Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven From Povas to the Frontier

For the next few days the great raft sailed unharmed.The night was so beautiful that the big raft could go on without stopping.The banks of the delightful river seemed to be moving, like the ever-changing sets in a theatre.Because of the illusion produced by the eyes, it seemed to people that the raft was standing still, and not the banks of the river. Since the raft never stopped, Benito could not go to the shore to hunt.However, the rich products in the big river are enough to replace game. They caught all kinds of delicious fish: the meaty paco, the syroupi, the garmitana; and hundreds of duridari rays, which have a rose-coloured belly and a black, with venomous spines; they also caught thousands of gondillos, a small catfish, several of which were remarkably small.When swimmers inadvertently enter their territory, they will gather immediately and bite off a lot of flesh on the swimmer's calf.

In the rich Amazon waters, there are many other aquatic animals.They can sometimes follow the large rafts sailing on the water for hours at a time. The unfavorable is the gigantic pira|lugu, about three to four meters long, with a scarlet back covered with broad scales, and eaten only by the natives.There is also a kind of beautiful dolphin, and the people on the raft do not catch them.Hundreds of dolphins frolicked in front of and behind the boat, and slapped the beams of the big raft with their tails, stirring up jets of water, which were as colorful as rainbows under the refraction of light.

On June 16, after sailing smoothly through several shallows, the big raft reached a beach named St.Pablo's Big Island nearby.In the evening of the next day, the big raft docked at the village of Moro Moro on the left bank of the Amazon River.Twenty-four hours later, after sailing through the mouths of the Atata Ali and Gaosha rivers, and the right bank of the river with Gabalo.After the Fuluo Canal, which is connected to the Gaosha Lake, the large raft is parked near the station of the Gaosha Mission. This is the territory of the Marayua Indians.All of these natives have long hair hanging loose, and palm branches about 18 centimeters long are decorated around their mouths, shaped like a fan.They look like felines, according to Paul.According to Marqua's observation, the reason why they dress up as tigers is because they admire the courage, strength and cunning of the tiger, the king of the forest.Several women approached with the Marayuas, their cigars lit by the lit ends between their teeth.Like the lords of the forest in the Amazon, all these natives are nearly naked.

The Gossa mission was headed by a Franciscan friar who was going to visit Father Passana. Joam.Galar received the monk very warmly and invited him to dinner. To be sure, this supper really did the Indian cook a great deal of credit. Dinner consists of traditional coriander soup, empanadas (made of tapioca flour soaked in gravy and tomato sauce and often eaten in place of bread in Brazil), chicken bibimbap (topped with vinegar and maraschino). spicy sauce made from hot peppers), and cold cakes sprinkled with cinnamon.This dinner was enough for the monk who lived a life of poverty in the parish every day.They insisted that he stay for dinner, and both Jaquita and daughter Mina did their best.However, since the monk was going to see a sick Indian that night, he had to decline the master's offer.As he left, he took with him a few gifts that the resident new converts were sure to appreciate.

For the past two days, the task of Navigator Aroruo has not been easy.Although the river bed is getting wider, the number of islands is increasing; the current is becoming more rapid.Therefore, if you want to travel between Gabalo|Gausa Island, Taraport Island and Gagao Island, you have to be extra careful.The big raft had to stop quite often.Several times the raft nearly ran aground.So, everyone worked together to drag it out of danger.It was under such difficult conditions that the big raft finally arrived at Nuestella on the evening of June 20.Snow La.De.Loreto. Loreto is the last Peruvian city on the left bank of the river.After passing through this city, you enter the border of Brazil.In fact, this is just an ordinary village, with more than 20 families living together on the gently rolling river beach.The raised part of the beach is mainly ocher and clay.

Jesuit priests established a mission here in 1770.The native Tiguma Indians living in this land north of the Great River have reddish complexion, thick hair, and tattooed patterns on their faces, just like the paint on a Chinese table.Both men and women had only a few strips of cotton cloth wrapped around their waists and chests.Now, there are less than 200 aborigines living on both sides of the Atagao Ali River.This powerful nation that was once ruled by a great chief now has only such a handful of people left! In Loreto lived a few Peruvian soldiers, and two or three Portuguese merchants dealing in cotton, salted fish, and sarsaparilla.

