the naturalist on the river amazons-第33部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　tonnage　coming　straight　from　the　Atlantic。　The　river　has　only　two　slight　bends　between　this　port　and　the　sea；　and　for　five　or　six　months　in　the　year　the　Amazonian　trade　wind　blows　with　very　little　interruption；　so　that　sailing　ships　coming　from　foreign　countries　could　reach　the　place　with　little　difficulty。　We　ourselves　had　accomplished　200　miles；　or　about　half　the　distance　from　the　sea；　in　an　ill…rigged　vessel；　in　three　days　and　a　half。　Although　the　land　in　the　immediate　neighbourhood　is　perhaps　ill　adapted　for　agriculture；　an　immense　tract　of　rich　soil；　with　forest　and　meadowland；　lies　on　the　opposite　banks　of　the　river；　and　the　Tapajos　leads　into　the　heart　of　the　mining　provinces　of　interior　Brazil。　But　where　is　the　population　to　come　from　to　develop　the　resources　of　this　fine　country？　At　present；　the　district　within　a　radius　of　twenty…five　miles　contains　barely　6500　inhabitants；　behind　the　town；　towards　the　interior；　the　country　is　uninhabited；　and　jaguars　roam　nightly；　at　least　in　the　rainy　season；　close　up　to　the　ends　of　the　suburban　streets。

From　information　obtained　here；　I　fixed　upon　the　next　town；　Obydos；　as　the　best　place　to　stay　for　a　few　weeks；　in　order　to　investigate　the　natural　productions　of　the　north　side　of　the　Lower　Amazons。　We　started　at　sunrise　on　the　10th；　and　being　still　favoured　by　wind　and　weather；　made　a　pleasant　passage；　reaching　Obydos；　which　is　nearly　fifty　miles　distant　from　Santarem；　by　midnight。　We　sailed　all　day　close　to　the　southern　shore；　and　found　the　banks　here　and　there　dotted　with　houses　of　settlers；　each　surrounded　by　its　plantation　of　cacao；　which　is　the　staple　product　of　the　district。　This　coast　has　an　evil　reputation　for　storms　and　mosquitoes；　but　we　fortunately　escaped　both。　It　was　remarkable　that　we　had　been　troubled　by　mosquitoes　only　on　one　night；　and　then　to　a　small　degree；　during　the　whole　of　our　voyage。

I　landed　at　Obydos　the　next　morning；　and　then　bid　adieu　to　my　kind　friend　Joao　da　Cunha；　who；　after　landing　my　baggage；　got　up　his　anchor　and　continued　on　his　way。　The　town　contains　about　1200　inhabitants；　and　is　airily　situated　on　a　high　bluff；　ninety　or　a　hundred　feet　above　the　level　of　the　river。　The　coast　is　precipitous　for　two　or　three　miles　hence　to　the　west。　The　cliffs　consist　of　the　parti…coloured　clay；　or　Tabatinga；　which　occurs　so　frequently　throughout　the　Amazons　region；　the　strong　current　of　the　river　sets　full　against　them　in　the　season　of　high　water；　and　annually　carries　away　large　portions。　The　clay　in　places　is　stratified　alternately　pink　and　yellow；　the　pink　beds　being　the　thickest　and　of　much　harder　texture　than　the　others。

