A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro/Chapter 13
CHAPTER XIII.
são jeronymo to the downs.
Voyage down the Rio Negro — Arrive at Barra — Obtaining a Passport — State of the City — Portuguese and Brazilian Enterprise — System of Credit — Trade — Immorality, and its Causes — Leave Barra — A Storm on the Amazon — Sarsaparilla — A Tale about Death — Parã — The Yellow Fever — Sail for England — Ship takes Fire — Ten Days in the Boats — Get picked up — Heavy Gales — Short of Provisions — Storm in the Channel — Arrive at Deal.
At length, on the 23rd of April, I bade adieu, with much pleasure, to São Jeronymo. I stopped at several places to buy beiju, fish, pacovas, and any parrots I could meet with. My Indians went several times, early in the morning, to the gapó to catch frogs, which they obtained in great numbers, stringing them on a sipó, and, boiling them entire, entrails and all, devoured them with much gusto. 'The frogs are mottled of various colours, have dilated toes, and are called Juí.
On the 26th we reached São Joaquim, where I stayed a day, to make some cages for my birds, and embark the things I had left with Senhor Lima.
On the 28th I went on to São Gabriel, and paid my respects to the new Commandante, and then enjoyed a little conversation with my friend Mr. Spruce. Several of my birds died or were lost here, and at São Joaquim. A little black monkey killed and devoured two which had escaped from their cages, and one of my most valuable and beautiful parrots (a single specimen) was lost in passing the falls. I had left São Joaquim with fifty-two live animals (monkeys, parrots, etc.), which, in a small canoe, were no little trouble and annoyance.
I was lucky enough to get the Commandante to send a soldier with me in charge of the Correio, or post, and thus 1852.J DESCENDING THE RIVER. 257
ensured my passage to Barra without further delays, a point on which I had been rather uneasy. Leaving Sao Gabriel I stayed for the night at the house of Senhor Victorino, of whom I bought several green parrots, and a beautiful " anaca," or purple and red-necked crested parrot, in place of the one which had gone overboard while passing the falls at Sao Gabriel. The following day I reached the house of Senhor Palheta, and thought myself fortunate to purchase of him another anaca for seven shillings ; but the very next morning it died from cold, having flown into the river, and become completely chilled before it could be rescued.
On the 2nd of May I arrived at the sitio of my old friend Senhor Chagas, who made me breakfast with him, and sold me some farinha, coffee, and a lot of guinea-fowls' eggs ; and embraced me with great affection at parting, wishing me every happiness. The same night I reached Castanheiro, where I particularly wished to get a pilot, to take me down the east bank of the river, for the purpose of making a sketch-survey of that side, and ascertaining the width of this extraordinary stream. Senhor Ricardo, who is the Capitao dos Trabalha- dores, immediately gave me an order to embark a man, whose house I should pass the next day, and who, he said, was per fectly acquainted with that side of the river. After breakfast- ing with him the next morning, I left, well satisfied to have a prospect of accomplishing this long-cherished scheme. On arriving at the house, however, it was empty, and there was no sign of it having been inhabited for some weeks, so that I had to give up all hopes of completing my project.
I applied again to the Subdelegarde, Joao Cordeiro, whose house I reached the next day, and also to the lieutenant of Senhor Ricardo, but without effect ; all making the usual reply, " Nao ha gente nenhum aqui " (there is not a single person about there) ; so I was reluctantly compelled to proceed down the river by the same course which I had already traversed three times, as, by attempting to go on the other route without a pilot, I might lose my way, and not get to Barra for a month.
The fever and ague now attacked me again, and I passed several days very uncomfortably. We had almost constant rains ; and to attend to my numerous birds and animals was a great annoyance, owing to the crowded state of the canoe, and the impossibility of properly cleaning them during the rain.
17 258 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [May,
Some died almost every day, and I often wished I had had nothing whatever to do with them, though, having once taken them in hand, I determined to persevere.
On the 8th I reached Barcellos, and here I was annoyed by having to give an account of what I had in my canoes, and pay duty, the new Government of Barra not allowing anything to escape without contributing its share.
On the nth we passed the "mouth of the Rio Branco, and I noticed for the first time the peculiar colour of the water, which is a very pale yellow-olive, almost milky, very different from, and much whiter than, the waters of the Amazon, and making its name of the " White River " very appropriate. In the dry season the waters are much clearer.
In the morning I reached Pedreiro, and purchased a turtle, which we stopped to cook, a short distance below the village ; it was a very large and fat one, and we fried the greater part of the meat in fat for the rest of the voyage. At a sitio, in the evening, I bought two parrots, and the next morning, at Ayrao, five more ; and in the afternoon, at another sitio, a blue macaw, a monkey, a toucan, and a pigeon. At night we had a storm of rain and wind, and for a long time beat about in the middle of the river, tossed by the waves, without being able to find the shore.
On the 15th we reached " Ai purusa," where I bought some fish and maize. Here was lying a fine harpy eagle, which Senhor Bagatta had shot the day before, and, having plucked out some of the wing-feathers, had left it to rot ; I thus just missed, by a day, getting a specimen of this bird, which I so much desired, and which I had never been able to procure during a four years' residence in the country. We had plenty more rain every night, making the journey very disagreeable ; and at length, on the 17th, reached Barra do Rio Negro, now the capital of the new Province of Amazonas.
