"Yes," said the Captain, "Pará is the mart through which passes the whole commerce of the Amazon and its affluents."
"And that must, of course, make it a place of importance," said Violet.
"It was the seat of revolution in 1833," remarked her grandfather; "houses were destroyed, lives lost—a great many of them—and grass grew in streets which before that had been the center of business."
"Papa," exclaimed Ned, "there's a little boat coming, and a man in it with some little animals."
"Ah, yes; small monkeys, I think they are," Captain Raymond said, taking a view over the side of the vessel.
Then he called to a sailor that he wanted the man allowed to come aboard with whatever he had for sale. In a few moments he was at hand carrying two little monkeys in his arms. He approached the Captain and bowing low, hat in hand, addressed him in Portuguese, first saying, "Good-evening," then going on to tell that these were fine little monkeys—tee-tees—which he had brought for sale, and he went on to talk fluently in praise of the little creatures, which were about the size of a squirrel, of a greyish-olive as to the hair of body and limbs, a rich golden hue on the latter; on the under surface of the body a whitish grey, and the tip of the tail black.
"Oh, how pretty, how very pretty!" exclaimed little Elsie. "Papa, won't you buy me one?"
"Yes, daughter, if you want it," returned the Captain, "for I know you will be kind to it and that it will be a safe and pretty pet for you."
"And Oh, papa, I'd like to have the other one, if I may!" cried Ned, fairly dancing with delight at the thought of owning the pretty little creature.
The Captain smiled and said something to the man, speaking in Portuguese, a language spoken and understood by themselves only of all on board the vessel.