South America

Across Unknown South America

THE AUTHOR _Photogravure Frontispiece_ PAGE RIO DE JANEIRO, SHOWING THE BEAUTIFUL AVENIDA CENTRAL 4 RIO DE JANEIRO AS IT WAS IN 1903 8 DR. PEDRO DE TOLEDO, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, BRAZIL 12 SENADOR ALCINDO GUANABARA, A GREAT LITERARY GENIUS AND PATRIOT OF BRAZIL 16 THE MUNICI...

Chapters

89. Chapter 89

LIMA is a beautiful city, as everybody knows. Its wonderful churches, its clean streets, its commerce, the great charm of the people--indeed, the Peruvians are the most cultivat...

33. Chapter 33

WE had gone 96 kil. in four days' marching since leaving the Rio Manso. We were only a few kilometres from the Serra Azul, or Blue Mountains--truly mountains of the most vivid a...

73. Chapter 73

A Tiny Globular Cloudlet warning us--Tossed in a Merciless Manner--Saved by Providence--Vicious Waters--A Diabolical Spot--A Highly Dangerous Crossing--A Terrible Channel--More...

82. Chapter 82

The Launching of the Glass Raft--Accidents--The Raft sinking--Saved--Our First Solid Meal--Its Consequences--The Canuma and Secundury Rivers--Marching Back across the Forest to...

9. Chapter 9

"MORE than three months to reach the spot?" asked the cinematograph man in amazement. "Then perhaps Monsieur is on a journey to Mars or the moon! There is no spot on earth that...

80. Chapter 80

Benedicto and Filippe show Courage--Confronted with a Mountainous Country--Steep Ravines--No Food--Painful Marches--Starving--Ammunition rendered useless by Moisture--The "pros"...

70. Chapter 70

Dogs--Macaws--Crocodiles--A Serious Accident--Men flung into a Whirlpool--The Loss of Provisions and Valuable Baggage--More Dangerous Rapids--Wonderful Scenery--Dangerous Work--...

24. Chapter 24

THE Bororos believed in spirits of the mountains and the forest, which haunted special places in order to do harm to living beings. Those spirits came out at night. They stole,...

32. Chapter 32

ON leaving camp (June 15th) I noticed that the hills on which I had found the fossils formed a semicircle to the west. Rising quickly to an elevation of 2,070 ft., we were in si...

79. Chapter 79

Starting across the Virgin Forest--Cutting the Way incessantly--A Rugged, Rocky Plateau--Author's Men throw away the Supplies of Food--Attacked by Fever--Marching by Compass--Po...

68. Chapter 68

THE night of July 16th was heavy, the thermometer registering a minimum temperature of 62°F. We had great fun fishing during the early hours of the night. In the morning we had...

27. Chapter 27

WE had reached a spot of most amazing scenery--the Paredão Grande--a giant hill mass displaying a great crater in its north side. Two high cones stood above the immense red-bake...

87. Chapter 87

THE change in the characteristics of the people the moment you were in Peru was considerable, and striking was the neatness of the buildings. Iquitos was a pleasant little city,...

19. Chapter 19

I SEEMED to have no luck on that journey. Everything went wrong all the time. Everything seemed to stand in my way to prevent my progress. My men were demoralized, my mules and...

85. Chapter 85

Early on November 6th the steamer proceeded on her way to Belem (Pará). On leaving Santarem we first emerged into the great Amazon River, a regular sea of fresh water, where we...

84. Chapter 84

He was amazed when I got on board and told him who I was, as the news had already spread down the river that I had been murdered by my own men in the forest. In fact, during my...

88. Chapter 88

I WAS fortunate in obtaining some excellent Peruvian muleteers to accompany me on the expedition over the Andes. The trip might have been a rough one for the ordinary traveller,...

31. Chapter 31

WE had reached the end of the comparatively flat plateau, which varied in elevation on its summit from 2,530 ft. to 2,570 ft. above the sea level. We were next faced by a most p...

81. Chapter 81

ON September 11th we had another terrible march, the forest being very dense and much entangled along the stream. We had great trouble in getting through, as there were many pal...

72. Chapter 72

A Family of _Ariranhas_--Attacked by them--Three Nasty Rapids--Beautiful Sand Beaches--Exciting Experiences--Going down a Thundering Cataract--Alcides' Narrow Escape--A Night's...

69. Chapter 69

WE left at 8 a.m. on July 20th, the minimum temperature during the night having been 57° F. We had hardly gone 1½ kil. when we came to another island, 500 m. long--Mabel Island-...

28. Chapter 28

ON May 31st (thermometer min. 56°, max. 74° Fahr.) I decided to abandon the missing horse and proceed on my journey. I suspected, with reason, that the animal had been stolen. I...

