen 
them  an  inch  more.  Those  of  the  tarpon  are  half  this 
size.  Schomburgk  describes  the  Indians  as  shooting  the 
arapaima  with  arrows.  I  have  only  seen  them  captured 
with  hook  and  line. 

As  the  arapaima  is  a  much  larger,  stronger,  and  pluckier 
fish  than  the  tarpon,  a  big  hook,  and  a  substantial  line, 
must  be  used  ;  and  the  fisherman  must  be  prepared  for 
a  considerable  exertion  of  muscular  power.  The  gape 
of  the  fish  is  very  wide  ;  it  can,  therefore,  take  a  large 
bait,  though  I  believe  its  usual  food  is  very  small,  con- 
sisting of  the  fry  of  fishes,  and  particularly  the  young  of 


THE    LOWER    REACHES  307 

crabs  and  lobsters.  If  I  could  find  these,  or  a  crab  which 
had  just  changed  its  shell,  and  was  in  a  soft  condition, 
I  always  found  it  a  very  killing  bait  for  tarpon  :  and 
arapaima,  also,  would  readily  take  it.  Failing  these,  I 
have  used  clams  and  large  oysters,  removed  from  the 
shells,  of  course. 

The  hook  I  used  was  four  of  the  largest  I  could  get, 
or  make,  tied  together  so  that  the  barbs  projected  on 
every  side — a  sort  of  shark  hook,  in  fact ;  with  the  bait 
securely  tied  on  ;  and  the  line  at  least  200  yards  long, 
and  strong  enough  to  bear  the  strain  of  a  600-pound  fish. 
It  is  very  desirable  to  have  a  quadruple  hook,  as  the  strain 
put  on  it  is  often  tremendous  :  and  it  is  a  good  plan 
to  have  a  stout  wooden  bollard  fixed  in  the  boat,  round 
which  the  rope  can  be  passed  two  or  three  turns,  to  ease 
the  pressure.  The  fish,  when  hooked,  is  almost  sure  to 
dash  away  at  a  great  rate  ;  but  it  does  not  leap  from  the 
water.  It  is  game,  and  will  show  a  lot  of  fight ;  and,  if 
the  boat  can  be  got  near  enough,  it  is  as  well  to  kill  it 
with  a  harpoon,  or  lance. 

The  tarpon  is  described  as  a  sea  fish,  and  the  arapaima 
as  strictly  a  fresh- water  species.  The  tarpon  is  really  an 
estuarine  fish,  often  ascending  large  rivers  far  above  the 
tide-limit  ;  but  never  going  far  out  to  sea  ;  although  I 
have  seen  both  these  and  arapaima  far  from  the  mouth 
of  a  river  ;  but  as  they  were  always  in  an  injured  or 
dying  condition  it  is  probable  they  had  been  swept  out 
to  sea  as  a  result  of  their  helplessness.  Arapaimas, 
however,  come  down  into  estuaries,  and  can  exist  in  water 
that  is  brackish,  if  not  absolutely  salt ;  and  I  strongly 
suspect  tarpons  of  taking  journeys  which  partake  of  the 
character  of  migrations.  There  are  several  varieties  of 


308  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

them ;  but  I  have  only  seen  one  arapaima,  that  which 
I  have  attempted  to  describe  here,  and  which  is  certainly 
confined  to  the  larger  and  deeper  waters  of  the  combined 
Amazon- Orinoco  systems.  I  have  never  met  with  the 
least  evidence  that  it  enters  the  smaller  and  shallower 
streams  ;  and  I  do  not  believe  that  it  does  do  so. 
To  read  some  accounts  of  it  one  would  think  he  had 
but  to  look  across  the  waters  to  see  shoals  of  these  fish 
and  the  Amazonian  dolphins  disporting  themselves  in 
every  direction.  He  may  look  for  weeks,  and  see  nothing 
but  the  rippling  waves  and  the  dancing  sunbeams  : 
even  the  gigantic  forest  trees  of  the  opposite  shore  are 
scarcely  visible  across  the  broad  expanse  of  this  vast 
river,  and  appear  dimly,  as  a  low,  dark-coloured  hedge. 

Of  the  lesser  fish  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  say  any- 
thing, it  is  so  exceedingly  difficult  to  see  what  is  taking 
place  beneath  the  waters.  There  is  no  class  of  animals 
that  more  require  a  specialist  to  study  them  than  fishes. 
A  man  must  devote  weeks  and  months  to  watching 
before  he  can  learn  a  single  habit  of  these  creatures  : 
and  I  had  so  much  to  see,  and  note,  above  water  that 
I  had  no  time  to  dive  into  its  depths  after  knowledge. 

All  the  fish,  except  three  or  four  of  the  commonest 
kinds,  of  the  Amazon  are  known  by  local  and  popular 
names  which  could  convey  no  information  to  the  students 
of  system ;  but  a  few  that  I  can  mention  may  have  a 
general  interest,  especially  to  lovers  of  the  hook  and 
line,  who  may  contemplate  a  visit  to  this  region. 

A  hundred  pounds  is  not  an  uncommon  weight  for 
conger-eels  in  the  lower  reaches  below  Obydos,  and 
especially  in  the  Para  river :  and  higher  up,  fresh-water 
eels  are  very  numerous,  attaining  a  length  of  six  feet ; 


THE    LOWER    REACHES  309 

and  are  fierce  enough  to  give  a  disciple  of  Old  Izaak  a 
lively  time,  if  taken  into  the  boat  before  they  are  dis- 
abled :  and  I  have  experienced  some  curious  little 
adventures  when  fishing  for  congers  in  the  lower  reaches. 
I  had  one  of  these  creatures  make  an  attack  on  me,  like 
a  snake,  and  it  very  nearly  succeeded  in  throwing  me 
into  the  water.  On  another  occasion  one  of  mon- 
strous size  nearly  upset  the  boat.  He  resisted  so  vigor- 
ously that  we  could  not  drag  him  inboard  ;  and  he 
finally  got  away  with  a  large  hook  in  his  maw. 

