Around and about South America (1895) (14590201760)

Identifier: aroundaboutsouth00vinc (find matches)
Title: Around and about South America
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Vincent, Frank, 1848- (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton & company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



Text Appearing Before Image:
we arein the Para River, we generally have a sky and water hori-zon, both before and behind us. In fact, a special and veryappropriate name is given to a part of the river here—name-ly, the Bay of Marajo. We pass the wide mouth of theTocantins River. The land is so low that on either side youdiscover only slight fringes of verdure. At night we stopfor half an hour at the little town of Breves, on the Island ofMarajo, and from here, until we near the mouth of theXingu, we are in channels of about half a mile in width.Going on deck early the next morning, I obtained severalextended vistas between the islands, and away out toward themain river. A few small schooners with odd masts and sailswere observed. There do not seem to be any villages alongthis part of the river, but occasionally large, isolated huts, ofpalm-leaf sides and roof, and a few dug-out canoes, drawn upin the slime and floating debris, are noticed. The river is ofa thick, muddy hue, though, when the water is allowed to
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AN EQUATORIAL EMPORIUM. 353 settle, it becomes comparatively clear. Huge earthenwarejars of it are stationed about our decks for ever-thirsty pas-sengers. The current is strong—three or four miles an hour—and carries along fruits, stalks, huge logs, and a great manylarge islands of grass and reeds, like those in the ParaguayRiver to which I have heretofore alluded, save that heremany of them were forty or fifty feet square. As we nearedthe mouths of the Xingu, the forest, on the south shore, be-came indescribably grand and beautiful. It comes directlyto the edge of the water, and is faced with great masses ofreeds and other aquatic plants. Sitting at your ease in com-fortable extension-chairs, or reclining in your hammock,you may enjoy a panorama unequaled throughout the world.I have never anywhere seen such magnificent native woods.I had thought that some of the previous voyagers on theAmazon had exaggerated, that they had colored their accountstoo highly; and that, being special