situated a day and a
half's journey along that tributary. The best way to reach it was from a
place called El Frances, one of the most charming spots I saw on the
lower Tapajoz River. The central hill at Montanha was 300 ft. high, the
hills around it from 200 to 300 ft. high.

Farther down we came to the Rio Jamanchin, a tributary on the right side
of the Tapajoz, which entered the river where great sand-shallows
occupied nearly half the width of the stream.

Col. Brazil was the happy possessor of immense concessions on that
tributary stream--in fact as far as the Tocantins River, a tributary on
the left side of the Jamanchin. He had already made a mule trail across
that region in order to get over the difficulty of the troublesome rapids
which are to be found there, such as those of Portao, Cahy, and Apuhy.
The mineral wealth was also considerable, according to the accounts I
heard; while undoubtedly the production of rubber could not be better.

This was the spot at which the river Tapajoz came nearest to its eastern
neighbour the river Xingu. The _seringueiros_ on the latter river
constantly cross over, following the Jamanchin in order to go down to the
Amazon by the Tapajoz. Rubber collectors have found their way high up on
the Xingu River--much farther up than on the river Tapajoz.

On October 25th we went down first the Limao rapid, and then the Burbure
rapid. The river was beautiful all along, with low hills on both sides.
We eventually arrived at Pimental, a fiendishly hot, steamy, unhealthy
place, where across a streamlet was a station for the transhipment of
rubber. The place was on low ground, which became inundated at high
water. Another station was built some 200 m. off on high ground, which
was used as a winter station. The second station was at the beginning of
an excellent mule track which Col. Brazil had cut as far as a place lower
down the river called Bella Vista, a distance of some 20 kil. He had
imported at much expense a number of mules for the service. All the
rubber was conveyed from that spot on mule-back, as between Pimental and
Bella Vista was a dangerous rapid, on which many boats had been lost.

In the company of Col. Brazil I rode over that distance, in intense pain
owing to the weak state in which I was. When we came to the river again,
over great deposits of sand we saw a number of crocodiles basking in the
sun.

Bella Vista consisted of four neat double-storied grey houses, two lar