you. Minha, Benito, Manoel, all ask this favor, that we should
accompany them. We would all rather have the wedding at Belem than at
Iquitos. It will be better for your daughter, for her establishment,
for the position which she will take at Belem, that she should arrive
with her people, and appear less of a stranger in the town in which
she will spend most of her life.”
Joam Garral leaned on his elbows. For a moment he hid his face in his
hands, like a man who had to collect his thoughts before he made
answer. There was evidently some hesitation which he was anxious to
overcome, even some trouble which his wife felt but could not
explain. A secret battle was being fought under that thoughtful brow.
Yaquita got anxious, and almost reproached herself for raising the
question. Anyhow, she was resigned to what Joam should decide. If the
expedition would cost too much, she would silence her wishes; she
would never more speak of leaving the fazenda, and never ask the
reason for the inexplicable refusal.
Some minutes passed. Joam Garral rose. He went to the door, and did
not return. Then he seemed to give a last look on that glorious
nature, on that corner of the world where for twenty years of his
life he had met with all his happiness.
Then with slow steps he returned to his wife. His face bore a new
expression, that of a man who had taken a last decision, and with
whom irresolution had ceased.
“You are right,” he said, in a firm voice. “The journey is necessary.
When shall we start?”
“Ah! Joam! my Joam!” cried Yaquita, in her joy. “Thank you for me!
Thank you for them!”
And tears of affection came to her eyes as her husband clasped her to
his heart.
At this moment happy voices were heard outside at the door of the
house.
Manoel and Benito appeared an instant after at the threshold, almost
at the same moment as Minha entered the room.
“Children! your father consents!” cried Yaquita. “We are going to
Belem!”
With a grave face, and without speaking a word, Joam Garral received
the congratulations of his son and the kisses of his daughter.
“And what date, father,” asked Benito, “have you fixed for the
wedding?”
“Date?” answered Joam. “Date? We shall see. We will fix it at Belem.”
“I am so happy! I am so happy!” repeated Minha, as she had done on
the day when she had first known of Manoel’s request. “We shall now
see the Amazon in all its glory throughout its course through the
provinces of Brazil! Thanks, father!”
And the young enthusiast, whose imagination was already stirred,
continued to her brother and to Manoel:
“Let us be off to the library! Let us get hold of every book and
every map that we can find which will tell us anything about this
magnificent river system! Don’t let us travel like blind folks! I
want to see everything and know everything about this king of the
rivers of the earth!”
CHAPTER V
THE AMAZON
“THE LARGEST river in the whole world!” said Benito to Manoel Valdez,
on the morrow.
They were sitting on the bank which formed the southern boundary of
the fazenda, and looking at the liquid molecules passing slowly by,
which, coming from the enormous range of the Andes, were on their
road to lose themselves in the Atlantic Ocean eight hundred leagues
away.
“And the river which carries to the sea the largest volume of water,”
replied Manoel.
“A volume so considerable,” added Benito, “that it freshens the sea
water for an immense distance from its mouth, and the force of whose
current is felt by ships at eight leagues from the coast.”
“A river whose course is developed over more than thirty degrees of
latitude.”
“And in a basin which from south to north does not comprise less than
twenty-five degrees.”
“A basin!” exclaimed Benito. “Can you call it a basin, the vast plain
through which it runs, the savannah which on all sides stretches out
of sight, without a hill to give a gradient, without a mountain to
bound the horizon?”