r Barreiros, which had its birth in the Serra Furnas Corros, to
the south-west, entered the Rio das Garcas--there 100 metres wide--a
short distance from where we crossed it. The latter river, by far the
larger of the two and of a very circuitous course, flowed in a
south-easterly direction into the Araguaya. The Rio das Garcas, which
also had its origin in the Furnas Corros Mountains, had almost a parallel
course with the upper Barreiros from south-west to north-east, but on
meeting the Barreiros suddenly swung round at a sharp angle towards the
south-east, which direction it more or less followed until it entered the
Araguaya.

We made our camp on the right bank of the Barreiros River. My men were in
a great state of mind when I told them that perhaps on this river we
might find some Indians. The cautious way in which they remained as quiet
as lambs in camp amused me. I noticed the care with which they cleaned
their rifles and replenished their magazines with cartridges. I assured
them that there was no danger--in fact, that quite close to this place we
should find one of the Salesian colonies.

CHAPTER XIV

The Bororo Indians

WHILE I was reassuring my men an Indian appeared, bow and arrows in hand.
He stood motionless, looking at us. My men, who had not noticed his
coming, were terrified when they turned round and saw him.

The Indian was a strikingly picturesque figure, with straight, sinewy
arms and legs of wonderfully perfect anatomical modelling, well-shaped
feet--but not small--and hands. He was not burdened with clothing; in
fact, he wore nothing at all, barring a small belt round his waist and a
fibre amulet on each arm.

The Indian deposited his bow and arrows against a tree when some other
Indians arrived. He stood there as straight and as still as a bronze
statue, his head slightly inclined forward in order to screen his
searching eagle eyes from the light by the shade of his protruding brow.
He folded his arms in a peculiar manner. His left hand was inserted flat
under the right arm, the right hand fully spread flat upon his abdomen.

The first thing I did was to take a snapshot of him before he moved. Then
I proceeded to the interesting study of his features. They were indeed a
great revelation to me. One single glance at him and his comrades
persuaded me that a theory I had long cherished about the aboriginal
population of the South American continent was correct, although in
contrad