The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-03-17
BY DIR. j. II. PORTER.
CHAPTER VI.

one associated win civilized people OF
| sojourned within comparatively Salubriou'
ATTITUDES. This fact was emphatically
illustrated by the sudden death of oul
attendants. Two of the four we started
with were already gone, and although
Henrique and Pablo somewhat mended
their ways after Francisco went overheard
| the course of events was not to be changed
| by this, it must be confessed, very i'm
perfect reformation.
| We had reached the Rio Negro River and
/ that insignificant, RECONSTRUCTED and dI-
lapidated town Of Manaos, which asserts
poorly with its pompous title OF Capital OF
the Province of Amazonas." Here while
our negotiations for a suita bic vessel were
dragging along, fate overlook Henrique.
Early one morning his body was found by
the stream, and half submerged; but this
bungling attempt TO give an appearance OF
accident to a crime could not conceal the
fact that he had been strangled. When
evidence to that effect was pointed out by
us, the little Portuguese Commandment
fairly bristled with indignation.
In remote situations such officials
occupy similar positions and conduct
themselves after much the same manner
as Turkish PashaS. That any brute In
dams should have the presumption to
murder a servant of his friendS-diStin-
guished cavaliers belonging to a country
most happily in peace with that honorable
Government he representatives, a little
too much and it would have needed
very slight pressure on our part to get
somebody shot; but whether the actual
criminal or not, may be looked upon as
exceedingly doubtful.
The Hope-as the vessel we
hired was called, belonged to class
known here under the name OF Batelaos.
That is to say, she was a broad sloop,
nearly covered fore and aft with a thatch OF
palm leaves, and quite as frequently
4 III LII no
AmaZons, her model looked as If it had
been designed from that OF the Chinese
Junk.
single piece Of elastic iacarcuba wood
forms the bottom of all these big canoes.
One of the PalO Maria trees, as Bollvians
call them, is sawn into requisite lengths,
and that section selected having been
followed out, is carefully heated over
slow fire, and given its intended shape by
pressing the sides apart with cross-pleces
of hard wood. Planltlng surmOuntS TINS
foundation of a hull, and after it has been
thoroughly cooled by pouring water over it:
other parts are successfully added, until
all is finished according to Brazilian ideas
Of ship building.
Such lines as these craft exhibit cannot
be viewed with much cnnpacency, nor IS
it possible that they should prove wealth
erly; but, on the other hand, Batelao
does not usually leak, it, will stand
great zeal .! WUfE Eli anu
cataracts, and its Recommendations are
much superior to those which we found on
board the other vessel.
This barque OF ours might have Deen
rated at about twelve or fourteen tons, and
carried her crew OF II men, our baggage,
together with all those stores il was neceS-,
Sary to take in for a long voyage tblack
beans, mandioca -four, dried meat and
half-cured pirarucu fish without any cur
tailment Of the space allotted to her
hands. These latter made aIp most eX-
traordinarily incongruOus lOts as might have
been expected, considering that they came
from the very center of Il region in which
Won Martius cataiOged $50 different lam
guages.
Even among this small company we had
energetic, industrious M0ios and Cant
cIlana Indians, dressed in straw hats of
their own making, and long, sleeveless
shirts woven from Turury-tree bark, as
sorted, or rather mixed with motley col
lection of aborigines and MestiZoes from
Manaos and other provinces-incompar
ably idle, worthless and depraved.
Having been embraced by The Com
mandand. blessed by several priests, and
bid adieu 10 by number OF ladies', WEI
hoiSted our lateen shaped sail and slowly
glided away towards those mysterious
depths OF wilderness which lay between us
and the Andes. ManaoS lying on the Rio
Negro, we had to get out Of that river and
by way OF the Amazon into the Madeira.
A cupful Of Rio Negro water looks perfectly
clear while in large volume its color be
comes nearly black on account of being
darltened by dffused products OF vege-
table decomposition.
Along their lower courses all those great
streams composing this system are much
alike Z and extremely monotonous in APP
pearance. For hundreds Of miles nothing
is seen but low aIuvial levels covered
fl,Aix "a Iyr
Some large trees come in sight generally
bombaCca or cecropa) whose tOpmoSt
branches are interlaced by vanilla vines
laden vita punches OF green beans, as yet
without Il trace of that favor which they
acquire when dried.
For long stretches, also, the shores are
tinapproachable on account Of broad frinGes
Of swimming cana-rana grass false sugar
caneD that form barriers quite as lnpene-
trable as keIp frequently makes on the
coast Of Patagonia. Here and there amidst
this JUNGLE stand the poor nuts or sheds OF
small isolated Indian villages.
Their Inhabitants exist. but can scarcely
be said To live. when their condition is
viewed from any standpoint which the
experiences OF more developed human.
beings enable them 10 occupy. In add
ton TO the limitations OF SaVaGery, they
are further cnfeeb!ed in body and mind by
subsisting almost exclusively upon turtle
son them; nothing lifts the burden OF
apathy and stagnation weighing down
those miserable barbarianS. except some
paroxysm Of short lived passion. or 1t
period Of mad intoxication in which they
find the only relief from conditions OF exist
encc that men never passlvely submit to
anywhere.
Most settlements have few cacao--
plantations attached to them, whose pro
duce forms the currency Of these regions.
1t is bartered for everything that finds its
way from abroad into those solitudcs. Be
y0nd cultivating this pIanttin rude and
imperfect manner, scattered tribes on the
lower Amazons apparently do nothing
whatever, either for themselves or that
land they inhabit, which could Justify
them in continuing to live.
~ journey through such lscenes was of
little interest apart from subjects that
have not been dwelt upon in these
sketches. We entered hiind aScended the
Madeira principally by means OF our pad
dies, passing BOrba, the metropolis OF this
mighty stream "a town consisting of about
a dozen hutS clustered around an UNI
Jesuit Mission church founded
during the last century, and hearing now
and again high sounding names 'Sapucaia-
Oroca Cratic, etc. given to still more in
collections of novels.
Everywhere that any traces OF attempts
at improvement were visible, failure was
stamped upon them Enthusiastically. Around
Borba ruined by forayS OF hostile AraraS
its once productive tobacco fields had run
to waste. Valuable cacao plantations re-