Chapter 40 Chapter 20 The Lower Amazon

Now, what to say about the second phase of this Amazon journey?It was a sweet day for this righteous family.Joam.Dacosta was born again, and the whole family was smiling. Sailing faster, because it is still high water season, the water is very strong.The small villages Madhuri and Dun on the left bank of the river.Hezi, the estuary of the Madeira River on the right bank is left behind. Madeira means wooden rafts in Portuguese. There are often rows of dead tree trunks or rafts made of green tree trunks in the river, flowing downstream from Bolivia. Hence, Madeira got its name.Before the Madeira River flows through the small village of Selba in the Kanini Islands, the small island here is really a treasure trove of palm trees. Built on a stretch of yellow sand.

Sierf Village, located on the left bank of the Amazon River, is an important pine wood distribution center in the province.The town of Beira was quickly left behind by the big raft.The big raft passed the village of Faro and the famous Namendas River. In 1539, Ohrana claimed to have been attacked by female soldiers on this river, but since then, no one has encountered those female soldiers. This legend is enough to show that the immortal name of the River of Female Soldiers has a long history [Note: The word Amazon comes from the female warrior (in Greek mythology). 】. So much for Negros.The jurisdiction of Pala began here. On September 22, the family passed through a magnificent canyon that surprised them and came to the land of the Brazilian Empire facing the Atlantic Ocean in the east.

It's beautiful here!Mina was full of praise. It's so long!Manoel murmured. how beautiful!Lina also said. When will we get there!Fragoso whispered. Everyone has an idea, how can we make them unify!But after all, time passed slowly in a joyous atmosphere, and Benito was neither patient nor impatient, and he had completely recovered his good temper. Soon, the big raft rowed among the endless dark green cocoa bushes, from Obidos to Monte.In the town of Allegor, there are developers' huts on both banks, with yellow thatched roofs or red tiled roofs and green cocoa trees. Then, the boat sailed to the mouth of the Netronbetas River, where the houses of Óbidos stood beside the dark river, which looked like a small town, even a downtown.The streets in the city are wide, and there are rows of beautiful houses on both sides.The small town is a distribution center for cocoa products, only one hundred and eighty miles from Belém.

Then came the Tapajoz, a tributary of gray-green water that meanders from the southwest; then Santarém, a wealthy town with no fewer than five thousand inhabitants, mostly Indians.The town's front row houses are built on a wide stretch of white river beach. After the big raft departed from Manao, it went straight down the Amazon River. There were not many boats on the river along the way, so the boats did not stop.The big raft was steered by the alert helmsman, and it traveled day and night to move forward.It is neither for tourists to play in mountains and rivers, nor for business, so it keeps going, and soon it is getting closer and closer to the destination.

After passing Alengay on the left bank, the sight suddenly opened up and the scenery was completely new.There are no forest barriers blocking the line of sight on both sides. The first thing that catches the eye is the rolling hills. Behind the hills are the majestic mountains. A mountain peak is looming and reflected in the distant sky. Neither Yaquita, Mina, Lina, nor the old Siebel have ever seen such a beautiful scene! Manoel's home is within the jurisdiction of this province of Pará.What kind of mountains are on both sides of this gradually narrowing river valley, he can name them like a few treasures.

On the right, he said, in a semicircle to the south was Mount Paluakata!On the left is Kourula Mountain, and we will pass the last few ridges of it in a while! So it's almost here?Fragoso asked again. Coming!Manoel replied. The two fiancés probably knew each other tacitly, because when they asked and answered each other, they nodded at each other, the meaning of which was unknown to others. Although from Óbidos, it began to feel that the tide was rising and the raft moved slowly, it finally passed Monte.The town of Allegor, then the town of Paronna at Ondero, and then the mouth of the Xingu estuary, frequented by the Indians of Urumas, where the chief industry was the supply of the heads of their enemies for the Natural History Museum.

