all in
diameter, and only had branches or leaves at a very great height. That
was why the forests in Brazil looked so extraordinarily clean beneath, in
contrast to the equatorial forest in such countries as Central Africa or
the Philippine Islands. The wonderful cleanliness of the river, to which
I have so often alluded, was a great contrast to the masses of floating
decomposing vegetation which is always to be seen in the African rivers.

The minimum temperature during the night of July 13th was 51 deg. Fahr.
During that night we were suddenly roused by our dogs barking furiously.
We heard strange noises, as if people were trying to run away quickly
through the forest. Indians had, much to our surprise, come quite close
to our camp, and had it not been for the alarm given by the dogs we
should most likely have been attacked by them. In the morning we heard
in the distance their war-cries and piercing ululations, which rent the
air. Judging merely by the noise they made, there must have been from
thirty to fifty of them. My men were greatly excited over this
experience. These Indians belonged, I think, to the Tapanhonas tribe.

We left our camp at 7.45 in the morning. As the river was there in an
almost straight line for 8 kil., we continued hearing--more and more
faintly, of course, as we went on--for some distance the excited yells of
the Indians.

The left bank, through which a streamlet cut its way into the Arinos, was
fairly open with _chapada_. An island, 150 m. wide and 200 m. long--Julia
Island--was next seen. It had an extensive beach of gravel at its
southern end, and the island itself was covered with dense and very
beautiful vegetation. Another streamlet 1 m. wide entered the Arinos
opposite the island from the left side. Farther on another streamlet, 3
m. wide at the mouth, and coming from the north, flowed into the main
stream on the right side. Three and a half kilometres farther another
tributary streamlet, also 3 m. wide, was met on the right. We there saw
_chapada_ on both banks as we went along, with merely a thin edge of
trees along the river.

Where the river described a graceful elbow, a charming tongue of land,
with deliciously green grass upon it, was most refreshing to the eyes. A
river 8 m. wide at the mouth was met a little way beyond on the left
side. We noticed opposite that place a beautiful spot for making a camp,
but it was not a convenient hour for us, and so we went along.

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