Narrative of a journey from Lima to Para, across the Andes and down the Amazon: undertaken with a view of ascertaining the practicability of a navigable communication with the Atlantic, by the rivers Pachitea, Ucayali, and Amazon . dwe were obliged to supply their places as Avell aswe could with boys from the village. We startedabout three in the afternoon, in two small, unsteadycanoes, which threatened us with a pretty fairprospect of being obliged to swim. The rivertook an easterly course, much confined by themountains between which it flowed, being notmore than twenty-five fathoms wide, and
Narrative of a journey from Lima to Para, across the Andes and down the Amazon: undertaken with a view of ascertaining the practicability of a navigable communication with the Atlantic, by the rivers Pachitea, Ucayali, and Amazon . dwe were obliged to supply their places as Avell aswe could with boys from the village. We startedabout three in the afternoon, in two small, unsteadycanoes, which threatened us with a pretty fairprospect of being obliged to swim. The rivertook an easterly course, much confined by themountains between which it flowed, being notmore than twenty-five fathoms wide, and, in rush-ing through, formed whirlpools which requiredall the exertion and skill of our canoemen to avoid;on the preceding day we certainly could not havepassed. In about an liour we came to the Mal-paso del Estero, where Ave were obliged to takeout half our cargoes, and draw the canoes over areef of rocks which produced a heavy overfall:this operation consumed near two hours. We thendescended a short distance, to a little bay, whichwe put into, and secured the canoes, cleared aplace for our tent, which Ave pitched, and laid upfor the night. In the middle of the night AveAvere aAvakeiied by thiugs repeatedly falling on the. I CHASUTA. 153 tent, wliicli proved to be a fainily of monkeys ^vllOinhabited the trees over our heads. January 10th. — At daylight we pushed offagain; the river Avas at the same height as thepreceding day, and we were carried rapidly downthe stream, often passing by funnel-shaped eddiessome feet in depth, which made a hollow roaringnoise. We went through live IMalpasos this day,named, respectively, Rumihuchcu,Canoayacu, ]\Ia-tizuelo, Chumia, and Vaqueros: that of Chumiawas the worst, and the only one at ^Ihich we wereobliged to unload; it delayed us about an hourand a half. The stream, which rushed rapidlyover the rocks on the left of the river, was actuallya fall on the right side : the canoes Avere emptied,and guided down it by a rope fastened to eache
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidn, bookpublisherlondonmurray, bookyear1836