There  is  a  huge  "  angel-fish  "  in  the  tidal  waters,  and 
a  kind  of  cat-fish  with  a  head  as  big  as  that  of  an  ox. 
Higher  up  the  stream  there  is  a  great  variety  of  fishes, 
some  kinds  weighing  as  much  as  forty  pounds  per  fish  : 
others  of  twenty  pounds  are  quite  common.  Some  are 
of  good  flavour  and  are  excellent  food ;  others  have  such 
peculiar  and  unpleasant  tastes  and  odours  that  we  threw 
them  overboard  as  soon  as  they  had  been  examined. 
One  of  carp-like  appearance,  and  twelve  pounds  weight, 
was  a  favourite  with  us  ;  and  was  always  dressed  for 
the  table  when  we  could  catch  it.  It  is  called  a  "  berry- 
fish,"  on  account  of  the  large  size  of  the  grains  of  its  roe. 
It  does  not  appear  in  the  lower  reaches  of  the  river. 

The  shoals  of  fish  attract  the  gulls  right  up  the 
Amazon,  and  I  have  seen  large  flocks  of  them  hovering 
over  the  water  far  above  Nauta,  which  is  2000  miles 
from  the  mouth  :  but  we  cannot  return  up-stream  to 
watch  these. 

Those  who  wish  to  visit  the  Amazon  on  sport  and 
pleasure  bent,  have  no  need  to  go  farther  than  the 
towns  near  its  mouth  :  for  even  a  few  miles  from  such 
places  as  Obydos,  Santarem,  Manaos,  and  Para  there  are 


310  THE   RIVER  AMAZON 

miles  of  virgin  forest  which  have  never  been  penetrated 
by  any  feet  but  those  of  the  prowling  Indian  and  the 
sportsman.  Here  those  who  care  for  such  expeditions 
may  hire  a  boat,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  two,  find 
secluded  nooks  where  they  have  no  more  fear  of  being 
interrupted,  or  disturbed,  than  Adam  had  in  Eden. 
The  explorer  may  bury  himself  in  swamps  where  the 
Spanish  moss  hangs,  not  in  festoons  only,  but  in  thick 
and  wide  sheets  and  masses  from  trees  that  are  200  feet 
high  and  more — specimens  of  arboreal  growth  of  a 
tallness  and  spread  of  branches  of  which  a  European 
can  have  no  conception ;  and  the  description  of  which, 
to  him,  must  read  like  exaggeration.  Here  he  will  find 
creatures  so  unlike  those  to  which  he  is  accustomed,  that 
he  may  easily  dream  he  is  in  a  fairy  land. 

If  he  be  a  true  sportsman,  and  wants  a  spice  of  danger 
to  actuate  his  pleasures,  he  can  find  it  here  ;  and  this  in 
a  new  guise.  There  are  no  mighty  elephants,  lions,  and 
tigers  to  danee  before  his  bullets  ;  no  huge  bears  to  give 
him  a  crushing  hug  ;  but  there  is  the  cunning  jaguar  to 
drop  on  him  unawares,  the  terrible  cayman  to  upset  his 
canoe,  and  gobble  him  up,  after  it  has  kept  him  hid  in 
some  mud-hole  until  he  has,  like  a  well-hung  hare, 
acquired  the  proper  flavour.  There  are  huge  boas,  and 
anacondas,  at  least  twenty  feet  long  and,  perchance, 
double  that  length,  which  will  eye  him  with  wonder,  and 
very  likely  sample  him.  There  are  snakes  hardly  less 
in  size  than  these,  so  deadly  poisonous  that  the  people 
of  the  land  shudder  at  the  mere  mention  of  them. 
These  are  some  of  the  things  which  will  test  his  courage, 
and  his  nerve,  if  he  goes  into  the  wilderness  in  search  of 
adventures. 


THE   LOWER   REACHES  311 

But  there  are  other  things  more  beautiful,  more  won- 
derful, and  not  dangerous,  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  lover  of  nature.  There  are  the  marvellous  humming- 
birds, "  living  gems,"  as  they  have  justly  been  called — 
the  breathing  jewels  of  the  earth  ;  moving  masses  of 
scarlet  macaws,  the  most  gorgeous  of  all  flying  creatures  : 
clouds  of  mazarine-blue  butterflies,  rivalling  the  hum- 
ming-birds in  their  amazing  beauty  :  flowers,  that  for 
size,  and  variety  of  shape,  and  hue,  throw  those  of  all 
other  parts  of  the  earth  into  the  shade  ;  trees  that  are 
a  forest  in  themselves,  often  growing,  as  parasites,  one 
above  another  in  three,  and  even  four,  layers  :  inter- 
minable forests  of  unrivalled  works  of  the  great  Creator, 
incomparable  in  other  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  sur- 
passed nowhere — on  earth,  at  any  rate.  Skies  of  topaz — 
like  heaven  itself  for  magnificent  clearness  and  purity  : 
and  through  all,  and  around  all,  a  New  Rio  La  Plata — 
a  winding,  gleaming  river  of  liquid  silver  tens  of  miles 
broad  and  thousands  of  miles  in  length — The  Mightiest 
Stream  on  Earth. 


THE    END 


INDEX 


AGOUTI,  a  small  animal  of  the 
cavy  class,  allied  to  the  capi- 
vara,  199 

AMAZON,  RIVER,  discovery  of,  1  ; 
incidents  of  discovery,  2 
names  and  naming  of,  4,  5 ; 
spelling  of  the  name,  5  ;  tribu- 
taries, 5 ;  valley  of,  the  best 
watered  on  earth,  5  ;  hundred 
streams  of  head-waters,  8.  9  ; 
Brazilian  gunboat  and  police- 
boat  on,  33  ;  great  number  of 
north-west  tributaries,  85 ; 
originate  in  knot  of  huge  vol- 
canic mountains,  86 ;  begins 
to  flow  through  flat  country 
long.  73°  W.,  114;  more  than 
half  the  entire  river  system  of 
South  America  comprised  in, 
115;  navigation  of,  for  2000 
miles  by  British  man-o'-war, 
252  ;  large  vessels  can  nearly 
cross  the  continent  by  means 
of,  253  ;  the  current  ponderous 
rather  than  swift,  260  ;  upper 
reaches  turbulent,  260;  "still 
waters  run  deep  "  true  of  the 
Amazon,  260 ;  a  very  wide 
stream,  261  ;  general  descrip- 
tion of  it,  261  ;  waves  three 
feet  high  1500  miles  from  the 
sea,  262;  bends  on  the,  275; 
islands  formed  by  cross  streams, 
275 ;  more  than  700  miles  of 
the  bank  of  the  main  stream 
formed  by  these  islands,  275, 
276;  linked  to  the  Orinoco, 
281  ;  a  boat  could  explore  at 
least  100,000  miles  of  streams 
without  leaving  the  water, 
281  ;  breadth  of  the  Amazon 
often  that  of  a  large  lake,  281  ; 
climate  equable,  and  no  well- 
marked  seasons,  281,  282 ;  rain- 
fall controlled  by  forest ;  much 