I was here kindly received by my friend Henrique Antony ; and I spent all the day in searching for some house or lodging, which was very hard to be procured, every house being occupied, and rents having much risen, from the influx of strangers and traders consequent on the arrival of the new Government. However, by the evening I succeeded in getting a small mud- floored, leaky-roofed room, which I was glad to hire, as I did pot know how long I might be obliged to remain in Barra, 1852.] RETURN TO BARRA. 259
before I could obtain a passage to Para. The next morning I could not disembark my things till the new Custom-house opened, at nine o'clock ; when I had to pay duties on every article, even on my bird-skins, insects, stuffed alligators, etc., and so it was night before I got everything on shore. The next day I paid off my Indians, and settled myself to wait patiently and attend to my menagerie, till I could get a passage to Para.
For three weeks I had been nearly lame, with a sore and inflamed toe, into which the chegoes had burrowed under the nail, and rendered wearing a shoe, or walking, exceedingly pain- ful ; having been compelled to move about the last few days, it had inflamed and swelled, and I was now therefore glad to remain quietly at home, and by poultices and plaisters endeavour to cure it. During the short time the Indians had remained in charge of my canoe, while I was looking after a house, they had lost three of my birds ; but I soon found I had quite enough left to keep me constantly employed attending to them. My parrots, in particular, of which I had more than twenty, would persist in wandering about into the street, and I lost several of my best, which were, no doubt, safely domiciled in some of the adjoining houses. I was much annoyed, too, by persons constantly coming to me, to sell them parrots or monkeys ; and my repeated assurances, that I myself wanted to buy more, did not in the least check the pertinacity of .my would-be customers.
The city was now full of fashionably-dressed young men, who received the public money for services they did not know how to perform. Many of them could not fill up a few dozen words in a printed form without making blunders, or in a shorter time than two or three hours ; their contemplations seem- ing scarcely to rise beyond their polished-leather boots and gold watch-chains. As it was necessary to get a passport, I presented myself at the office of the " Chef de Policia," for the purpose ; but was told that I must first advertise my intention of leaving in the newspaper. I accordingly did so, and about a week after went again. I was now requested to bring a formal application in writing, to have a passport granted me : I returned, and prepared one, and the next day went with it ; now the Chef was engaged, and he must sign the requisition before anything else could be done. J called again the next 26o TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [May,
day, and now that the requisition was signed, I had a blank form given me to go and get stamped in another office, in a distant part of the city. Off I had to go, — get the stamp, which took two clerks to sign, and paid my eight vintems for it ; armed with this, . I returned to the police-office, and now, to my surprise, the passport was actually made out and given me ; and on paying another twelve vintems (sixpence), I was at liberty to leave Barra whenever I could ; for as to leaving it whenever I pleased, that was out of the question.
The city of Barra, the capital of the Province and the residence of the President, was now in a very miserable con- dition. No vessel had arrived from Para for five months, and all supplies were exhausted. Flour had been long since finished, consequently there was no bread ; neither was there biscuit, butter, sugar, cheese, wine, nor vinegar; molasses even, to sweeten our coffee, was very scarce ; and the spirit of the country (caxaga) was so nearly exhausted, that it could only be obtained retail, and in the smallest quantities : everybody was reduced to farinha and fish, with beef twice a week, and turtle about as often. This state of destitution was owing to there having been a vessel lost a month before, near Barra, which was coming from Para ; and at this time of the year, when the river is full, and the winds adverse, the passage frequently takes from seventy days to three months, — having to be per- formed almost entirely by warping with a rope sent ahead in a canoe, against the powerful current of the Amazon. It may therefore be well imagined that Barra was not the most agree- able place in the world to reside in, when, joined to the total absence of amusement and society which universally prevails there, the want of the common necessaries of life had also to be endured.
Several vessels were leaving for Para, but all were so com- pletely filled as not to have room for me or my baggage ; and I had to wait in patience for the arrival of a small canoe from the Solimoes, in which Senhor Henrique guaranteed me a passage to Para.
Before proceeding with my journey, I will note the few observations that occur to me on the character and customs of the inhabitants of this fine country. I of course speak solely of the province of Pard, and it is probable that to the rest of Brazil my remarks may not in the least apply ; so different in 1852.] PORTUGUESE TRADERS. 261
every respect is this part of the Empire from the more southern and better-known portion. There is, perhaps, no country in the world so capable of yielding a large return for agricultural labour, and yet so little cultivated ; none where the earth will produce such a variety of valuable productions, and where they are so totally neglected ; none where the facilities for internal communication are so great, or where it is more difficult or tedious to get from place to place ; none which so much possesses all the natural requisites for an immense trade with all the world, and where commerce is so limited and insignifi- cant.
This may well excite some wonder, when we remember that the white inhabitants of this country are the Portuguese and their descendants, — the nation which a few centuries ago took the lead in all great discoveries and commercial enterprises, — which spread its colonies over the whole world, and exhibited the most chivalric spirit of enterprise in overcoming the dangers of navigation in unknown seas, and of opening a commercial intercourse with barbarous or uncivilised nations.
But yet, as far as I myself have been able to observe, their national character has not changed. The Portuguese, and their descendants, exhibit here the same perseverance, the same endurance of every hardship, and the same wandering spirit, which led and still leads them to penetrate into the most desolate and uncivilised regions in pursuit of commerce and in search of gold. But they exhibit also a distaste for agricultural and mechanical labour, which appears to have been ever a part of their national character, and which has caused them to sink to their present low condition in the scale of nations, in what- ever part of the world they may be found. When their colonies were nourishing in every quarter of the globe, and their ships brought luxuries for the supply of half the civilised world, a great part of their population found occupation in trade, in the distribution of that wealth which set in a constant stream from America, Asia, and Africa, to their shores ; but now that this stream has been diverted into other channels by the energy of the Saxon races, the surplus population, averse from agricul- ture, and unable to find a support in the diminished trade of the country, swarm to Brazil, in the hope that wealth may be found there, in a manner more congenial to their tastes.
