In the Wilds of South America

by Leo E. Miller

We remained a day at Juruena to rest and develop films. The pictures taken by an expedition always form one of its important records, and great care must be exercised in developing all exposed films promptly or they will spoil in the hot, damp climate.

When we were ready to continue our journey on the second morning, we discovered that the Nhambiquaras in departing had taken two of the dogs with them. Colonel Rondon spent some hours hunting for the Indians, but their start was too long and he could not come up with them. I regretted heartily that they had not taken all of the dogs, as they were a mongrel, worthless lot; they were of no assistance in hunting, nor did they watch camp. On the contrary, they brought fleas and ticks into the tents, insisted on eating and drinking out of our dishes, and consumed quantities of food that might have been used to better advantage later.

The country beyond the Juruena is somewhat rolling, but there is no appreciable change in the vegetation. We rode twenty kilometres the first day, camping on the banks of the Rio da Fomiga (February 10). Next day we travelled but twelve kilometres, reaching the Jurina, a shallow though rapid stream six hundred feet wide; the crossing was slow and laborious, as there was only one very small balsa or ferry. Camp was pitched on the banks of a small stream a league beyond. Near by were several deserted thatched huts and the comparatively new graves where two Brazilian soldiers and one army officer had been buried. The Indians had killed them, and interred them in an upright position with the head and shoulders protruding out of the ground. The following night, on the Rio Primavera we saw two other graves; the men who were buried there had been slain while asleep in their hammocks. This was the most dangerous part of the whole Nhambiquara country.

When we reached a place called Mutúm Cavallo in the afternoon of the 15th, the mules Kermit and I had ridden were so tired that we decided to give them a day’s rest; that meant walking to the next camping-site, and rather than undertake the long journey during the hot hours of the next day we planned to start immediately after supper. There was still some time to spend, however, so we went about our work as usual. An army of ants was foraging near the tents; they had discovered a large, hairy caterpillar, but the half-inch long “bristles” with which it was covered protected its body from the onslaught of the marauding host. The ants, however, were not to be deterred from their purpose; they made repeated rushes at the caterpillar, clipping off a bit of hair each time they struck. After continuing these tactics for twenty minutes, a small patch of the plump insect’s body had been cleared of hair, and one ant got a good hold with its vise-like mandible. The caterpillar, upon feeling the pain, promptly began to wriggle, thus exposing its unprotected under-side, and the ants immediately rushed at that vulnerable part and soon succeeded in overwhelming their victim.

Near by lay the dry, bleached skull of a steer. A fer-de-lance three feet long had apparently been struck with the possibilities as a safe hiding-place presented by the interior of the skull, and proceeded to crawl into it via the nasal openings. Then it discovered that this was not the proper entrance and tried to back out; but bits of sharp, splintered bone caught under the plates and scales of the reptile’s body, holding it as securely as a trap, until it died, perhaps of starvation.

At 8.30 P. M. we started on our long walk. It was very dark at first, so that it was impossible to see the trail. We had taken one of the dogs with us, and this is the only time, so far as I know, that he was of the slightest use. He was of a light color, so we could make out his dimly outlined form in the darkness. He was therefore permitted to go in advance, and we followed in his footsteps; not once did he lose the trail.

Each of us carried a hammock and blanket, also a gun, as Colonel Rondon had warned us against bands of prowling Indians and jaguars. But to our disappointment we saw absolutely nothing, and did not hear so much as even the hoot of an owl. The only excitement was occasioned when streams blocked our way, and it was necessary to start across without knowing just exactly what was ahead. At midnight we saw a bright light in the distance, and soon after passed the sleeping sentinel and entered Captain Amilcar’s quarters; he was camped on a grassy knoll called Campo Novo.

Formerly the third telegraph-station was located at this point, but it now stands on the Rio Nhambiquara, a league away. We were now on the border of the great Cerro do Norte, a vast tract of country composed of high, broken plateaus or mesas covered luxuriantly with grass. Many small streams flow through deep gorges, and near some of the watercourses tall, dense forest grows. The soil is fertile and would produce abundant crops of corn and vegetables. Countless herds of cattle could be reared on the extensive plains, and the climate is cool and healthful. There are few portions of South America so well suited to colonization by Europeans, but on account of the remote location and the lack of means of communication it will be several decades before this vast and fruitful region will become inhabited.

It required about a week’s time to cross the extensive Cerro do Norte. The type of country gradually changes. The vegetation of the chapadão gives way to a taller growth, and the banks of the numerous streams are heavily forested. Occasionally all other vegetation is superseded by extensive areas of wild pineapples. Many square miles are covered with dense thickets of the plants; during the greater part of three days’ ride we were seldom out of sight of them. The fruit was just ripening by countless millions; it was small but of delicious flavor. The Indians ate quantities and also made wine of it.

We added few specimens to the collection after leaving Utiarity. Animal life was not abundant, and the rapid pace at which the expedition was compelled to move left no time for collecting. The Nhambiquaras came to our camp almost daily. They usually approached unarmed, having concealed their bows and arrows some distance away; that was a sign of peaceful intentions. One day we passed one of their settlements; it contained a few low, round huts made of poles covered with grass; one small opening served as the doorway. We also encountered a number of them on the march. A solitary man walked first, carrying his bow and arrows only; about fifty yards behind came a woman, heavily burdened with baskets, calabashes, and children. Another man followed, and then a second woman, and so on until the whole band had passed. The reason for this formation is apparent. As the men are first and are the fighters, they must be on the alert and ready to face danger without an instant’s delay; were they encumbered with the family impedimenta the delay occasioned in ridding themselves of it before being able to use their weapons might be fatal to the whole family.