Benito went ashore.If possible, he would like to buy a few packs of sarsaparilla, a commodity that is very popular in Amazonian markets.Joam.Galar did not go ashore, he was busy with his writing.Yaquita, Mina, and Manoel also remained on the raft and did not go ashore.That's because Loreto's mosquitoes have long been famous.Tourists who don't want to feed these fearsome dipteran insects with their own blood are afraid to come here. As it happened, Manoel had just been talking about this insect, of course, so that no one would get bitten. It is said, he went on to add, that the village of Loreto alone is home to the nine species of mosquitoes that infest the banks of the Amazon!I believe it, but I don't want to prove it myself.There, dear Mina, you will meet mosquitoes of all kinds: gray ones, hairy ones, white-legged ones, tiny ones, ones that scream like brass pipes or piccolos, ones that cause hives, the clown mosquitoes, the big ones. Black mosquitoes, red brown mosquitoes, and so on.Or rather, they'll all make you a target, and we'll be sure we won't recognize you when you come back from shore!In my opinion, these vicious mosquitoes are actually better at defending the Brazilian border than those soldiers!Look at those poor soldiers, how pale and thin they are all!

But, Mina asked, since everything in nature is useful, what is the use of mosquitoes? They will bring happiness to entomologists, Manoel replied, which is probably the best explanation I can give you! Manoel's anecdote about the Loreto mosquito does not appear to be sensational.When Benito returned to the boat after shopping, he was stung with more than a thousand red envelopes on his face and hands!Not to mention the fleas, which got into his toes in spite of his leather boots. Let's sail!Let's sail now!cried Benito, or these damned creatures will come and attack us!Then the big raft would be uninhabitable!

Then we'll have to take them to Pala!And there are already too many mosquitoes, says Manoel! The raft did not even spend the night here, but left the shore and re-entered the channel. Starting from Loreto, the Amazon River begins to bend slightly to the southeast, flowing between the islands of Álava, Guyari, and Urugata.Large rafts navigate the black waters of the Gajaro mixed with the white waters of the Amazon.On the night of June 23, after passing the Gayaru, a tributary of the river on the left bank, the raft drifted peacefully along a large island called Yauma. The setting sun in the sea of ​​mist in the sky heralds another good night.And this kind of tropical beautiful night is not found in the temperate zone. A breeze blows, and the heat suddenly disappears.The moon will soon appear in the starry sky for a few hours, and it will replace the twilight that is absent in lower latitudes.In the darker period before the moon rose, the stars were already twinkling in the sky, their light was extremely bright.The vast Amazon plain stretches as far as the eye can see, like an ocean. At the end of the eight-trillion-kilometer-long axis of the sky, the northern region is the unique diamond-like North Star, and the south is shining with the four bright stars of the Southern Cross.

On the left bank of the river and on Yauma Island, clusters of trees shrouded in night can be faintly seen.One can recognize these trees only by their vague outlines.There is the tall Cuban balsam tree, whose crown is like a parasol; Domi's Venatico tree, its canopy trembles slightly in the wind whenever there is a slight breeze.Yes, what a hymn we can rightly praise the Amazon forest!Or we may add, what a paean to this fine tropical evening! Listen, the birds are singing their last evening song.The pontivis hang their nests on the reeds on the bank; a partridge called Niambu can sing four notes, and its melodious song is often imitated by other birds; , the chirping of the kingfisher seemed to be a signal to respond to the last call of the same kind; The feathers look a little dull.