When　I　descended　the　river　in　1859；　a　German　Major　of　Engineers；　in　the　employ　of　the　Government；　told　me　that　he　had　found　calcareous　layers；　thickly　studded　with　marine　shells　interstratified　with　the　clay。　On　the　top　of　the　Tabatinga　lies　a　bed　of　sand；　in　some　places　several　feet　thick；　and　the　whole　formation　rests　on　strata　of　sandstone；　which　are　exposed　only　when　the　river　reaches　its　lowest　level。　Behind　the　town　rises　a　fine　rounded　hill；　and　a　range　of　similar　elevations　extends　six　miles　westward；　terminating　at　the　mouth　of　the　Trombetas；　a　large　river　flowing　through　the　interior　of　Guiana。　Hills　and　lowlands　alike　are　covered　with　a　sombre　rolling　forest。　The　river　here　is　contracted　to　a　breadth　of　rather　less　than　a　mile　（1738　yards）；　and　the　entire　volume　of　its　waters；　the　collective　product　of　a　score　of　mighty　streams；　is　poured　through　the　strait　with　tremendous　velocity。　It　must　be　remarked；　however；　that　the　river　valley　itself　is　not　contracted　to　this　breadth；　the　opposite　shore　not　being　continental　land；　but　a　low　alluvial　tract；　subject　to　inundation　more　or　less　in　the　rainy　season。　Behind　it　lies　an　extensive　lake；　called　the　Lago　Grande　da　Villa　Franca；　which　communicates　with　the　Amazons；　both　above　and　below　Obydos；　and　has　therefore；　the　appearance　of　a　by…water　or　an　old　channel　of　the　river。　This　lake　is　about　thirty…five　miles　in　length；　and　from　four　to　ten　in　width；　but　its　waters　are　of　little　depth；　and　in　the　dry　season　its　dimensions　are　much　lessened。　It　has　no　perceptible　current；　and　does　not　therefore；　now　divert　any　portion　of　the　waters　of　the　Amazons　from　their　main　course　past　Obydos。

I　remained　at　Obydos　from　the　11th　of　October　to　the　19th　of　November。　I　spent　three　weeks　here；　also；　in　1859；　when　the　place　was　much　changed　through　the　influx　of　Portuguese　immigrants　and　the　building　of　a　fortress　on　the　top　of　the　bluff。　It　is　one　of　the　pleasantest　towns　on　the　river。　The　houses　are　all　roofed　with　tiles；　and　are　mostly　of　substantial　architecture。　The　inhabitants；　at　least　at　the　time　of　my　first　visit；　were　naive　in　their　ways；　kind　and　sociable。　Scarcely　any　palm…thatched　huts　are　to　be　seen；　for　very　few　Indians　now　reside　here。　It　was　one　of　the　early　settlements　of　the　Portuguese；　and　the　better　class　of　the　population　consists　of　old…established　white　families；　who　exhibit　however；　in　some　cases；　traces　of　cross　with　the　Indian　and　negro。　Obydos　and　Santarem　have　received；　during　the　last　eighty　years；　considerable　importations　of　negro　slaves；　before　that　time；　a　cruel　traffic　was　carried　on　in　Indians　for　the　same　purpose　of　forced　servitude；　but　their　numbers　have　gradually　dwindled　away；　and　Indians　now　form　an　insignificant　element　in　the　population　of　the　district。

Most　of　the　Obydos　townsfolk　are　owners　of　cacao　plantations；　which　are　situated　on　the　low　lands　in　the　vicinity。　Some　are　large　cattle　proprietors；　and　possess　estates　of　many　square　leagues'　extent　in　the　campo；　or　grass…land　districts；　which　border　the　Lago　Grande；　and　other　similar　inland　lakes；　near　the　villages　of　Faro　and　Alemquer。　These　campos　bear　a　crop　of　nutritious　grass；　but　in　certain　seasons；　when　the　rising　of　the　Amazons　exceeds　the　average；　they　are　apt　to　be　flooded；　and　then　the　large　herds　of　half　wild　cattle　suffer　great　mortality　from　drowning；　hunger；　and　alligators。　Neither　in　cattle…keeping　nor　cacao…growing　are　any　but　the　laziest　and　most　primitive　methods　followed；　and　the　consequence　is　that　the　proprietors　are　generally　poor。　A　few；　however；　have　become　rich　by　applying　a　moderate　amount　of　industry　and　skill　to　the　management　of　their　estates。　People　spoke　of　several　heiresses　in　the　neighbourhood　whose　wealth　was　reckoned　in　oxen　and　slaves；　a　dozen　slaves　and　a　few　hundred　head　of　cattle　being　considered　a　great　fortune。　Some　of　them　I　saw　had　already　been　appropriated　by　enterprising　young　men；　who　had　come　from　Para　and　Maranham　to　seek　their　fortunes　in　this　quarter。