Thus we find the province of Para overrun with traders, the 262 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [June,
greater part of whom deserve no better name than pedlars, only they carry their goods in a canoe instead of upon their backs. As their distaste for agriculture, or perhaps rather their passionate love of trade, allows scarcely any of them to settle, or produce anything for others to trade in, their only resource is in the indigenous inhabitants of the country ; and as these are also very little given to cultivation except to procure the mere necessaries of life, it results that the only articles of commerce are the natural productions of the country, to catch or collect which requires an irregular and wandering life, better suited to an Indian's habits than the settled and continued exertions of agriculture. These products are principally dried fish, and oil from the turtles' eggs and cOw-fish, for the inland trade ; and sarsaparilla, piassaba, india-rubber, Brazil-nuts, balsam of capivi, and cacao, for the exports. Though the coffee-plant and sugar-cane grow everywhere almost sponta- neously, yet coffee and sugar have to be imported from other parts of Brazil for home consumption. Beef is everywhere bad, principally because there are no good pastures near the towns where cattle brought from a distance can be fattened, and no one thinks of making them, though it might easily be done. Vegetables are also very scarce and dear, and so are all fruits, except such as the orange and banana, which once planted only require the produce to be gathered when ripe ; fowls in Para are 3^. 6d. each, and sugar as dear as in England. And all this because nobody will make it his business to supply any one of these articles ! There is a kind of gambling ex- citement in trade which outshines all the steady profits of labour, and regular mechanics are constantly leaving their business to get a few goods on credit and wander about the country trading.
There is, I should think, -no country where such a universal and insecure system of credit prevails as here. There is hardly a trader, great or small, in the country, that can be said to have any capital of his own. The merchants in Para, who have foreign correspondents, have goods out on credit ; they sell on credit to the smaller merchants or shopkeepers of Para ; these again supply on credit the negociantes in the country towns. From these last the traders up the different rivers get their supplies also on credit. These traders give small parcels of goods to half-civilised Indians, or to any one who will take 1852.] IMMORALITY, AND ITS CAUSES. 263
them, to go among the wild Indian tribes and buy up their produce. They, however, have to give credit to the Indians, who will not work till they have been paid six months beforehand ; and so they are paid for sarsaparilla or oil, which is still in the forest or the lake. And at every step of this credit there is not the slightest security ; and robbery, waste, and a profuse squandering away of the property of others, is of constant occurrence. To cover all these chances of loss, the profits are proportionably great at every step, and the consumer often has to pay two shillings a yard for calico worth twopence, and everything else in like proportion. It is these apparently enormous profits that lead mechanics and others into trade, as they; do not consider the very small business that can be done in a given time, owing to the poverty of the country and the enormous number of traders in proportion to the purchasers. It seems a very nice and easy way of getting a living, to sell goods at double the price you pay for them, and then again to sell the produce you receive at double what you pay for it ; but as the greater part of the small traders do not get rid of more than a hundred pounds' worth of goods in a year, and the expenses of Indians and canoes, their families and bad debts, wines and liquors, and the waste which always takes place where everything is obtained upon credit, are often double that sum, it is not to be wondered at that they are almost all of them constantly in debt to their correspondents, who, when they have once thus got a hold on them, do not allow them easily to get free.
It is this universal love of trade which leads, I think, to three great vices very prevalent here — drinking, gambling, and lying, — besides a whole host of trickeries, cheatings, and debaucheries of every description. The life of a river trader admits of little enjoyment to a man who has no intellectual resources ; it is not therefore to be wondered at that the greater part of these men are more or less addicted to intoxi- cation ; and when # they can supply themselves on credit with as much wine and spirits as they like, there is little inducement to break through the habit. A man who, if he had to pay ready money, would never think of drinking wine, when he can have it on credit takes twenty or thirty gallons with him in his canoe, which, as it has cost him nothing, is little valued, and he perhaps arrives at the end of his voyage without a drop. 264 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [June,
In the towns in the interior every shop sells spirits, and numbers of persons are all day drinking, taking a glass at every place they go to, and, by this constant dramming, ruining their health perhaps more than by complete intoxication at more distant intervals. Gambling is almost universal in a greater or less degree, and is to be traced to that same desire to gain money by some easier road than labour, which leads so many into commerce ; and the great number of traders, who have to get a living out of an amount of business which would not be properly sufficient for one-third the number, leads to the general use of trickery and lying of every degree, as fair means to be employed to entrap a new customer or to ruin a rival trader. Truth, in fact, in matters of business is so seldom made use of, that a lie seems to be preferred even when it can serve no purpose whatever, and where the person addressed must be perfectly aware of the falsehood of every asseveration made ; but Portuguese politeness does not permit him by word or look to throw any doubt on his friend's veracity. I have been often amused to hear two parties endeavouring to cheat each other, by assertions which each party knew to be perfectly false, and yet pretended to receive as undoubted fact.
On the subjects of the most prevalent kind of immorality, it is impossible to enter, without mentioning facts too disgusting to be committed to paper. Vices of such a description as at home are never even alluded to, are here the subjects of common conversation, and boasted of as meritorious acts, and no opportunity is lost of putting the vilest construction upon every word or act of a neighbour.
