Page:The naturalist on the River Amazons 1863 v1.djvu/236

CHAPTER VI.

THE LOWER AMAZONS—PARÁ TO OBYDOS.

Modes of travelling on the Amazons—Historical Sketch of the early Explorations of the River—Preparations for Voyage—Life on board a large Trading-vessel—The narrow Channels joining the Pará to the Amazons—First Sight of the great River—Gurupá—The Great Shoal—Flat-topped Mountains—Contraction of the River Valley—Santarem—Obydos—Natural History of Obydos—Origin of Species by Segregation of Local Varieties.

At the time of my first voyage up the Amazons—namely, in 1849—nearly all communication with the interior was by means of small sailing vessels, owned by traders residing in the remote towns and villages, who seldom came to Pará themselves, but entrusted vessels and cargoes to the care of half-breeds or Portuguese cabos. Sometimes, indeed, they risked all in the hands of the Indian crew, making the pilot, who was also steersman, do duty as supercargo. Now and then, Portuguese and Brazilian merchants at Pará furnished young Portuguese with merchandise, and despatched them to the interior to exchange the goods for produce amongst the scattered population. The means of communication, in fact, with the upper parts of the Amazons had been on the decrease for some time, on account of the augmented difficulty of obtaining hands