The　few　weeks　I　spent　here　passed　away　pleasantly。　I　generally　spent　the　evenings　in　the　society　of　the　townspeople；　who　associated　together　（contrary　to　Brazilian　custom）　in　European　fashion；　the　different　families　meeting　at　one　another's　houses　for　social　amusement；　bachelor　friends　not　being　excluded；　and　the　whole　company；　married　and　single；　joining　in　simple　games。　The　meetings　used　to　take　place　in　the　sitting…rooms；　and　not　in　the　open　verandasa　fashion　almost　compulsory　on　account　of　the　mosquitoes；　but　the　evenings　here　are　very　cool；　and　the　closeness　of　a　room　is　not　so　much　felt　as　it　is　in　Para。　Sunday　was　strictly　observed　at　Obydosat　least　all　the　shops　were　closed；　and　almost　the　whole　population　went　to　church。　The　Vicar；　Padre　Raimundo　do　Sanchez　Brito；　was　an　excellent　old　man；　and　I　fancy　the　friendly　manners　of　the　people；　and　the　general　purity　of　morals　at　Obydos；　were　owing　in　great　part　to　the　good　example　he　set　to　his　parishioners。

The　forest　at　Obydos　seemed　to　abound　in　monkeys；　for　I　rarely　passed　a　day　without　seeing　several。　I　noticed　four　species：　the　Coaita　（Ateles　paniscus）；　the　Chrysothrix　sciureus；　the　Callithrix　torquatus；　and　our　old　Para　friend；　Midas　ursulus。　The　Coaita　is　a　large　black　monkey；　covered　with　coarse　hair；　and　having　the　prominent　parts　of　the　face　of　a　tawny　flesh…coloured　hue。　It　is　the　largest　of　the　Amazonian　monkeys　in　stature；　but　is　excelled　in　bulk　by　the　〃Barrigudo〃　（Lagothrix　Humboldtii）　of　the　Upper　Amazons。　It　occurs　throughout　the　lowlands　of　the　Lower　and　Upper　Amazons；　but　does　not　range　to　the　south　beyond　the　limits　of　the　river　plains。　At　that　point　an　allied　species；　the　White…whiskered　Coaita　（Ateles　marginatus）　takes　its　place。　The　Coaitas　are　called　by　zoologists　spider　monkeys；　on　account　of　the　length　and　slenderness　of　their　body　and　limbs。　In　these　apes　the　tail；　as　a　prehensile　organ；　reaches　its　highest　degree　of　perfection；　and　on　this　account　it　would；　perhaps；　be　correct　to　consider　the　Coaitas　as　the　extreme　development　of　the　American　type　of　apes。　As　far　as　we　know；　from　living　and　fossil　species；　the　New　World　has　progressed　no　farther　than　the　Coaita　towards　the　production　of　a　higher　form　of　the　Quadrumanous　order。　The　tendency　of　Nature　here　has　been；　to　all　appearance；　simply　to　perfect　those　organs　which　adapt　the　species　more　and　more　completely　to　a　purely　arboreal　life；　and　no　nearer　approach　has　been　made　towards　the　more　advanced　forms　of　anthropoid　apes；　which　are　the　products　of　the　Old　World　solely。　The　flesh　of　this　monkey　is　much　esteemed　by　the　natives　in　this　part　of　the　country；　and　the　Military　Commandant　of　Obydos；　Major　Gama；　every　week　sent　a　negro　hunter　to　shoot　one　for　his　table。　One　day　I　went　on　a　Coaita　hunt；　borrowing　a　negro　slave　of　a　friend　to　show　me　the　way。　When　in　the　deepest　part　of　a　ravine　we　heard　a　rustling　sound　in　the　trees　overheard；　and　Manoel　soon　pointed　out　a　Coaita　to　me。　There　was　something　human…like　in　its　appearance；　as　the　lean；　dark；　shaggy　creature　moved　deliberately　amongst　the　branches　at　a　great　height。　I　fired；　but　unfortunately　only　wounded　it　in　the　belly。　It　fell　with　a　crash　headlong　about　twenty　or　thirty　feet；　and　then　caught　a　bough　with　its　tail；　which　grasped　it　instantaneously；　and　then　the　animal　remained　suspended　in　mid…air。　Before　I　could　reload；　it　recovered　itself　and　mounted　nimbly　to　the　topmost　branches　out　of　the　reach　of　a　fowling…piece；　where　we　could　perceive　the　poor　thing　apparently　probing　the　wound　with　its　fingers。

Coaitas　are　more　frequently　kept　in　a　tame　state　than　any　other　kind　of　monkey。　The　Indians　are　very　fond　of　them