own on the left bank. There was fairly thin forest on
both sides as we went on, kilometre after kilometre, the water of the
river being almost stagnant in that part and heavy to paddle along.

Five hundred metres down the straight stretch of river, 4,000 m. long, we
came to another charming affluent, 10 m. wide, coming from the E.S.E.
Farther on, another tributary 2 m. wide entered the Arinos on the left
side, and formed a shallow bank of gravel extending half-way across the
stream.

[Illustration: The Result of Half an Hour's Fishing on the
Arinos-Juruena.]

As I have stated elsewhere, the mentality of Brazilians was somewhat
difficult to understand by people of any other nation. They did
everything the wrong way, according to our notions. I had been worried a
great deal, the reader may remember, at the most unpractical way in which
my men loaded the animals when I had my caravan of mules and horses. I
had been more than amazed at Brazilian ideas of architecture, sculpture,
painting and music. I had on many occasions been dumbfounded at their
ideas of honour and truthfulness. Now once more I was sickly amused--I
had by then ceased to be amazed or dumbfounded or angry--at the way my
men daily packed the baggage in the canoe. The baggage was naturally
taken out of the canoe every night when we made our camp, for the canoe
leaked so badly that when we arrived anywhere and halted we had to beach
her, or else, where this was not possible, we found her in the morning
almost entirely submerged. Naturally we invariably selected shallow
places where we could bale the water out and float her again.

Returning to the baggage: the men every morning insisted on loading the
canoe in front, where the four men were situated paddling, and the three
dogs of the expedition were also accommodated. I sat in the centre of the
canoe, and Alcides at the helm naturally stood in the stern. The man
whose incessant daily occupation it was to bale out the water of course
had to be with the group of four men in the bow, since, the canoe being
so heavily weighted at that end, the water found its way down there.

Now, loading the canoe in such a fashion, at the bow, had the double
drawback of causing a greater resistance against the water, and therefore
nearly doubling the work of the men in paddling. Then again, when we ran
aground or struck a rock, the impact was more severe on the canoe--not to
speak of the difficulty of getting her off again.