How wide the Amazon becomes here!People can feel that the king of the river is about to open the mouth of the river not far ahead, becoming as vast as the sea!The river beach is covered with weeds up to eight or nine feet high, and beside the beach is a reed swamp in Port Moss, Boa.Vis Harbor, the fading Gurupa, soon disappeared behind the great raft as a few tiny black dots. Here the Amazon River divides into two streams to the Atlantic Ocean: one to the northeast and one to the east, and the island of Marajo is formed in the middle of the two streams.In fact, the island is a whole province, no less than one hundred and eighty guli [Note: French gouri (about four kilometers). 】.The island is full of swamps and rivers, with a prairie in the east and a large forest in the west. The natural conditions here are very favorable for animal husbandry, with tens of thousands of livestock.

The massive Marajo Dam is a natural barrier that splits the Amazon River in two before it empties into the sea.If the big raft had followed the upper tributary, it would have come to an estuary fifty miles wide after passing the islands of Cavia and Messiana; In the first three days of the fifteenth day, it took less than six hours and only two minutes to make the river surge from the lowest level to twelve to fifteen feet. So, of all the tsunamis in the world, it was one of the scariest.Fortunately, the lower tributary, known as the Bleve Canal, is a natural tributary of the province of Pará, and its tides rise so regularly that such a terrible phenomenon will not occur.The Aloro Sailor knows this all too well.So he took this tributary.The big raft travels through the middle of the beautiful forest, along several small islands covered with thick palm trees.The weather is fine, so don't worry about any wind and waves. You must know that the Bryve Canal is sometimes hit by strong winds and waves.

A few days later the great raft passed the village of Bly, which, after 1845, was a town of a hundred houses, although it stood on land that was flooded for many months of the year. .In this place where the Tabuas often come and go, more and more Indians and whites are mixed in the lower reaches of the Amazon, and this Indian race will eventually be assimilated. The big raft has been going down the water.For a while, I encountered those mangrove roots stretching in the water like huge crab claws, and the raft risked being caught, passing through the intertwined roots; for a while, those mangroves with smooth trunks and pale green leaves It has become the fulcrum of the boatman's pole, propping the boat down the water.

Then there is the mouth of the Toconstan River, where the waters of the major rivers in the province of Goias flow into this place and merge with the Amazon River to form a large estuary, followed by Moyo.Santa.Graceful town. The scenery on the west bank moves majesticly, without stopping, as if by some mysterious mechanism, it moves slowly from downstream to upstream. There are more boats going down the river here, Brazilian canoes and various boats, all kinds of canoes in Africa, and small and medium-sized sailing boats along the Amazon River and the Atlantic coast, driving on the west side of the big raft, like a small boat Like escorting a huge battleship.

