SLOW TRANSIT.—PASSING AROUND THE FALLS.—ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS.—THE MADEIRA TO THE AMAZON.—THE JANUARY RIVER.—THE AMAZON FOREST.
DRAGGING A BOAT AROUND TEOTONIO.
The garitea was placed on rollers, and dragged along the ground, over a road that was by no means smooth. It was hard work for the Indians, particularly as the day was warm, but they toiled steadily, and did not once pause till they had launched the boat into the river below Guajara-Merim. Then they returned for the baggage, which was distributed among them, under the watchful eyes of Dr. Bronson and Frank. Fred and Manuel had preceded the baggage, and were ready to superintend its reception and stowage in the boat.
In spite of the difficulties of this rude mode of transportation there is a considerable traffic between Bolivia and the lower Amazon, around the falls of the Madeira. Colonel Church says it amounts to more than a thousand tons a year, and many bulky and heavy articles are carried through safely. Pianos have even been sent from Brazil to the interior of Bolivia by this route, and, what is strangest of all, they have arrived in perfect order, and were ready for use after a little attention from the tuner.
The same gentleman, in speaking of the Mojos Indians of the department of the Beni, says their imitative powers are wonderful. The law requires that all voters shall be able to write. On the day of election an Indian comes to the polls to vote for a president or a deputy to congress; without knowing a letter of the alphabet he copies in a clear and legible hand the name of the one for whom he votes. He will also copy an entire manuscript in any language, without knowing a word of it.
When everything was ready the boat was pushed off, and the voyage continued to the next rapid, where the same process was repeated. As before stated, some of the rapids were passed without the necessity of unloading, while at others the cargo, and sometimes both cargo and boat, required to be carried overland. Once the boat was run upon a rock and considerably injured, but happily none of the cargo was damaged, and neither passengers nor crew suffered harm.