Among the causes which tend to promote the growth of such wide -spread immorality, we may perhaps reckon the geographical position and political condition of the country, and the peculiar state of civilisation in which it now exists. To a native, a tropical climate certainly offers fewer pleasures, pursuits, and occupations than a temperate one. The heat in the dry, and the moisture in the rainy season do not admit of the outdoor exercise and amusements, in which the inhabitants of a temperate zone can almost constantly indulge. The short twilights afford but a few moments between the glare of the descending sun and the darkness of night. Nature itself, dressed in an eternal and almost unchangeable garb of verdure, presents but a monotonous scene to him who has beheld it 1852.] VILLA NOVA. 265
from childhood. In the interior of the country there is not a road or path out of the towns, along which a person can walk with comfort or pleasure ; all is dense forest, or more impass- able clearings. Here are no flower-bespangled meadows, no turfy glades, or smooth shady walks to tempt the lover of nature ; here are no dry gravelled roads, where, even in the intervals of rain, we may find healthy and agreeable exercise ; here are no field-side paths among golden corn or luxuriant clover. Here are no long summer evenings, to wander in at leisure, and admire the slowly changing glories of the sunset ; nor long winter nights, with the blazing hearth, which, by drawing all the members of a family into close contact, pro- mote a social intercourse and domestic enjoyment, which the inhabitants of a tropical clime can but faintly realise.
At length the canoe arrived in which I was to go to Para, and I soon agreed for my passage, and set to work getting my things together. I had a great number of cases and boxes, six large ones which I had left with Senhor Henrique the year before, being still in his possession, because the great men of Barra were afraid they might contain contraband articles, and would not let them pass.
I now got them embarked, by making a declaration of their contents, and paying a small duty on them. Out of a hundred live animals which I had purchased or had had given to me, there now only remained thirty-four, consisting of five monkeys, two macaws, twenty parrots and paroquets of twelve different species, five small birds, a white-crested Brazilian pheasant, and a toucan.
On the 10th of June we left Barra, commencing our voyage very unfortunately for me ; for, on going on board, after bidding adieu to my friends, I missed my toucan, which had, no doubt, flown overboard, and not being noticed by any one, was drowned. This bird I esteemed very highly, as he was full- grown and very tame, and I had great hopes of bringing him alive to England.
On the 13th we reached Villa Nova, at which place, being the last in the new Province, we had to disembark to show our passports, as if entering into another kingdom ; and not content with this, there is another station half a day further down, on the exact boundary-line, where all vessels have to stay a second time, and again present their papers, as if the great object of 266 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [June,
the Government were to make their regulations as annoying and expensive as possible. At Villa Nova I was glad to get some butter and biscuits ; quite a treat, after the scanty luxuries of Barra. Here, too, I met the kind priest, Padre Torquato, who had entertained us so hospitably on our ascent of the river. He received me with great kindness, and regretted I could not stay longer with him ; he gave me a curious animal, which I had heard of but never seen before, a forest-dog, — an animal somewhat resembling a fox, in its bushy tail and great taste for poultry, and apparently very tame and docile.
The next day we passed Obydos, the strong current of the river, now at its height, carrying us down with great rapidity ; and the succeeding night we had a tremendous storm, which blew and tossed our little vessel about in a very alarming manner. The owner of the canoe, an Indian, was much frightened ; he called upon the Virgin, and promised her several pounds of candles, if she would but save the canoe ; and, open- ing the door of the little cabin where I was sleeping, cried out in a most piteous voice, " Oh ! meu amigo, estamos perdidos " (Oh ! my friend, we are all lost). In vain I tried to comfort him with assurances that, as the vessel was new and strong, and not too heavily laden, there was no danger, — although the night was pitch dark, and the wind blew in the most fierce and furious gusts imaginable. We did not know whether we were in the middle of the river or near the side, and the only danger we were exposed to, was of our drifting ashore or running aground. After about an hour, however, the canoe came to a stop, without any shock whatever, and remained perfectly still, although the wind still blew. It was so dark that nothing was to be seen, and it was only by stretching his arm down over the side, that the master ascertained that we had drifted into one of the large compact beds of floating grass which, in many places, line the banks of the Amazon for hundreds of yards from the shore. Here, therefore, we were safely moored, and waited for the morning, sleeping comfortably, with the know- ledge that we were out of all danger.
The next day, by noon, we reached the mouth of the Tapa- joz, and went in the montaria to Santarem, to make some purchases and visit my friends. I found old Captain Hislop ; but Mr. Bates, whom I most wished to see, had left a week before on an excursion up the Tapajoz. Having laid in a stock 1852.] SARSAPARILLA. 267
of sugar, vinegar, oil, biscuits, and fresh bread and meat, we proceeded on our journey, which we were anxious to complete as soon as possible.
On the 1 8th we passed Gurupa; and on the 19th entered the narrow channels which form the communication with the Para river, — bidding adieu to the turbid mighty flood of the never-to-be-forgotten Amazon.
We here met a vessel from Para, fifty days out, having made a much shorter distance than we, descending the river, had come in five.
On the 22nd we reached Breves, a neat little village with well-supplied shops, where I bought half a dozen of the pretty painted basins, for the manufacture of which the place is cele- brated ; we here also got some oranges, at six for a halfpenny.
The next day we stayed at a sitio built upon piles, for the whole country about here is covered at spring-tides. The master of the canoe had a lot of sarsaparilla to put up properly for the Para market, and stayed a day to do it. The sarsa- parilla is the root of a prickly, climbing plant, allied to our common black bryony ; the roots are dug by the Indians, and tied up in bundles of various lengths and sizes ; but, as it is a very light cargo, it is necessary to form it into packages of a convenient and uniform size and length, for closer stowage ; — these are cylindrical, generally of sixteen pounds each, and are about three and a half feet long and five or six inches in diameter, cut square and even at the ends, and wound round closely from end to end with the long flexible roots of a species of Pothos, which, growing on the tops of lofty trees, hang down often a hundred feet or more, and, when the outer bark is scraped off, are universally used for this purpose. It was to do this binding we stayed here, the sarsa having been already done up in proper packages; and while the crew were busy about it, I occupied myself making some sketches of palms, which were yet wanting to complete my collection.