wet  and  no  dry  season,  282  ; 
months  when  flowers  and  fruit 
most  abound,  282  ;  many  ani- 
mals attain  maximum  size  in 
valley  of,  283 ;  geological  forma- 
tions, 298,  299;  general  re- 
marks, 298-301 ;  force  of  current 
perceptible  200  miles  out  to 
sea,  300 ;  dangerous  bore, 
300  ;  tide,  300  ;  mouth  forms 
two  great  gulfs,  301  ;  forming 
two  widest  and  strongest  fresh- 
water currents  in  the  world,  301 ; 
dolphin,  siren  and  fish  in,  302 

ANACONDA.    See  Serpents 

ANDES,  MOUNTAINS,  honey- 
combed with  ancient  mine- 
shafts,  1  ;  a  vast  range  running 
whole  length  of  America,  8 ; 
description  of  the  range,  8,  16, 
17 ;  remarkable  features  of, 
23  ;  bridges  in,  25  ;  cacti  on 
slopes  of,  29,  30;  Matto 
Grosso  climbs  sides  of,  32 ; 
range  of  animal  life  on,  34 ; 
rats  and  mice  numerous,  34- 
36  ;  handsome  wild  dog  in,  35  ; 
huge  flocks  of  birds  fly  over, 
36,  37 ;  parallel  range,  41  ; 
cluster  of  high  peaks,  41 ; 
beautiful  flowers  in,  42,  43 ; 
marvellous  coca  plant,  43; 
terrible  deserts  in,  44  ;  elevated 
valleys  and  plateaus,  49  ;  slopes 
of,  50,  53 

ANT-EATER,  GREAT,  on  Upper 
Purus  river,  192 ;  in  valley 
of  River  Aves,  245  ;  little  ant- 
eater  :  the  two  species  much 
alike  in  many  points — divergent 
in  others,  245 ;  prehensile  tail 
of  small  species,  and  curious 
habits,  245,  246 

APURIMAC,  a  name  of  the  Ucayali 
river,  40 


X2 


313 


314 


INDEX 


ABAGUAY,  RIVER,  has  several 
names,  228  ;  divided  into  two 
great  branches 

ARAPAIMA,  the  largest  fresh- water 
fish  in  the  world,  304,  305  ;  un- 
fortunately I  run  foul  of  it,  and 
am  taught  the  difference  be- 
tween Oigas  and  Megalops  I 
305  ;  Gigas  weighs  500  pounds, 
and  another  specimen  628 
pounds,  305 

ARMADILLO,  an  armoured  mole, 
242  ;  the  kind  of  ground  it  fre- 
quents, 242;  rapidity  with 
which  it  burrows,  242  ;  how  to 
capture  it,  243  ;  description  of 
the  great  armadillo,  244,  245  ; 
delights  to  feed  on  putrescent 
matter,  244 

BANYAN  TREE,  found  on  River 
Purus,  176 

BATS,  Amazon  valley  head- 
quarters of,  129  ;  vampire  and 
great  bat,  129  ;  general  descrip- 
tion of  American  bats,  131- 
139 ;  several  kinds  of  vam- 
pires :  not  all  blood-suckers, 
131-135 ;  immense  numbers 
on  Amazon,  135,  136;  the 
great  bat,  136 ;  curious  and 
horrible-looking  features  of  bats, 
137  ;  remarkable  eyes  of,  139 

BEASTS  OF  PREY,  never  feed  on 
other  beasts  of  prey,  172 

BELL-BIRD,  habits  and  tolling  of, 
62,  63  ;  hours  when  tolling  was 
heard  in  valley  of  River  Aves,  237 

BOA-CONSTRICTOR.    See  Serpents 

BORDERLAND,  a  pleasant  spot 
on  the  Amazon  where  men  con- 
trive to  agree  better  than  is 
usual  with  them,  267,  268 

Bow  AND  ARROWS,  Indian  skill  in 
use  of,  82,  83 

BRAZIL,  paradise  of,  236 

BRAZIL,  people  of,  divided  into 
four  classes,  258  ;  their  pride, 
character,  and  disposition,  258  ; 
ill  usage  of  emigrants,  259 ; 
a  land  of  stabbers  and  of  no 
justice,  259 

BRAZILIAN  sailors  not  smart,  33 

BRIDGES,  rotten  and  dangerous  in 
mountains,  89,  90 


BULLET-WOOD,  a  species  of  gutta- 
percha  tree,  241 

BTJLL-FROG,  huge  one  found  on 
River  Purus,  177 

CACTI,  numerous  on  slopes  of 
Andes  mountain,  30  ;  curative, 
and  other  properties  of,  31,  32 

CANONS,  narrow  with  cliffs,  42  ; 
form  passes  of  great  difficulty 
and  danger,  90,  91 

CAPIVARAS,  these  are  giant 
guinea-pigs,  199  ;  fond  of  water 
and  swimming,  199 

CATARACTS.  SeeFallsandCataracts 

CATS,  description  of  some  of  the 
small  wild  cats  of  Matto  Grosso, 
75,  76 

CAVES,  in  Cordillera  Grande,  231  ; 
whole  of  mountains  on  east  side 
of  Matto  Grosso  abound  in, 
249;  explore  and  describe  one 
four  miles  in  length,  250,  251 