On the big raft, everyone began to rest.Only the navigator was still standing at the bow, and his tall figure was faintly visible in the night.The oarsmen on duty on the raft carry wormwood on their shoulders, reminiscent of a Tatar cavalry camp.The Brazilian flag hangs on the top of the flagpole at the front of the raft, but the gentle evening wind can no longer blow the tulle. At eight o'clock in the evening three bells for Vespers were heard from the bell tower of the chapel, and then the second and third sets of bells rang.Then people ended the study of Hail Mary amidst more rapid bells. The whole family is still sitting on the porch breathing in the fresh air after a long day in June.This is how they spend every night.As for Joam.Galar, who always listened silently to what was said, while the young men chatted happily until they went to bed. oh!Our beautiful river!Our majestic Amazon!Mina sighed.Her passion for this beautiful river has never waned. Yes, this is an incomparable river!Manoel chimed in, and I finally saw it in all its beauty!We are now swimming down the river like Ohrana and Lagondamina were centuries ago.I could never be more amazed by the fantastic descriptions they did! But some are fabricated!Benito countered. elder brother!Mina said seriously, you are not allowed to speak ill of our Amazon River! This is not slander, my little sister, it is just a reminder that the Amazon has its own legends too! Yes, it is true, it has a legend, but it is a very beautiful legend!Mina replied. What legend?asked Manoel. I must confess that these legends have not yet reached Pala!Or, at least I haven't heard of it. So, what did you learn at the middle school in Belém?Mina asked with a smile. I came to realize that I didn't learn anything there!Manoel replied. What!The lovely Mina went on with a very serious look, sir, have you not heard such a legend?There is a giant snake named Minogao who visits the Amazon River from time to time.As it comes or leaves, the volume of the Amazon increases or decreases.Because it is really too big! But have you ever come across this unusual giant snake?asked Manoel. Unfortunately!No.Lina replied. what a pity!Fragoso felt that such a sentence should be added. There is also a legend about Medagar.Mina went on to say, This is a beautiful and terrible woman, her eyes can suck all those daredevils who stare at her to the bottom of the river! ah!Medagar is a real person!exclaimed the innocent Lina, and it was even said that she was often seen on the shore!However, she is like a water god, as soon as people get close to her, she disappears! Well then, Lina, Benito said, the next time you see her, come and let me know! Let her catch you and drag you to the bottom?Oh never!Monsieur Benito! Only Lina would believe it!Mina sighed. Then there are still many people who believe in the legend about the trunk of Manao!Fragoso broke in.He was always ready to step in to help Lina. Manao trunk?Manoel asked, what kind of legend is this? Monsieur Manoel, replied Fragoso with a comical seriousness, that once upon a time there was a trunk of a Turuma tree which, at the same time of year, regularly shoved the Negro Down the river, after a few days in Manao along the way, we headed to Pala.It stops at all the ports, and the native Indians decorate it devoutly with small flags.After arriving in Belém, it rested for a while, then returned along the road, went up the Amazon River, then reached the Negro River, and finally returned to the mysterious forest from which it started.One day, people want to drag it to land.As a result, the angry river began to rise, and people had to give up the idea.Another time, a captain grabbed it and tried to haul it away.This time, the angry river broke the boat's cable, and the tree trunk miraculously escaped again! So what happened to it?asked the young biracial girl. Mademoiselle Lina, replied Fragoso, on his last trip he seemed to have lost his way, and instead of going up the Rio Negro, he went all the way down the Amazon, and since then no one has ever seen him again. Never seen it! oh!How nice it would be if we could touch it!cried Lina. If we meet, Benito said, we will let you sit on it and let it take you to the mysterious forest, and then you too can become the legendary water god! why not?replied the crazy Lina. So many legends!Manoel took over the topic, I have to admit that your great river is indeed worthy of so many legends, and besides, there are many true stories about the great river.I know one, and it's a sad story.I thought, if I wasn't afraid that you would be sad, I would tell you! oh!Speak!Monsieur Manoel!Lina exclaimed, I like the stories that make people cry best! You will cry, Lina.Benito said. Yes, Monsieur Benito!But I will laugh and cry! Oh well!Tell us the story!Manoel. This is the story of a French woman.In the eighteenth century, her story has been