xtend its influence by forcing the water
back so far up the Amazon and its tributaries.

Although the steamer on which I was did not draw much water, being built
specially for river navigation, careful soundings had to be taken
continually. I well recollect the cries of the man at the lead. When the
man cried out "_Una braca!_" (one fathom), there was great excitement on
board, and we had to slow down to half speed or dead slow. In the
distance on the left bank in the haze could be distinguished high hills,
at the foot of which white ribbon-like streaks were visible along the
water.

The Barros do Tapayuna, a sand and mud bar, extremely shallow, extended
from the elongated island of the same name right across the stream, there
about 5 kil. wide. That spot was also called the _garganta_, or throat of
the Tapajoz, because at low water it was impossible to get through, and
it was necessary to unload the steamer, the navigation being extremely
difficult.

"_Dos bracas!_" (two fathoms) cried the lead man. "One and a half
fathom!" he cried next, as we went over the shallowest part of that
sand-bar.

Although shallow, that part of the river was not dangerous, because the
bottom was of soft mud; not so, however, farther on, where the shallow
channel was strewn with plentiful rocks. Captain Macedo had sensibly
placed buoys and marks all over the most dangerous places, so as to
minimize the dangers of navigation.

The river was magnificent farther down, where we passed a great
quadrangular rock of deep Indian red, looking exactly like an immense
square tower. Then vertical rocks were to be seen all along the right
bank; while on the left bank, when we crossed over to the other side of
the river, were immense beaches of beautiful sand. Above them were great
stretches of the most wonderful grass, upon which thousands of cattle
could graze--but not one animal was to be seen.

[Illustration: A Trail in the Andes.]

It was rather interesting to note that the formation of the right bank
was exactly the same as that of the Paredao Grande we had seen in Matto
Grosso. Vertical sides in great rectangles were noticeable, intersected
by passages--regular canons--where small huts could be seen at the foot
of the picturesque rocks, especially at places where small streamlets
entered the Tapajoz. I was told that little lakes had formed beyond those
frontal rocky masses, the entrances to which were blocked at low water by
sand-bars. Bey