In two days more we reached the mouth of the Tocantins, where there is a great bay, — so wide, that the further shore is not visible. As there are some dangerous sandbanks here, there is a pilot who takes canoes over, and we waited all day in order to start with the morning's tide, which is considered the most favourable for the passage. While here I got a few shells, and amused myself by talking with the pilot, his wife, 268 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [June,
and two very lively daughters. Our conversation turned upon the shortness and uncertainty of life ; which the old woman illustrated by a tale, which seemed to be another version of the "three warnings."
O
" A man and his wife were conversing together, and remark- ing on the unpleasantness of being subject to death. • I should like to make friends with Death, some way,' said the man ; ' then perhaps he will not trouble me.' ' That you can easily do,' said his wife ; ' invite him to be padrinho (godfather) to our little boy, who is to be baptized next week ; you will then be able to talk to him on the subject, and he will surely not be able to refuse a slight favour to his " compadre." So he was invited accordingly, and came ; and after the ceremony and the feast were over, as he was going away, the man said to him, ' Compadre Death, as there are plenty of people in the world for you to take, I hope you will never come for me.' ' Really, Compadre,' replied Death, ' I cannot promise you that, for when God sends me for anybody I must go. How- ever, I will do all I can, and I will at all events promise you a week's notice, that you may have time to prepare yourself.' Several years passed on, and Death at last came to pay them a visit. ' Good-evening, Compadre,' says he, ' I'm come on a disagreeable business : I have received orders to fetch you this day week, so I'm come to give you the notice I promised you.' ' Oh ! Compadre,' said the man, ' you're come very soon ; it's exceedingly inconvenient for me to go just now, I'm getting on very nicely, and shall be a rich man in a few years, if you will but let me alone : it's very unkind of you, Com- padre ; I'm sure you can arrange it if you like, and take some one else instead of me.' ' Very sorry,' said Death, ' but it can't be done, nohow : I've got my orders, and I must obey them. Nobody ever gets off when the order's once given, and very few get so long a notice as I've been able to give you. However, I'll try all I can, and if I succeed, you won't see me this day week; but I don't think there's any hope, — so good- bye.'
" When the day came, the man was in a great fright, for he did not expect to escape ; his wife, however, hit upon a plan, which they resolved to try. They had an old Negro man in the house, who used to be generally employed in the kitchen. They made him exchange clothes with his master, and sent 1852.] ST. JOHN'S DAY. 269
him away out of the house ; the master then blacked his face, and made himself as much like the old nigger as he could. On the evening appointed Death came. ' Good-evening, Comadre,' said he ; ' where is my compadre ? — I'm obliged to take him with me. ' Oh ! Compadre,' said she, ' he didn't at all expect you, and is gone on some business into the village, and won't be back till late.' ' Now I'm in a pretty mess,' said Death; 'I did not expect my compadre would have treated me so ; it's very ungentlemanly of him to get me into this scrape after all I've done for him. However, I must take somebody ; — who is there in the house ? ' The woman was rather alarmed at this question, for she expected he would immediately have started off to the village in search of her husband : however, she considered it best to be civil, so replied, 'There's only our old nigger, that's in the kitchen, getting supper ready. Sit down, Compadre, and take a bit, and then perhaps my husband will be in ; I'm very sorry he should give you so much trouble.' 'No, I can't stay,' said Death ; ' I've got a long way to go, and must take somebody, so let's see if the old nigger will do ? ' and he walked into the kitchen, where the man was pretending to be busily engaged over the fire. 'Well, if Compadre won't come, I suppose I must take the old nigger,' said Death ; and before the wife could speak a word, he stretched out his hand, and down fell her husband a corpse.
"So you see," said the old woman to me, "when a man's time is come he must go : neither doctors nor anything else can stop him, and you can't cheat Death nohow." To which sentiment I did not think it worth while to make any objection.
About two days before had been St. John's day, when it is the custom to make bonfires and jump over and through them, which act is considered by the common people as an important religious ceremony. As we were talking about it, the old lady gravely asked if we knew that animals also passed through the fire ? We replied that we were not aware of the fact ; upon which she informed us that we might hereafter believe it, for that she had had ocular demonstration of it. " It was last year," said she, " on the day after St. John's, my son went out to hunt, and brought home a cotia and a paca, and both of them were completely scorched all along the belly : they had evidently passed through the fire the night before." "But 270 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [July,
where do they get the fire from ? " I asked. " Oh ! God prepares it for them," said she ; and on my hinting that fires were not often found in the forest unless lit by human hands, she at once silenced my objections by triumphantly asking me, " if anything was impossible with God ? " at the same time observing that perhaps I was a Protestant, and did not believe in God or the Virgin. So I was obliged to give up the point ; and though I assured her that Protestants did generally believe in God and went to church, she replied that she did not know, but had always heard to the contrary.
At length, on the 2nd of July, we reached Para, where I was kindly received by my friend Mr. C., and was glad to learn that there was a vessel in port that would probably sail for London in about a, week. Several times on the voyage down I had had fits of ague, and was still very weak and quite unable to make any exertion. The yellow fever, which the year before had cut off thousands of the inhabitants, still attacked new-comers, and scarcely a ship was in port but had a considerable portion of her crew in the hospital. The weather was beautiful ; the summer or dry season was just commencing, vegetation was luxuriantly verdant, and the bright sky and clear fresh atmosphere seemed as if they could not harbour the fatal miasma which had crowded the cemetery with funeral crosses, and made every dwelling in the city a house of mourning. Once or twice I attempted to walk out into the forest, but the exertion generally brought on shiverings and sickness, so I thought it best to remain as quiet as possible till the time of my departure.