17. Chapter 17

A FEW minutes later I had again joined my caravan, watched intently, at a respectful distance, by a few astonished natives of Goyaz. As soon as all my mules and horses had been...

12. Chapter 12

A GREAT crowd had assembled at the station. The train had hardly stopped when my car was invaded by boisterous people, who embraced me and patted me on the back in the most appr...

77. Chapter 77

A large basin was below it, in the eastern part of which was a charming island. Innumerable rubber trees (_Siphonia elastica_) were to be seen in that region. We found the south...

13. Chapter 13

AT the river were several picturesque two-wheeled carts waiting to be ferried across. Drawn by ten, twenty, and even as many as thirty oxen, these heavy hooded vehicles travelle...

20. Chapter 20

THE stars were of extraordinary brilliancy at night; so much so that one could see quite well enough by their light to get about. The atmosphere being extremely clear, they appe...

62. Chapter 62

ON July 6th we packed the canoe with our baggage and dogs. The British flag was hoisted at the stern of the canoe, and with tender embraces from the seringueiros, whose eyes wer...

23. Chapter 23

THE Bororos were superstitious to a degree. They believed in evil spirits. Some of these, they said, inhabited the earth; others were invisible and lived "all over the air," to...

22. Chapter 22

WHILE I was reassuring my men an Indian appeared, bow and arrows in hand. He stood motionless, looking at us. My men, who had not noticed his coming, were terrified when they tu...

14. Chapter 14

TWENTY-NINE kilometres from the "Merry Rest" we arrived at the little town of Pouso Alto--duly translated "high camp"--situated 2,750 ft. above the sea level on an elevation bet...

25. Chapter 25

I WENT to call on the Salesian Fathers. Between my camp and the river Das Garças, on the right bank of which the colony stood, there was a great dome of red volcanic rock with m...

75. Chapter 75

In the morning my men killed another big monkey, with the most human face I have ever seen on a quadruman--just like a negro's countenance. It came very near us in its curiosity...

67. Chapter 67

WE were still at an elevation of 1,100 ft. The water was almost stagnant, and was evidently being held up by some obstacle. I feared that we should soon encounter nasty rapids....

29. Chapter 29

WE camped at the Lagoa Formosa--or "Beautiful Lagoon"--a large, verdant, oval-shaped lagoon, entirely covered with grass, only 140 ft. lower than the top of the plateau (elev. 2...

15. Chapter 15

THERE was no such thing as an hotel in Goyaz capital. The nearest approach to it was a filthy rest-house for muleteers, which was, furthermore, already full. Against my usual cu...

71. Chapter 71

The Point of Junction of the Arinos and Juruena Rivers--Elfrida Landor Island--Terrible Days of Navigation--Immense Islands--An Old Indian Camp--A Fight between a Dog and an _Ar...

30. Chapter 30

I MADE up my mind that I would continue my journey westward no farther, and would now proceed due north in order to explore the most important part of the Central Plateau--the v...

61. Chapter 61

WE struck the River Arinos at a point called Porto Velho. There were at that place the miserable sheds of three _seringueiros_ (rubber-collectors). I had made for that particula...

86. Chapter 86

Attacked by Beri-beri--A Journey up the Madeira River to the Relief of Filippe the Negro and Recovery of Valuable Baggage left with him--Filippe paid off--A Journey up the River...

11. Chapter 11

I ARRIVED at Riberão Preto at 3.45 p.m. on March 29th. Riberão Preto--421 kil. N.N.W. of São Paulo and 500 kil. from Santos--is without doubt the most important commercial centr...

76. Chapter 76

BRAZILIANS of a low class are unfortunately easily led by words. Alcides, who could not get over his bad temper, once more incited the men to revolt. While I was busy taking alt...

66. Chapter 66

WE had another cool night on July 12th--minimum temperature 47° F. It was very damp, and in the morning we had, as on the previous day, a thick mist which prevented our starting...

16. Chapter 16

IT was in the town of Goyaz that I had entertained hopes of finding suitable followers to accompany my expedition. The officials in Rio de Janeiro had given me glowing accounts...

74. Chapter 74

I found my work too much for me now. There was too much to observe on all sides. We were travelling quickly with the swift current. A hill range from east to west, 300 ft. high,...

78. Chapter 78

THE State of Matto Grosso had recently established a fiscal agency at the junction of the two rivers in order to collect the tax on the rubber exported from that region. The Fis...

26. Chapter 26

WE arrived at the chief colony of the Salesians, Sagrado Coração de Jesus (Tachos). There, thanks to the great kindness and hospitality of the Fathers, and also owing to the amo...