circulating on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. We listen to you.Mina said. Well, let me start. Manoel said that in 1741, two French scholars, Burgo and Lagondamina, were sent here to measure the latitude and longitude of an area south of the equator.There was also a very distinguished astronomer, Gordon.Made Daunai.Gordon did not come to this new land alone.He was accompanied by his young wife, children, father-in-law and brother-in-law. When they arrived at Keto, everyone was still in good health.But it was from here that Mrs. Downey experienced a series of misfortunes: within a few months, she lost several children. At the end of 1759, when GordonAfter Donnay finished his mission, he had to leave Kito and go to Cayena to work.After he settled down, he very much hoped that his family could also come to Cayena.But at this moment, war broke out.Therefore, he could only apply to the Portuguese government to issue a pass to Mrs. Donnay and her family. Will people believe him?Several years have passed, but the pass has not yet been issued. In 1765, a desperate GordonMr. Daunai, the agent, decided to go up the Amazon River and return to Kito to find his wife.However, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly fell ill.As a result, he will not be able to put his plan into action. However, all the efforts were not in vain.One day, Mrs. Donnai finally learned that the King of Portugal not only granted her a pass, but also prepared a boat for her so that she could go down the river to reunite with her husband.In addition, the king sent a team to wait for her at the mission station in the upper Amazon. Mrs. Downey was a woman of extraordinary courage.You'll find out after a while.Despite the dangers of this journey across the continent, she set off without hesitation. This is her duty as a wife, Manoel, said Yaquita, and I would do as she does! Manoel went on, and Madame Donnay took her cousin, her children, and a French doctor to the Bomba, south of Quito.They had to get to the mission station on the Brazilian border because the boat and the escort were there. At first, the trip went relatively smoothly.They sailed in a small boat on a tributary of the Amazon River.When they reached an area endemic to smallpox, however, the difficulties increased with the danger and fatigue.At the beginning, there were several guides who showed them the way, but they all left after a few days.And the last faithful guide drowned in the Bobonazza River trying to save the French doctor. Soon, the boat was also damaged by rocks and drifting tree trunks in the river, and could not be used anymore.So, everyone had to go back to the land, and at the edge of an inaccessible forest, they made do with a few thatched huts.The doctor proposes to go with a black man (who has been faithfully following Mrs. Donnay the substitute) to scout the way.Everyone waited for them for days but it was in vain!They never came back. However, the food was all gone.Those who remained tried unsuccessfully to travel down the Poponazza on a raft.They had to go back to the forest.Now, they can only walk through these almost impassable dense forests! It was exhausting for these poor souls!One by one, they fell ill despite the loving care of the brave Mrs. Donnay.A few days later, the children, several relatives, and the servants all died one after another! oh!Poor woman!Lina sighed. Now there was only Mrs. Donnay left alone, Manoel continued to preach, and she was still four thousand kilometers away from the waters that must be reached!She was no longer a mother on the road who had lost her children and buried them with her own hands!Now she's just a wife who wants to be reunited with her husband! She traveled day and night.Finally one day, she found the Poponaza River again!There she was welcomed by well-meaning Indians.They were the ones who took her to the mission station where the escort was waiting! However, she got there alone.How many graves have been left along the way! Later, Madame Donnay arrived at the very spot where Lorreto had been passing a few days ago.She traveled down the Amazon from this tiny Peruvian village, just like we do now.Finally, after nineteen years of separation, she finally saw her husband again! Poor woman!Mina sighed. She is a poor mother!Yaquita said. At this time, the navigator Aroruo came to the stern and reported: Joam.Mr. Galar, we have arrived at Rund Island!We're about to cross the border! border!Joam murmured. He stood up, walked to the edge of the big raft, and gazed for a long time at the isle of Rund.The current lapped the island.Then, he put his hand on his forehead, as if trying to banish some memory. border!He couldn't help lowering his head and talking to himself. After a while, he raised his head again, with a resolute expression on his face, like a person who has decided to do his duty to the end.