Since I had left the city it had been much improved. Avenues of almond and other trees had been formed along the road to Nazar£ and round the Largo de Palacio; new roads and drives had been made, and some new buildings erected : in other respects the city was the same. The dirty, straggling, uncovered market, the carts of hacked beef, the loud chanting of the Negro porters, and the good-humoured smiling faces of the Indian and Negro girls selling their fruits and " doces," greeted me as of old. Fowls had risen in price from about 2s. to 35-. 6d., and fruits and vegetables in about the same proportion ; while in changing English money for Brazilian I now got about ten per cent, less than I used, and yet everybody complained of trade being very bad, and prices 1852.] SAIL FOR ENGLAND. 271
quite unremunerative. I heard many stories of miraculous cures of the yellow fever, when at its worst stage, and after the parties had been given up by the doctors. One had been cured by eating ices, another by drinking a bottle of wine ; ices, in fact, had got into great favour as a fine tonic, and were taken daily by many persons as a most useful medicine.
I agreed for my passage in the brig Helen, two hundred and thirty-five tons, Captain John Turner, whose property she was ; and on the morning of Monday, the 12th of July, we got aboard, and bade adieu to the white houses and waving palm-trees of Para. Our cargo consisted of about a hundred and twenty tons of india-rubber, and a quantity of cocoa, arnotto, piassaba, and balsam of capivi. About two days after we left I had a slight attack of fever, and almost thought that I was still doomed to be cut off by the dread disease which had sent my brother and so many of my countrymen to graves upon a foreign shore. A little calomel and opening medicines, how- ever, soon set me right again ; but as I was very weak, and suffered much from sea-sickness, I spent most of my time in the cabin. For three weeks we had very light winds and fine weather, and on the 6th of August had reached about latitude 30 30' north, longitude 52 west.
On that morning, after breakfast, I was reading in the cabin, when the Captain came down and said to me, " I'm afraid the ship's on fire; come and see what you think of it," and proceeded to examine the lazaretto, or small hole under the floor where the provisions are kept, but no signs of fire were visible there. We then went on deck to the forepart of the ship, where we found a dense vapoury smoke issuing from the forecastle. The fore hatchway was immediately opened, and, the smoke issuing there also, the men were set to work clearing out part of the cargo. After throwing out some quantity without any symptom of approaching the seat of the fire, we opened the after hatchway ; and here the smoke was much more dense, and in a very short time became so suffo- cating, that the men could not stay in the hold to throw out more cargo, so they were set to work pouring in water, while others proceeded to the cabin, and now found abundance of smoke issuing from the lazaretto, whence it entered through the joints of the bulkhead which separated it from the hold. Attempts were now made to break this bulkhead down but 272 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [August,
the planks were so thick and the smoke so unbearable that it could not be effected, as no man could remain in the lazaretto to make more than a couple of blows. The cabin table was therefore removed, and a hole attempted to be cut in the cabin floor, so as to be able to pour water immediately on the seat of the fire, which appeared to be where the balsam was stowed. This took some time, owing to the suffocating smoke, which also continued to pour in dense volumes out of the hatchway. Seeing that there was now little chance of our being able to extinguish the fire, the Captain thought it prudent to secure our own safety, and called all hands to get out the boats, and such necessaries as we should want, in case of being obliged to take to them. The long-boat was stowed on deck, and of course required some time to get it afloat. The gig was hung on davits on the quarter, and was easily let down. All now were in great activity. Many little necessaries had to be hunted up from their hiding-places. The cook was sent for corks to plug the holes in the bottoms of the boats. Now no one knew where a rudder had been put away ; now the thowl-pins were missing. The oars had to be searched for, and spars to serve as masts, with propor- tionate sails, spare canvas, twine, cordage, tow-ropes, sail- needles, nails and tacks, carpenters' tools, etc. The Captain was looking after his chronometer, sextant, barometer, charts, compasses, and books of navigation ; the seamen were getting their clothes into huge canvas bags ; all were lugging about pilot-coats, blankets, south-westers, and oilskin coats and trousers ; and I went down into the cabin, now suffocatingly hot and full of smoke, to see what was worth saving. I got my watch and a small tin box containing some shirts and a couple of old note-books, with some drawings of plants and animals, and scrambled up with them on deck. Many clothes and a large portfolio of drawings and sketches remained in my berth ; but I did not care to venture down again, and in fact felt a kind of apathy about saving anything, that I can now hardly account for. On deck the crew were still busy at the boats ; two barrels of bread were got in, a lot of raw pork, some ham and cases of preserved meats, some wine and a large cask of water. The cask had to be lowered into the boat empty, for fear of any accident, and after being securely fixed in its place, filled with buckets from those on board. 1852.] SHIP TAKES FIRE. 273
The boats, having been so long drying in a tropical sun, were very leaky, and were now half full of water, and books, coats, blankets, shoes, pork, and cheese, in a confused mass, were soaking in them. It was necessary to put two men in each, to bale ; and everything necessary being now ready, the rest of the crew were called off again to pour water into the hatchways and cabin, from which rose volumes of thick yellow smoke. Now, too, we could hear in the hold the balsam bubbling, like some great boiling caldron, which told of such intense "heat, that we knew the flames must soon break out. And so it was, for in less than half an hour the fire burst through the cabin-floor into the berths, and consuming rapidly the dry pine-wood, soon flamed up through the skylight. There was now a scorching heat on the quarter-deck, and we saw that all hope was over, and that we must in a few minutes be driven by the terrible element to take refuge on the scarcely less dangerous one, which heaved and swelled its mighty billows a thousand miles on every side of us. The Captain at length ordered all into the boats, and was himself the last to leave the vessel. I had to get down over the stern by a rope into the boat, rising and falling and swaying about with the swell of the ocean ; and, being rather weak, rubbed the skin considerably off my fingers, and tumbled in among the miscellaneous articles already soaking there in the greatest confusion. One sailor was baling with a bucket, and another with a mug ; but the water not seeming at all to diminish, but rather the contrary, I set to work helping them, and soon found the salt-water producing a most intense smarting and burning on my scarified fingers.