CAYMAN,  swarms  in  River  Purus 
and  other  streams  of  Amazon 
Valley,  144 ;  curious  habit  of, 
146-148 ;  give  much  trouble 
during  a  canoe  journey,  178, 
179 ;  hail-storm  gives  them 
"  pot-luck,"  179  ;  flavour  of 
the  flesh  of,  187  ;  seize  large 
serpents,  189 ;  pull  a  deer 
under  the  water,  198  ;  said  to 
capture  large  fishes,  264 ;  de- 
scription of  size,  number,  and 
haunts  of,  278,  279  ;  the  name 
cayman,  or  caiman,  283 

CHIMBORAZO,  glacier  on,  87 

CHINCHILLAS,  burrow  in  the  rocks, 
55  ;  are  very  active,  55 

COCA  PLANT,  remarkable  proper- 
ties of,  43-44 

COCK-OF-THE-ROCK,  a  peculiar 
bird,  with  very  bright,  but 
loose,  plumage,  234 

COLLECTORS,  PRIVATE,  pay  the 
best  prices  and  get  the  best 
specimens,  130 

COLUMBUS,  and  the  nightin- 
gale, 236,  237 

CONDOR,  typical  bird  of  the 
Andes,  17  ;  fine  sight  when  on 
the  wing,  17  ;  height  of  flight, 
17 ;  two  distinct  species  on 
Peruvian  Andes,  26;  breeding 


INDEX 


315 


habits  of,  27  ;  errors  concern- 
ing, 28;  largo  ones,  54;  breeds 
on  Cotopaxi,  106 

CONTRABANDIST.*.,  travel  with  a 
band  of,  11  ;  reasons  for  so 
doing,  19  ;  humorous  fellows 

COOANABADI,  serpent,  beautiful, 
but  most  terrible  on  earth,  145 

COTOPAXI,  suddenness  and  fearful 
effects  of  eruptions,  86,  87; 
height  of,  86 ;  pretty  blue 
flower  growing  on  sides  of,  93 ; 
attempted  ascent  of,  95-104 ; 
full  description  of,  95-107 

CORDILLERA  GRANDE,  range  800 
miles  in  length,  picturesque 
and  beautiful,  228 ;  stretches 
due  north  and  south,  and 
gives  rise  to  many  rivulets. 
229  ;  caves  in,  surrounded  by 
beautiful  plants  and  flowers, 
231  ;  the  eastern  boundary  of 
the  Amazon  valley,  249  ;  peaks 
of  6000,  or  7000,  feet  high,  249  ; 
clothed  with  splendid  forests,  249 

COUNTRY,  between  rivers  Purus 
and  Madeira  a  swampy  level, 
203 ;  between  Madeira  and 
Tapajos  an  elevated  table- 
land, 203  ;  not  so  well  known 
as  most  distant  parts  of  Central 
Africa,  204 ;  one  man  alone 
incapable  of  searching  the  whole 
of  it,  204,  205 

Cow  TREE,  exudes  a  white  juice, 
delicious  and  very  nutritious, 
241 

CURASSOW,  CRESTED,  the  turkey 
of  South  America,  166  ;  powise, 
native  name  of,  166  ;  is  domes- 
ticated by  the  Brazilians,  167  ; 
three  species  found  on  River 
Purus,  167  ;  description  of 
habits,  167 

DEAD  ANIMALS,  what  becomes  of 
them  ?  286,  287 

DEER,  first  seen  on  Upper  Purus, 
192 ;  abundant  on  upper 
reaches  of,  197  ;  "  Protective 
odour  "  leads  to  the  death  of 
a  dozen  of  them,  198  ;  descrip- 
tion of  the  kinds  on  the  Upper 
Purus,  198,  199 ;  appear  in 
small  herds  only,  200 


DEVIL-FISH,  a  fish- wolf ,  and  dread 
of  Indians  and  negroes,  181  ; 
teeth,  fixed  to  a  handle,  used 
as  a  rasp,  181 

DIAMONDS,  and  precious  stones 
found  on  sides  of  Andes  in 
Ecuador,  116;  trouble  and  dis- 
putes with  authorities  about 
discovery  of  them,  117  ;  prices 
of,  117,  118;  diamonds  in 
Cordillera  Grande,  299 

DOLPHIN,  Amazonian,  general 
description  of,  302-303 

EAGLES,  on  the  Amazon,  dis- 
tinguished from  vultures  by 
going  singly  or  in  pairs,  292  ; 
but  are  closely  allied  to  vul- 
tures and  devour  carrion,  293  ; 
general  description  of  crested 
eagles  of  Amazon  river,  293, 
294 

EELS,  sickly  ones  seen  on  River 
Purus,  180  ;  I  help  "  to  spoil 
reams  of  paper,"  180,  181  ; 
congers  and  common  eels  of 
large  size  in  River  Amazon, 
308,  309. 

EYES,  of  nocturnal  creatures  a 
curious  study,  139 

FALLS  AND  CATARACTS,  of  Mar- 
anon  river,  24  ;  of  Virmapan- 
tando,  25  ;  one  of  1000  feet  on 
the  Urubamba,  41 ;  a  great 
number  of  charming  falls  in 
Villa  Bella  district,  211  ;  not 
fewer  than  150  of  them  on 
Upper  Madeira,  211 ;  streams  of 
Cordillera  Grande,  a  series  of 
cascades  and  falls,  235,  236 

FEAR,  the  outcome  of  intelligence, 
179 

FISH,  abundant  in  the  Amazon, 
181  ;  the  "  devil-fish,"  a  mon- 
strous little  wretch,  181  ;  de- 
scription of  those  found  in  the 
Purus  river,  182  ;  huge  congers 
and  angel-fish  in  tidal  waters  of 
River  Amazon,  309 

FLAMINGO,  SCARLET,  shot  on 
River  Purus,  168  ;  only  a  few 
seen  on  River  Amazon,  168 

FLOWERS,  in  Andes,  heliotrope, 
calceolarias,  and  verbenas,  42  ; 


316 


INDEX 


fuchsias,  43  ;  magnificent  ones 
on  River  Purus,  149 ;  "  trum- 
pet-flowers "  used  as  hats,  230 

