The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-09

steamers which go ABOUT I,IVo
miles North of Buenos Ayres
quay, and smaller boats which
run from there on to Cuyaba,
above Cuyaba, the Paraguay narrows,
but it a be navigated by canoes for
a distance Of $50 miles farther. | am
told there are many rapids, however,
and that portage will have to be made
around some of them. The town Of
Diamantina is not far from Cuyaba,
and it will probably be at that place
that the Roosevelt party will cross to
the headWaters of TapajOS.
The Tapajos has a branch called the
Arinos, which rises near there. Roose-
welt and his party will go down the
| ArinOs into the Alto TapajOs and will
have to carry their boats arOund the
rapids and cataractS at Maranhao
Grande, after which they can get large
vessels which will take them down the
broad and deep stream which leads
from there into the Amazon at the
town of Santarem.
The valley of Tapajos is very pic
turesque. 1t has high bluffs along the
lower river, but they disappear within
a few miles Of the Amazon. and one
comes out as it were, into a great
flowing inland sea which extends from
there to the Cean. A few miles above
Santarem is the narrOwest part of the
lower Amazon. This is at the town OF
ObidOS. | remember when l went up
the great river that we were often out
of sight Of land until we reached
ObidOs, and that the chanDal there
narrowed to about a mile. The wa
ters below were peaceful and smooth
flowing. At Obidos the great stream
swept through with enormous force
- ~ &No ~ - 80 49, - 49, -:--,
at that point was 24O feet deep. WheI
we stopped at Obidos we could no
rely upon the ships anchor to holG
us, and our boat vas tied by cable tt
trees OF the banks. Obidos is a rub
Der settlement with cocoa plantation;
nearby.
| envy eX-PreSident Roosevelt hi
power to make a comfortable trii
down the Tapajos, or perhaps by tn,
PilcOmayO into the Madeira. | hay,
Travelled somewhat in the interior Q
the Amazon basin and think it is quit
as interesting as the highlands of Cen
trail Africa, through which region
went a year or 50 before ex-Presiden
, Roosevelt and his expedition lande
: at MOmbasa. | visited the same lie
J glOn in that country through WhiC
!, he travelled, but / did not have tn
great r%etinue, with mOsquito-proo
. tents and doctors and scientists an
: comforts galore.
e h expedition is to be q scientific
j one, and it will probably add great
e to u knowledge of the Wilds {
n South America, and to the collectio
of the Amer II Museum of Mature
History, (. mich the beaStS, bir(
e a~nd~reptiles captured are to be givel
He will have a chance to shoot tai
It all the way from Paraguay to Braz
S and will probably bring back maj
s. specimens Of the collared peCar
y which is found almost everywhere
le South America. The pecary is a kin
e, of wild hog, which, when grown,
% about three feet in length. It is Of
dark gray color and the collared VI
riety has a white band extendi1
n. across the chest from shoulder
it shoulder. 1t goes about in herds
N droves and is not difficult to shoot. v
r have some tapirs in nan and tn
ID are found in many parts of the Am
III ION n Parana basins. / saw son
ne during my travels in South Amerio
They make me think of d cross b
tween a hog and a pony. They a
usually found in forests and in t
a lowlands near the rivers. They Ii
es to battle and run for the water VIII
IS attacked They are not at all DANCE
Gus.
And then the aliigatorS and turtl
iet There are aliigatOrs almost ever
mt where in the Rio de la Plata syste
[ had a shot at a score or So duri
OF my trip up the Paraguay river. anC
ne saw some on the Amazon, aithOu
ne that stream is so large thai one OF
Die comes into sight of them when ne
Iay the shore or on the banks. There {
eek also sea ~porpoise in the Amazon a
jos its branches. There are snakes
700 enormous size and all kinds of fish
"a from the great CowfiSh to the sardi
rec Those rivers are the homes of big 4
IN, ties. which lay vast quantities of IS
ich on the banks. The natives collect
hat eggs and stack them up in piles /
sea cannon balls in a navy yard So
pc of the piles are twenty feet in dlan