We now lay astern of the ship, to which we were moored, watching the progress of the fire. The flames very soon caught the shrouds and sails, making a most magnificent conflagration up to the very peak, for the royals were set at the time. Soon after, the fore rigging and sails also burnt, and flames were seen issuing from the fore hatchway, showing how rapidly the fire was spreading through the combustible cargo. The vessel, having now no sails to steady her, rolled heavily, and the masts, no longer supported by the shrouds, bent and creaked, threatening to go overboard every minute. The main-mast went first, breaking off about twenty feet above the deck j but the foremast stood for a long time, exciting our
18 274 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. {August,
admiration and wonder, at the time it resisted the heavy rolls and lurches of the vessel ; at last, being partly burned at the bottom, it went over, more than an hour after its companion. The decks were now a mass of fire, and the bulwarks partly burnt away. Many of the parrots, monkeys, and other animals we had on board, were already burnt or suffocated ; but several had retreated to the bowsprit out of reach of the flames, appearing to wonder what was going on, and quite unconscious of the fate that awaited them. We tried to get some of them into the boats, by going as near as we could venture ; but they did not seem at all aware of the danger they were in, and would not make any attempt to reach us. As the flames caught the base of the bowsprit, some of them ran back and jumped into the midst of the fire. Only one parrot escaped : he was sitting on a rope hanging from the bowsprit, and this burning above him let him fall into the water, where, after floating a little way, we picked him up.
Night was now coming on. The whole deck was a mass of fire, giving out an intense heat. We determined to stay by the vessel all night, as the light would attract any ship passing within a considerable distance of us. We had eaten nothing since the morning, and had had plenty to do and to think of, to prevent our being hungry; but now, as the evening air began to get cool and pleasant, we all found we had very good appetites, and supped well on biscuits and water.
We then had to make our arrangements for the night. Our mooring ropes had been burnt, and we were thus cast adrift from the ship, and were afraid of getting out of sight of it during the night, and so missing any vessel which might chance to be attracted by its light. A portion of the masts and rigging were floating near the ship, and to this we fastened our boats ; but so many half-burnt spars and planks were floating about us, as to render our situation very perilous, for there was a heavy swell, and our boats might have been in an instant stove in by coming in contact with them.
We therefore cast loose again, and kept at a distance of a quarter or half a mile from the ship by rowing when requisite. We were incessantly baling the whole night. Ourselves and everything in the boats were thoroughly drenched, so we got little repose : if for an instant we dozed off into forgetfulness, we soon woke up again to the realities of our position, and to, 1852.] TEN DAYS IN THE BOATS. 275
see the red glare which our burning vessel cast over us. It was now a magnificent spectacle, for the decks had completely burnt away, and as it heaved and rolled with the swell of the sea, presented its interior towards us filled with liquid flame, — a fiery furnance tossing restlessly upon the ocean.
At length morning came ; the dangers of the night were past, and with hopeful hearts we set up our little masts, and rigged our sails, and, bidding adieu to the still burning wreck of our ship, went gaily bounding along before a light east wind. And then pencils and books were hunted out, and our course and distance to Bermuda calculated ; and we found that this, the nearest point of land in the vast waste of waters round us, was at least seven hundred miles away. But still we went on full of hope, for the wind was fair, and we reckoned that, if it did not change, we might make a hundred miles a day, and so in seven days reach the longed-for haven.
As we had supped but scantily the night before, we had now good appetites, and got out our ham and pork, biscuit and wine and water, and made a very hearty meal, finding that even uncooked meat was not to be despised where no fire could be got to cook it with.
The day was fine and warm, and the floating seaweed, called gulf-weed, was pretty abundant. The boats still required almost incessant baling, and though we did not ship many seas, yet there was quite enough spray to keep us constantly wet. . At night we got a rope fastened to the long-boat, for her to tow us, in order that we might not get separated ; but as we sailed pretty equally, we kept both sails up. We passed a tolerable night under the circumstances. The next day, the 8th, was fine, gulf-weed still floated plentifully by us, and there were numerous flying-fish, some of which fell into our boats, and others flew an immense distance over the waves. I now found my hands and face very much blistered by the sun, and exceedingly sore and painful. At night two boobies, large dusky sea-birds with very long wings, flew about us. During the night I saw several meteors, and in fact could not be in a better position for observing them, than lying on my back in a small boat in the middle of the Atlantic. We also saw a flock of small birds fly by, making a chirping noise ; the sailors did not know what they were.
The 9th was again fine and hot, and my blistered hands 275 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [August,
were very painful. No ship appeared in sight, though we were crossing the track of the West India vessels. It was rather squally, and I passed a nervous, uncomfortable night ; our boats did not, however, now leak so much, which was a great satisfaction.
The ioth was squally, and the wind veered to the south- west, so that we could not make our course for Bermuda, but were obliged to go to the north of it. The sea ran very high, and sudden gusts of wind would frequently heel us over in a manner very alarming to me. We had some heavy showers of rain, and should have liked to have caught some fresh water, but could not, as all our clothes and the sails were saturated with salt. Our position at noon was in latitude 31 59' north, longitude 57 22' west.
The nth was still rough and squally. There was less gulf- weed now. The wind got still more to the westward, so that we were obliged to go nearly north. Our boats had now got swollen with the water, and leaked very little. This night I saw some more falling stars.