FLY-TRAP,  an  extraordinary  carni- 
vorous plant  described,  265  ; 
action  of  the  plant,  265,  266 ; 
experiments  with,  266,  267 

FORESTS.     See  Matto  Grosso 

FRESCO,  Rio,  entire  course 
through  tableland  forest,  212 

FROG,  BULL,  large  one  found  in 
River  Purus,  177 ;  croaking 
of,  a  characteristic  night  sound 
in  Matto  Grosso,  238  ;  a  large 
tree-frog  described,  283 

GLACIERS,  not  numerous  in  the 
Andes,  87 

GOLD,  lust  for  leads  to  discovery 
of  the  Amazon,  1  ;  in  Amazon 
valley,  2 ;  dust  in  head- 
waters of  River  Purus,  83,  84  ; 
in  Cordillera  Grande,  299 

GUANACO,  wild  on  Andes,  18 ; 
the  llama,  and  allied  with 
alpaca,  vicuna,  59 ;  really  a 
camel,  60  ;  vicious  habits  of,  60 

HAIL-STONES,  size  of  pigeons' 
eggs,  179  ;  great  hurt  done  by, 
179 ;  dangerous  and  destruc- 
tive, 294 

HUMMING-BIRDS,  abound  to  sum- 
mits of  Andes,  54 ;  local 
species  of,  in  Cotopaxi  region, 
107  ;  description  of  some,  105- 
107 ;  mountain  species  dis- 
tinguished by  short  beak,  108  ; 
colours  of  plumage  and  size, 
109;  flight  of,  109,  110;  food 
and  breeding  habits  of,  110, 
111  ;  range  nearly  the  entire 
American  continent,  112  ;  not 
protected,  112;  description  of 
some  in  valley  of  River  Aves, 
231,  232  ;  song,  or  notes  of,  237 

IGUANA,  or  water-lizard,  much 
more  than  six  feet  in  length, 
and  much  sought  for  as  an 
article  of  food,  277,  278 

INDIANS,  stories  of,  2  ;  met  with 
by  Orellana,  4  ;  not  an  intelli- 
gent race,  50  ;  villages  of,  78- 
81  ;  awful  superstition  and 


cruelty,  79,  80  ;  "  George  " 
and  "  Snow  Hill,"  80 ;  food 
and  arms,  81-83  ;  hunting,  83  ; 
as  active  as  wild  animals,  174  ; 
very  primitive  on  River  Purus, 
182,  183  ;  peaceable  and  kind- 
hearted,  183 ;  account  of 
friendly  intercourse  with  a  tribe 
of.  on  River  Purus,  183-187  ; 
obliged  to  hunt  in  bands,  247  ; 
often  suffer  great  privations, 
247  ;  cannot  count  to  a  high 
number,  263  ;  generally  honest 
and  truthful,  264 
ISLANDS,  description  of  river 
islands  on  River  Amazon ; 
forest  -  covered  and  swampy, 
and  only  a  few  have  names, 
277  ;  a  paradise  for  caymans 
and  huge  snakes,  277 

JACATINGA,  one  of  Brazil's  puzzle- 
birds,  167  ;  white-headed 
species  found  on  River  Purus, 
167 

JAGUAR,  a  bloodthirsty  and  dan- 
gerous animal,  and  habits  of, 
65,  66  ;  size  and  range  of,  etc., 
72-74,  76 ;  head-quarters  on 
Upper  Purus,  197 ;  fond  of 
swimming,  197  ;  adventure 
with  one,  and  mutual  fright, 
247 

JAGUARONDI,  size  and  description 
of,  74,  75 ;  omnivorous  and 
gluttonous,  168 

m 

KING  VULTURE,  a  handsome  bird  : 
description  of,  289-291  ;  lives 
in  flocks,  290  ;  loves  the  trees 
it  harbours  in,  290  ;  nest  and 
eggs,  290 ;  majestic  flight  of, 
291 

KNOT  OF  PASCO,  7 

LAKES,  Lauricocha,  the  source  of 
the  Amazon,  7  ;  not  numerous 
in  South  America,  14-15  ;  fish 
in,  and  wild-fowl  on,  15 

LANDSCAPE,  appearance  of  Matto 
Grosso  from  mountains  of  Peru, 
52,  54 ;  extensive  and  pic- 
turesque view  from  Ecuador 
Andes,  88,  89 


INDEX 


317 


LILIES,  white,  yellow,  and  blue 
kinds  found  on  rivers  Amazon 
and  Purus,  178  ;  Victoria  regia, 
a  resting-place  for  animals 
weighing  fifty  pounds,  187 

LLAMA.    See  Guanaco 

MACAWS,  scarlet  on  River  Purus, 
159  ;  differ  but  little  in  size 
and  habits,  162  ;  but  much  in 
plumage,  162  ;  those  found  on 
River  Purus,  162 ;  food  of, 
162,  163  ;  tenacious  of  life, 
163 ;  all  associate  in  flocks, 
163 ;  breeding  and  general 
habits  of,  163,  164  ;  green  and 
yellow  seems  to  have  greatest 
range,  192 

MADEIRA,  RIVER,  the  largest 
tributary  of  the  Amazon,  202  ; 
rises  in  Bolivia,  202  ;  country 
between  this  stream  and  River 
Tapajos,  an  elevated  table- 
land, 203;  head-waters  of, 
drain  great  part  of  Bolivia, 
210  ;  more  than  2000  miles  in 
length,  210  ;  large  number  of 
beautiful  falls  on,  211 

MANATI,  OR  SIREN,  found  in 
River  Amazon,  but  scarce,  303  ; 
description  of,  303,  304 

MARANON,  RIVER,  head-water  of 
Amazon,  7  ;  description  of,  11, 
16  ;  first  falls  of,  20  ;  canons, 
20,  21  ;  tributary  of,  23,  24 