10. Chapter 10

MY object in travelling by the Paulista Railway was to inspect the line on my way to the immense coffee plantations at Martinho Prado, owned by Conselheiro Antonio Prado. The es...

63. Chapter 63

WE were rather proud of ourselves, as we had gone 69 kils. on July 7th, paddling away--barring the interval for lunch--from 7.15 in the morning until 7.30 at night.

65. Chapter 65

THE night of July 10th was cool--minimum temperature 58° F. When we departed at 7.10 in the morning the river was extremely tortuous at first--in one place actually veering from...

21. Chapter 21

THE Rio Barreiros was about 100 metres wide. It was reached through a thick belt, 100 metres in width, of trees and bamboos of large diameter, which lined both its banks. The ri...

18. Chapter 18

AN amusing incident happened. A cow chewed up the coat of one of my men, which was lying on the ground. In his fury the owner of the coat, on discovering the misdeed, seized his...

64. Chapter 64

bird let out of its cage, so happy did he feel at being a free man again. His répertoire was not of the choicest kind, but what was lacking in quality was made up in quantity. F...

60. Chapter 60

PAGE RUBBER TREE SHOWING INCISIONS AND THE COLLAR AND TIN CUP FOR THE COLLECTION OF THE LATEX 4 COAGULATING RUBBER INTO A BALL 4 BALLS OF RUBBER OUTSIDE A SERINGUEIRO'S HUT 8 ME...

8. Chapter 8

THE AUTHOR _Photogravure Frontispiece_ PAGE RIO DE JANEIRO, SHOWING THE BEAUTIFUL AVENIDA CENTRAL 4 RIO DE JANEIRO AS IT WAS IN 1903 8 DR. PEDRO DE TOLEDO, MINISTER OF AGRICULTU...

83. Chapter 83

OCTOBER 6th and 7th I spent inside a hammock. I was in such a high fever and so absolutely exhausted that I believed I should never be able to pull through. Albuquerque and his...

91. Chapter 91

Page viii, "Solimo[~e]s" changed to "Solimões" Page 7, "0·25 c" changed to "0·25 m" Page 14, "Jurnena" changed to "Juruena" Page 316, "expect" changed to "except" Page 497, "Jap...

52. Chapter 52

Benedicto and Filippe show Courage--Confronted with a Mountainous Country--Steep Ravines--No Food--Painful Marches--Starving--Ammunition rendered useless by Moisture--The "Pros"...

45. Chapter 45

A Tiny Globular Cloudlet warning us--Tossed in a Merciless Manner--Saved by Providence--Vicious Waters--A Diabolical Spot--A Highly Dangerous Crossing--A Terrible Channel--More...

44. Chapter 44

A Family of _Ariranhas_--Attacked by them--Three Nasty Rapids--Beautiful Sand Beaches--Exciting Experiences--Going down a Thundering Cataract--Alcides' Narrow Escape--A Night's...

42. Chapter 42

Dogs--Macaws--Crocodiles--A Serious Accident: Men flung into a Whirlpool--The Loss of Provisions and Valuable Baggage--More Dangerous Rapids--Wonderful Scenery--Dangerous Work--...

51. Chapter 51

Starting across the Virgin Forest--Cutting the Way incessantly--A Rugged, Rocky Plateau--Author's Men throw away the Supplies of Food--Attacked by Fever--Marching by Compass--Po...

54. Chapter 54

The Launching of the Glass Raft--Accidents--The Raft sinking--Saved--Our First Solid Meal--Its Consequences--The Canuma and Secundury Rivers--Marching back across the Forest to...

43. Chapter 43

The Point of Junction of the Arinos and Juruena Rivers--Elfrida Landor Island--Terrible Days of Navigation--Immense Islands--An Old Indian Camp--A Fight between a Dog and an _Ar...

57. Chapter 57

Attacked by Beri-beri--A Journey up the Madeira River to the Relief of Filippe the Negro and Recovery of Valuable Baggage left with him--Filippe paid off--A Journey up the River...

47. Chapter 47

In the Hands of Providence--A Mutiny--Another Mutiny--Foodless--Hard and Dangerous Work--A Near Approach to Hades--Making an Artificial Channel among Thousands of Boulders--An A...

40. Chapter 40

48. Chapter 48

49. Chapter 49

53. Chapter 53

38. Chapter 38

50. Chapter 50

1. Chapter 1

5. Chapter 5

7. Chapter 7

39. Chapter 39

58. Chapter 58

55. Chapter 55

34. Chapter 34

90. Chapter 90

2. Chapter 2

6. Chapter 6

41. Chapter 41

46. Chapter 46

4. Chapter 4

35. Chapter 35

36. Chapter 36

56. Chapter 56

3. Chapter 3

37. Chapter 37

59. Chapter 59