On the 1 2th the wind still kept foul, and we were getting quite out of the track of ships, and appeared to have but little chance of reaching Bermuda. The long-boat passed over some green water to-day, a sign of there being soundings, probably some rock at a moderate depth. Many dolphins swam about the boats ; their colours when seen in the water are superb, the most gorgeous metallic hues of green, blue, and gold : I was never tired of admiring them.
On the 13th the wind was due west, blowing exactly from the point we wanted to go to. The day was very fine, and there were several stormy petrels, or Mother Cary's chickens, flying about us. We had now been a week in the boats, and were only halfway to the Islands, so we put all hands on short allowance of water before it was too late. The sun was very hot and oppressive, and we suffered much from thirst.
The 14th was calm, and we could not get on at all. The sun was scorching and we had no shelter, and were parched with thirst the whole day. Numerous dolphins and pilot-fish were about the boats. At night there was a very slight favour- able breeze, and as we had by this time got our clothes pretty dry we slept well.
On the 15th the wind again died away, and we had another I§52.] LOSS OF COLLECTIONS. 277
calm. The sea was full of minute Medusa, called " blubber " by the sailors : some were mere whitish oval or spherical lumps, others were brown, and beautifully constructed like a little cap, swimming rapidly along by alternate contractions, and expan- sions, and so expelling the water behind them. The day was very hot, and we suffered exceedingly from thirst. We were almost in despair about seeing a ship, or getting on to the Islands. At about 5 p.m., while taking our dinner, we saw the long-boat, which was at some distance from us, tack. "She must see a sail," said the captain, and looking round we saw a vessel coming nearly towards us, and only about five miles distant. We were saved !
The men joyfully drank the rest of their allowance of water, seized their oars, and pulled with hearty goodwill, and by seven o'clock we were alongside. The captain received us kindly on board. The men went first to the water-casks, and took long and hearty draughts, in which we joined them, and then enjoyed the almost forgotten luxury of tea. From having been so long cramped in the boats, I could hardly stand when I got on board.
That night I could not sleep. Home and all its pleasures seemed now within my grasp; and crowding thoughts, and hopes and fears, made me pass a more restless night than I should have done, had we still been in the boats, with dimin- ished hopes of rescue. The ship was the Jordeson, Captain Venables, from Cuba, bound for London, with a cargo of mahogany, fustic, and other woods. We were picked up in latitude 32 48' north, longitude 6o° 27' west, being still about two hundred miles from Bermuda.
For several days afterwards we had fine weather and very light winds, and went creeping along about fifty miles a day. It was now, when the danger appeared past, that I began to feel fully the greatness of my loss. With what pleasure had I looked upon every rare and curious insect I had added to my collection ! How many times, when almost overcome by the ague, had I crawled into the forest and been rewarded by some unknown and beautiful species ! How many places, which no European foot but my own had trodden, would have been recalled to my memory by the rare birds and insects they had furnished to my collection ! How many weary days and weeks had I passed, upheld only by the fond hope of bringing home 278 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. {August
many new and beautiful forms from those wild regions ; every one of which would be endeared to me by the recollections they would call up, — which should prove that I had not wasted the advantages I had enjoyed, and would give me occupation and amusement for many years to come ! And now every- thing was gone, and I had not one specimen to illustrate the unknown lands I had trod, or to call back the recollection of the wild scenes I had beheld ! But such regrets I knew were vain, and I tried to think as little as possible about what might have been, and to occupy myself with the state of things which actually existed.
On the 22nd of August we saw three water-spouts, the first time I had beheld that curious phenomenon. I had much wished once to witness a storm at sea, and I was soon grati- fied.
Early in September we had a very heavy gale. The baro- meter had fallen nearly half an inch during the night ; and in the morning it was blowing strong, and we had a good deal of canvas up when the captain began to shorten sail ; but before it could be taken in, four or five sails were blown to pieces, and it took several hours to get the others properly stowed. By the afternoon we were driving along under double-reefed topsails. The sea was all in a foam, and dashed continually over us. By night a very heavy sea was up, and we rolled about fearfully, the water pouring completely over the bul- warks, deluging the decks, and making the old ship stagger like a drunken man. We passed an uncomfortable night, for a great sea broke into the cabin skylight and wetted us all, and the ship creaked and shook, and plunged so madly, that I feared something would give way, and we should go to the bottom after all ; all night, too, the pumps were kept going, for she leaked tremendously, and it was noon the next day before she was got free of water. The wind had now abated, and we soon had fine weather again, and all hands were busy bending new sails and repairing the old ones.
We caught at different times several dolphins, which were not bad eating. I did not see so much to admire in the colours of the dying dolphin ; they are not to be compared with the colours of the living fish seen in the blue transparent watef.
We were now getting rather short of provisions, owing to i8S2.] ARRIVAL AT DEAL. 279
the increased number of mouths : our cheese and ham were finished,— then our peas gave out, and we had no more pea- soup, — next the butter came to an end, and we had to eat our biscuit dry, — our bread and pork, too, got very short, and we had to be put upon allowance. We then got some supplies from another ship; but our voyage was so much prolonged, and we had adverse winds and another heavy gale, so that we were again in want, finished our last piece of meat, and had to make some scanty dinners off biscuit and water. Again we were relieved with a little supply of pork and some molasses, and so managed pretty well.
We were in the Channel on the night of the 29th of Sep- tember, when a violent gale occurred, that did great damage to the shipping, and caused the destruction of many vessels much more seaworthy than our own. The next morning we had four feet of water in the hold.
On the 1 st of October the pilot came on board, and Captain Turner and myself landed at Deal, after an eighty days' voyage from Para; thankful for having escaped so many dangers, and glad to tread once more on English ground.