MARONDI.     See  Jacatinga 

MATTO  GROSSO,  forest  a  million 
square  miles  in  extent,  32 ; 
bounds  of,  32 ;  much  of  its 
interior  swamp,  33  ;  immense 
trees  and  creeping  vines  in,  57  ; 
not  so  moist  in  Ecuador,  118  ; 
description  of,  on  banks  of 
Purus,  148,  149  ;  impenetrable 
175,  178  ;  a  network  of  streams, 
176  ;  not  much  big  game  in, 
188  ;  great  monotony  in  ap- 
pearance of,  203 ;  a  million 
square  miles  without  a  white 
man's  home,  206  ;  trees  matted 
together  forming  a  wall,  206  ; 
walking  on  the  trees,  207 ; 
difficulties  of  travelling  in, 
208  ;  timber  felling  and  perma- 
nence of  the  forest,  255,  256 


MATTO  GROSSO,  Province  of,  205 

MICE,  in  Andes,  34 

MIGRATION  OF  BIRDS,  rails  and 
water-hens,  160;  cassiques  and 

others,  246 

MINERS,  character  and  disposition 
of,  at  Pasco,  13 

MONKEYS,  spider-monkeys  in  Pe- 
ruvian forests,  67 ;  howler 
monkey  a  ventriloquist  (?),  122  ; 
description  of  them,  122-125; 
not  a  conspicuous  feature  in 
South  American  scenery,  128  ; 
relative  size,  129  ;  remarkable 
for  slimness  of  build,  129;  very 
tame  on  tributary  of  Purus, 
180  ;  mob  a  jaguar,  190  ;  can- 
not swim,  191  ;  four  kinds  of, 
found  on  Upper  Purus,  191 ; 
quarrels  take  place  amongst, 
191;  species  appear  to  be 
local,  192 

MORA  TREE,  a  mass  of  scarlet 
bloom,  129  ;  a  favourite  with 
monkeys,  120 

MOSQUITOES,  just  a  word  or  two 
about  my  old  enemies,  279-280 

MOTMOT,  green  one  found  on  sides 
of  Antisana,  112  ;  does  it  shear 
its  tail  ?  What  Waterton  said 
about  this,  233-234 

NAPO,  RIVER,  rises  on  slope  of 
Cotopaxi,  86  ;  frightful  effects 
of  sudden  rise  of,  86 

NEGRO,  terrible  sufferings  of  a 
slave,  213-216 

NEVADA  Cuzco,  41 

NIGHT-JAR,  times  of  calling  of, 
237 

NOCTURNAL  HABIT,  natural  com- 
ment on,  238 

ORELLANA,  FRANCISCO,  3 ;  his 
peculiar  action  and  discovery 
of  the  Amazon,  3  ;  the  first 
European  to  cross  the  American 
continent,  3 

OTTER,  those  found  on  the 
Amazon  very  large,  218 ;  de- 
scription of  the  Demerara  otter, 
219,  220 

OWL,  disturbed  at  night  by  Insane 
laughter  of  large  one,  294,  295  ; 
the  common  "  horned,"  and 


318 


INDEX 


the   common    "  screech  "    owls 
found  in  Amazonian  valley,  295 

PAMPA  DEL  SACRAMENTO,  gloomy 
and  dreadful  sand  desert,  44.  45 

PARADISE  or  BRAZIL,  the,  236 

PARROT,  common  green,  a  very 
abundant  bird  in  forests  of 
River  Purus,  159 

PASCO,  KNOT  OF,  7  ;  lakes  in  dis- 
trict, 14-15 

PASCO,  description  of  city  of,  11- 
14  ;  said  to  be  highest  perma- 
nently inhabited  place  in  the 
world,  11 

PASSES  IN  ANDES,  narrow  and 
dangerous  in  Peru  and  Ecuador, 
90,  91  ;  in  Cordillera  Grande, 
more  cliffs,  but  often  impass- 
able, 249 

PECCARIES,  irritable  fiends  of  the 
animal  kingdom,  220 ;  not 
ashamed  to  admit  that  I  fear 
them  more  than  any  other 
creatures,  220 ;  the  kind  of 
mess  they  can  make  of  a  man, 

221  ;  their  mode  of  attack,  and 
invincible   determination,    221, 

222  ;  description  of  a  fight  with 
them,  221,  222  ;    and  of  their 
general  habits,    222-224 ;   pec- 
cary meat  good  food,  224  ;  how 
I  watched  them  ;  and  how  they 
treated  me,  224-226  ;   how  the 
boar  rips  one  up,  and  how  the 
peccary    performs    this    opera- 
tion, 226  ;    two  species  of,  226 

PERUVIANS,  lack  of  energy  in, 
and  anecdote,  50,  51 

PIZARROS,  the,  their  action  leads 
to  the  discovery  of  the  Amazon, 
2,  3 

PLANTS,  curious  and  beautiful  in 
Knot  of  Pasco  district,  29 ; 
huge  vines  on  River  Purus, 
177 ;  very  extraordinary  fly- 
trap, 265 

PORCUPINE,  seen  on  Upper  Purus, 
192  ;  its  "  specialized  hairs," 
and  "  protective  stench,"  193 

PORK  AND  MOLASSES,  an  anecdote 
158,  159 

POWISE.     See  Curassow 

"  PROTECTION,"  something  about 
this  fad,  and  "  mimicry,"  70— 


72  ;  Waterton's  scathing  refu- 
tation of  the  "  theory "  of 
"  protective  odours,"  193-195 

PUMA,  scarce  in  mountains,  53  ; 
are  dangerous  animals,  64  ; 
habits,  range,  size,  etc.,  72-74, 
76 

PURUS,  RIVER,  a  great  tributary 
of  Amazon  :  search  for  head- 
waters of,  59  ;  head -waters 
within  Peruvian  territory,  77  ; 
consist  of  a  great  number  of 
small  streams,  77,  78 ;  a 
voyage  on,  141,  142 ;  runs 
through  a  dense  forest  of  tall 
trees,  143 ;  and  through  the 
flattest  part  of  the  Amazon 
valley,  142  ;  many  great  loops 
formed  by,  142  ;  great  number 
of  islands  in  the  bed  of,  143  ; 
swarms  with  caymans,  144;  its 
mouths  form  a  delta,  145  ;  has 
several  mouths,  or  passes,  to 
the  Amazon,  145,  146  ;  ancient 
settlements  on,  150-154 ;  wet 
weather  on,  156 ;  description 
of  fish  found  in,  182  ;  200  miles 
from  mouth  a  mile  broad,  182  ; 
and  depth  very  great,  182 ; 
banks  become  higher  on  upper 
reaches,  187 ;  Barrier  of 
Caiauarite  impassable,  200 ; 
country  hilly  at  this  point,  200 