Finally, on the left bank, there was the Santa Maria of Belém in the province of Pará.Port Maria.I saw rows of beautiful white buildings in the city, the monastery hidden among the palm trees, the Catholic Church and the bell tower of Notre Dame de Mersett, and there are commercial routes between here and the old continent. The hearts of the passengers on the raft were beating wildly, and they reached at last the end of their journey, which they had once thought they would never reach.When Joam.When Da Costa was captured, they were forced to stay in Manao, that is to say, landed on the way, and where did they expect to see the capital of the province of Para? Four and a half months after leaving Iquitos Manor on October 15th, at the sharp bend in the river, the city of Belem appeared before their eyes. The news of the great raft's arrival had been spread for days.The whole town knew Joam.Da Costa's story.Everyone was waiting for him, for this upright man!He and his family will be welcomed with the greatest enthusiasm! Hundreds of boats came to welcome the owner of the manor, and in an instant, the big raft was full of people, and everyone came to celebrate the return of the compatriots who had been living abroad for many years.It is more fair to say that tens of thousands of curious people crowded into this floating village before the big raft was stabilized; fortunately, the big raft was large and strong enough to accommodate the entire population of the city. In one of the first of these passing boats sat Mrs. Valdès.Manoel's mother was finally able to hold in her arms the new daughter-in-law Manoel had chosen for her, even though the old lady hadn't been able to go to Iquitos, hadn't the Amazon brought her a piece of estate and Her new addition to the family? Before evening, the helmsman Aloruo moored the big raft firmly in the depths of a small river bend, behind the sharp corner of the boat yard.The big raft has drifted on the Brazilian waterway for eight hundred miles, and this should be its last anchorage and final berth.Here, the Indian boat sheds on the big raft, the small huts of the blacks and the cargo holds where valuable goods are piled up will be dismantled little by little, and then the cabins hidden in a lush foliage and flowers will also disappear, and finally the small church , at this moment, the simple bells inside are ringing non-stop with the magnificent bells of the cathedrals in Belem. But before that, there will be a great ceremony on the great raft: the wedding of Manoel and Mina, Lina and Fragoso.The happy union of the two couples will be presided over by Father Passana.The bride and groom are to receive their betrothal blessing from him in that chapel. If the church is too small to accommodate the Dacosta family, isn’t there a big raft, enough to accommodate all those who are willing to attend the wedding, the wedding is so sensational, if the big raft is not enough, there are many on the wide banks of the Amazon River Stone steps, can't they be used to receive those enthusiastic people?They are eager to congratulate the man who has become a modern hero because he has avenged his grievances! On the third day, October 16, a grand wedding was held. On this day, the weather was sunny and sunny, just after ten o'clock in the morning, the big raft ushered in the wedding crowd.On the banks of the river, almost the entire population of the city gathered there in festive attire.On the river, boats full of guests rely on large rafts and line up to the left bank of the river. There are boats everywhere on the river, but the surging water of the Amazon River is completely absent. The first strike of the chapel bell was a signal of jubilation to the ears and eyes of the people.All of a sudden, the bells of the churches in Belem rang everywhere, echoing the bells on the big raft.All the ships in the port were covered with colorful flags, hanging straight to the top of the mast, and foreign ships also raised their national flags to salute the Brazilian flag.From all directions, gunshots were fired, and thousands of people cheered loudly, almost drowning out the gunshots! At this moment, the D'Acosta family walked out of the cabin and walked through the crowd to the chapel. Joam.Da Costa received a burst of intoxicated applause.He held out his arm, and Mrs. Valdez took his.Yaquita held the Governor of Belem on his arm. Accompanied by the young military doctor's companions, the Governor came to the wedding ceremony in person.Manoel walks beside Mina, all the more charming in her bridal attire; Fragoso walks behind, on the arm of the radiant Lina; and finally Benito, old Siebel and all Among the welcoming crowd, the domestic servant followed the two couples. Father Passana was waiting for the bride and groom at the door of the chapel.The ceremony was very simple, once for Joam.Dacosta and Yaquita raised their blessed hands again, and blessed their child with marriage. Such happiness should not be spoiled by the melancholy of long separation. Indeed, Manoel.Valdès will soon resign his post and go to Iquitos to reunite with his wife's family. Isn't it a very beneficial occupation to be a doctor there and treat the people? Of course the Fragosos don't hesitate to follow their masters, or more properly, their friends. Mrs. Valdès did not want to be separated from these honest people; she made a condition that they should come to see her often in Belem. It couldn't be easier.Isn't there the great river Amazon as a link between Iquitos and Belem?This bond will never be broken.For, in a few days' time, the first large steamer would begin to make regular express voyages, which would take him a week to reach the upper Amazon, and it would take months for the rafts to go down the river. Benito's big business deal went well.The big rafts, the big wooden rafts made from the great woods of Iquitos, were sold out in no time. A month later, the manor and his wife, son, Manoel and Mina.Valdez, Lina, and Fragoso boarded a large Amazonian steamer to return to the Iquitos estate, where Benito would take over the entire estate. Joam.Da Costa was very proud when he went back this time. He took his family across the border of Brazil happily! And Fragoso, I don’t know how many times a day he has to say: Um!If not for that vine! In the end, he even used this beautiful name to call the half-breed girl, who also had a deep affection for the honest young man and thought it was a good name.The difference is only one letter [Note: Lina is Lina, and Vine is Liane, the difference between the two words is only one letter, and the pronunciation is similar. ], said Fragoso.Isn't Lina the same as Liana? (End of the book)