he canoe and started with a
steady stroke down the river. It was no longer a rapid stream, and the
falls, though still grand, were as nothing in comparison to the scene they
presented when the river was in full flood. Still, there was enough stream
to help them materially, and to allow the Indians to lay in their paddles
at times and let the boat drift by itself.

At the mission-house they had taken in a supply of food sufficient to last
them to Barra, and as they were able to catch as many fish as they could
eat, they fared well. The journey took them three weeks of somewhat
monotonous travelling. There was no change in the scenery, a thick forest
bordered the river on both sides; but as they got lower down there were
clearings and small villages, and they met a few boats passing between
these or going up to the mission. It was a glad day indeed to Stephen when
the great river entered the still mightier Amazon, which was here several
miles wide. Crossing it they made their way to Barra, a place of
considerable size, with churches and many large buildings. His long
companionship with the two Indians had, by this time, made Stephen as
familiar with the Peruvian Spanish as with the Chilian, and enabled him to
pass with great advantage among the Portuguese-speaking Brazilians as a
native of Peru, since, had he been known to be a Chilian, they might have
doubted whether he was a good Catholic, and he would, moreover, be viewed
with disfavour by the Portuguese officers as one of a nation who had
rebelled against Spain, his lawful master. He therefore, on landing, made
his way to an hotel close by, representing himself as a traveller who had
come down from Peru by the Madeira, and who wished to continue his journey
down the Amazon to Para.

Stephen's next step was to purchase some clothes; those in which he left
Peru, as well as the suit in the wallets, were unfit to wear. The first
had remained at the mission during his long absence; he had indeed
discarded it as worn out, but was glad to find it there on his return, for
the other suit had been torn into absolute rags during his journey through
the woods. He had no difficulty in obtaining country-cut garments, and his
host, who had looked somewhat doubtfully upon him on his first arrival,
was evidently relieved in his mind when he came down from his room in his
new purchases.

"How are you thinking of travelling, senor? Do you desire to have a boat
to yourself, or would yo