RAILWAY,  labour  and  cost  of 
making  one  in  Amazonian 
valley,  257,  258 

RAINFALL,  IN  ANDES,  very  er- 
ratic, 87,  88 

RATS,  habits  of,  in  Andes,  35 

RIVERS,  all  the  great  rivers  in 
Amazonian  valley  have  several 
names,  228 ;  two  rivers  running 
parallel  and  divided  by  moun- 
tain range  not  uncommon  f  eatu  re 
in  South  America,  228  ;  rocky 
defile  of  River  Aves  a  delight 
from  end  to  end,  229  ;  under- 
ground stream  in  Cordillera 
Grande,  235 ;  description  of 
river  islands  in  the  Amazon, 
276 

ROADS,  mountainous,  89,  90 ; 
on  Amazon,  made  and  kept 
open  by  private  enterprise,  265 


INDEX 


319 


ROCKS,  fanciful  shapes  of,  231  ; 
bare,  rugged,  abrupt,  and  cliff- 
like  in  Cordillera  Grande,  249 

RUBIES,  found  in  Ecuador,  117; 
value  of,  118 

SAND  DESERTS,  impassable  in 
Andes,  44 ;  exceedingly  dry, 
87,  88 

SAND-STORMS,  and  whirlwinds,  in 
Andes  of  Peru,  39 

SAVANNAHS,  on  Upper  Purus, 
200  ;  deer  frequent  them,  200  ; 
"  little  sheets  "  numerous  on 
east  side  of  Matto  Grosso,  212 

SEISMIC  ACTION,  almost  con- 
tinual in  the  Andes,  91 ;  "  Did 
the  earth  roll  ?  "  91  ;  people 
get  used  to  it,  91,  92 

SERPENTS,  huge  one  in  Matto 
Grosso,  61  ;  and  in  forests  on 
Rivor  Purus,  144  ;  the  terrible 
cooanaradi,  145 ;  large  ser- 
pents not  numerous,  189 ; 
terrible  strength  of,  189  ;  active 
whip-snake,  21(5 ;  small  snake 
said  to  fascinate  birds,  217 ; 
some  long  stories  about,  218, 
219 ;  poisonous  snakes  very 
numerous  in  valley  of  River 
Aves,  231  ;  bellowing  of  the 
anaconda,  238 ;  constricting 
snakes  not  to  be  feared  so  much 
as  poisonous  ones,  239  ;  awful 
mortality  from  bites  of,  239  ; 
antidotes,  239,  240;  large 
anacondas  numerous  in  Cordil- 
lera Grande  region,  248  ;  In- 
dians and  negroes  feed  on  flesh 
of,  248 

SHASTEE-PAN,  a  tree  remarkable 
for  large  white  blossoms,  and 
home  of  the  largest  butterfly 
in  America,  125 

SITES,  of  Florences,  old  Mura 
Mission,  San  Jacabo,  and  Boa 
Vista,  150  ;  ruined  masonry  at 
these  places  described,  151, 
152  ;  curious  iron  cross,  153 

SIZE  IN  ANIMALS,  sometimes  re- 
markable, 218;  some  "stretches" 
in  serpents,  218,  219 

SLAVES  AND  SLAVERY,  whites 
often  reduced  to  condition  of, 
in  Brazil,  277 


SLOTHS,  description  and  habits  of, 
67-70 

SLUGS  AND  SNAILS,  of  great  size 
found  in  Amazonian  swamps, 
279 

SMELL,  SENSE  or,  burning  forest 
smelt  60  miles,  Indians  smell 
a  town  15  miles,  of  vultures, 
288,  289 

SOLITUDE,  sense  of,  awful  in 
Matto  Grosso,  150 

SOUNDS,  in  the  forest,  55 ;  of 
pumas  and  jaguars  at  night, 
64 ;  deathlike  silence  during 
day,  237 ;  croaking  of  frogs 
and  hissing  of  snakes,  238 ; 
disturbed  by,  at  night,  290 

SPANISH-AMERICAN  NOMENCLA- 
TURE, confusion  in,  5 

SPANISH  Moss,  thick  pendent 
masses  of,  in  forests  of  River 
Purus,  149 

SPECIES,  NEW  !  "  /  don't  think 
so."  Presumption  rebuked,  274 

SPELLING  AND  PRONUNCIATION  of 
Amazonian  names,  eccentrici- 
ties in,  253,  254 

SPIDERS,  huge  bird-killing,  first 
described  by  a  French  lady, 
Madame  Marian,  111,  269; 
some  large  ones  on  Rio  Fresco, 
219  ;  a  farther  description  of 
the  terrible  bird-eaters,  269- 
272  ;  the  teeteeroo,  or  pernon, 
a  carrion-eating  spider,  273,  274 

STORMS  AND  TEMPESTS,  rain  and 
thunder  on  River  Purus,  156  ; 
terrific  hail-storm,  179 

SUN-BIRD,  its  curious  ways  and 
habits,  164-166;  a  puzzle-bird, 
165 ;  various  fanciful  names 
for,  165 ;  curious  tricks  arid  mo- 
tions, 165,  166 ;  food  of,  166  ; 
where  found,  166 

"  SWEET  BIRD'S  THROAT,"  in  the 
valley  of  the  River  Aves,  236  ; 
few  birds  in  South  America 
are  songsters,  236,  237  ;  the 
humming-bird's  note,  237 

TAPAJOS,  RIVER,  scarcely  inferior 
to  Purus  in  size,  length,  and 
importance,  203  ;  flows  through 
a  valley  to  the  Amazon,  203  ; 
bandits  build  a  city  -on  its 


320 


INDEX 


banks,  208-209;  its  head- 
waters  a  spring  buried  in  the 
heart  of  Matto  Grosso,  211 

TAPIR,  no  reliable  accounts  of  it, 
170 ;  about  size  of  small  ox, 
170  ;  description  of,  170-171  ; 
eminently  a  river  animal,  171  ; 
usual  haunts,  171  j  young  tapir 
striped  like  young  boar,  171  ; 
timid  and  harmless,  173,  175  ; 
voice  and  cries  of,  173  ;  loves 
to  lie  in  mud  among  reeds,  173  ; 
kept  as  pets,  174  ;  swims,  and 
runs  under  water,  174  ;  hunted 
by  Indians,  174  ;  not  numer- 
ous, 174 

TARANGABOS,  OR  ENCHANTER,  a 
small  snake  said  to  have  the 
power  of  fascinating  birds,  217 

TARPON,  the  king-herring,  found 
at  mouth  of  Amazon,  304  ;  a 
heavy  basket  of  them  caught, 
305  ;  great  errors  propagated 
about  305,  306  ;  weight  of,  306, 
general  description,  304-307 

TEBTBEROO,  OR  PERNON,  a  re- 
markable carrion-feeding  spider, 
273,  274 

TORTOISES,  AMAZON,  three  feet 
long,  weighing  200  pounds, 
262  ;  love  to  lie  on  river  sand- 
banks, and  repose  in  blazing 
hot  sun,  262  ;  many  destroyed 
by  Indians,  and  their  eggs 
boiled  into  "  butter,"  263  ;  re- 
markable for  flatness  of  form,  264 

TOWNS,  Cayllama,  River  Ucayali 
rises  near,  and  people  think  it 
is  situated  at  a  marvellous 
height,  39  ;  few  and  small  on 
Amazon  and  its  tributaries, 
115;  Santo  Paulo  founded  by 
bandits  in  heart  of  Matto 
Grosso :  curious  history  of, 
208,  209 ;  many  towns  and 
villages  on  main  stream  of 
Amazon,  264 ;  description  of 
a  typical  town  on  the  Amazon, 
276  :  planters  often  have  small 
towns  of  their  own,  277  ;  not 
of  remarkable  appearance  along 
the  banks  of  the  Amazon,  296  ; 
placed  in  groups  on  river's 
banks,  296  ;  Bates  forgotten  at 
Ega,  297 


TREES,  magnificent  specimens 
with  huge  boughs,  57  ;  the 
mora  200  feet  high,  and  a  mass 
of  scarlet  bloom,  119;  shastee- 
pan,  home  of  the  largest  butter- 
fly in  America,  125  ;  other  in- 
teresting trees,  126 ;  the 
cannon-ball  tree,  127 ;  tall, 
but  slim  on  River  Purus,  149  ; 
paddle-wood  tree,  described  by 
Rev.  J.  G.  Wood,  160,  161  ; 
banyan  found  on  River  Purus, 
176  ;  matted  together,  forming 
a  solid  wall,  206  ;  walking  on 
the  trees,  207 ;  some  of  the 
finest  on  earth  in  "  Paradise  of 
Brazil,"  236 

TRIBUTARIES  OP  THE  AMAZON, 
large  and  very  numerous,  38, 
203,  204;  the  Ucayali  de- 
scribed in  detail,  38-47 ;  the 
River  Xingu  over  1000  miles  in 
length,  204  ;  all  the  great  tribu- 
taries have  several  names,  228 

TRUMPET-FLOWER,  used  as  a  hat, 
230 

TUNQURAGUA,  RIVER,  beginning 
of  Amazon,  7 

TURKEY-BUZZARD,  a  weird  bird, 
284 ;  protected  by  popular 
opinion  and  law,  284  ;  "  black 
gobbler,"  or  "phew!"  284; 
"  a  stinking  creature  " — "so 
is  an  alderman,"  285 ;  very 
tame  and  visits  streets  and 
towns,  285 ;  description  and 
habits  ;  and  a  pet  fallacy  ex- 
ploded, 286  ;  what  it  feeds  on, 
and  how,  287,  288;  really  a 
vulture  and  not  a  buzzard, 
288  ;  another  fallacy  exploded  ; 
Waterton  right,  the  scientists 
wrong,  288,  289,  291,  292 ;  carry 
bones  to  their  nests,  292 

UCAYALI,  RIVER,  supposed  by 
some  persons  to  be  source  of 
the  Amazon,  38 ;  rises  near 
town  of  Cayllama,  39  ;  fed  by 
snow  and  brooks,  39  ;  change 
in  names  of,  40 ;  runs  over 
rocky  beds  on  upper  courses,  46 

VALLEYS,  elevated  in  Peru,  49  ; 
some  have  characteristics  of 
elevated  plateaus,  49 


INDEX 


321 


VAMPIRE  BAT,  *  an  exceptionally 
fine  specimen,"  129 ;  several 
kinds  of  vampires,  131 

VEGETATION,  in  Central  Andes, 
92 ;  on  Cotopaxi,  93 ;  on 
tributary  of  River  Purus,  177  ; 
amazingly  rapid  growth  of,  in 
Matto  Grosso,  265 

VICTORIA  BEGIA,  with  leaves 
seven  feet  across,  found  on 
River  Purus,  187 

VULTURE,  the  turkey-buzzard  a 
vulture,  288  ;  the  king-vulture, 
288-291  ;  the  black  vulture 
called  *'  a  crow  "  in  the  United 
States,  292;  not  a  true  vul- 
ture, 292 


WATER-FOWL,  on  the  River  Purus, 
157,  158  ;  rails  and  water-hens 
appear  to  migrate  in  search  of 
new  home,  160 

WATER-LIZARDS,  a  yard  long,  on 
River  Purus,  177 

WEATHER,  rain  and  storms  on 
River  Purus,  156  ;  terrific  hail- 
storm on  River  Purus,  179 

WEIRD  SCENE,  on  tributary  of 
Purus,  178 

WHIRLWINDS,  in  Andes  valleys  of 
Peru,  39 

XINGU,  RIVER,  well  over  1000 
miles  in  length,  204 


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F      Fountain,  Paul 

2546      The  River  Amazon  from 

F77     its  sources  to  the  sea