The guests of the fazender took leave of the Garral family toward the
evening, and the following morning, that of the 3d of July, the
jangada recommenced its descent of the river.
At noon they passed on the left the mouth of the Yacurupa. This
tributary, properly speaking, is a true canal, for it discharges its
waters into the Iça, which is itself an affluent of the Amazon.
A peculiar phenomenon, for the river displaces itself to feed its own
tributaries!
Toward three o’clock in the afternoon the giant raft passed the mouth
of the Jandiatuba, which brings its magnificent black waters from the
southwest, and discharges them into the main artery by a mouth of
four hundred meters in extent, after having watered the territories
of the Culino Indians.
A number of islands were breasted–Pimaicaira, Caturia, Chico,
Motachina; some inhabited, others deserted, but all covered with
superb vegetation, which forms an unbroken garland of green from one
end of the Amazon to the other.
CHAPTER XV
THE CONTINUED DESCENT
ON THE EVENING of the 5th of July, the atmosphere had been oppressive
since the morning and threatened approaching storms. Large bats of
ruddy color skimmed with their huge wings the current of the Amazon.
Among them could be distinguished the _”perros voladors,”_ somber
brown above and light-colored beneath, for which Minha, and
particularly the young mulatto, felt an instinctive aversion.
These were, in fact, the horrible vampires which suck the blood of
the cattle, and even attack man if he is imprudent enough to sleep
out in the fields.
“Oh, the dreadful creatures!” cried Lina, hiding her eyes; “they fill
me with horror!”
“And they are really formidable,” added Minha; “are they not,
Manoel?”
“To be sure–very formidable,” answered he. “These vampires have a
particular instinct which leads them to bleed you in the places where
the blood most easily comes, and principally behind the ear. During
the operation the continue to move their wings, and cause an
agreeable freshness which renders the sleep of the sleeper more
profound. They tell of people, unconsciously submitted to this
hemorrhage for many hours, who have never awoke!”
“Talk no more of things like that, Manoel,” said Yaquita, “or neither
Minha nor Lina will dare sleep to-night.”
“Never fear!” replied Manoel; “if necessary we will watch over them
as they sleep.”
“Silence!” said Benito.
“What is the matter?” asked Manoel.
“Do you not hear a very curious noise on that side?” continued
Benito, pointing to the right bank.
“Certainly,” answered Yaquita.
“What causes the noise?” asked Minha. “One would think it was shingle
rolling on the beach of the islands.”
“Good! I know what it is,” answered Benito. “Tomorrow, at daybreak,
there will be a rare treat for those who like fresh turtle eggs and
little turtles!”
He was not deceived; the noise was produced by innumerable chelonians
of all sizes, who were attracted to the islands to lay their eggs.
It is in the sand of the beach that these amphibians choose the most
convenient places to deposit their eggs. The operation commences with
sunset and finishes with the dawn.
At this moment the chief turtle had left the bed of the river to
reconnoiter for a favorable spot; the others, collected in thousands,
were soon after occupied in digging with their hind paddles a trench
six hundred feet long, a dozen wide, and six deep. After laying their
eggs they cover them with a bed of sand, which they beat down with
their carapaces as if they were rammers.
This egg-laying operation is a grand affair for the riverine Indians
of the Amazon and its tributaries. They watch for the arrival of the
chelonians, and proceed to the extraction of the eggs to the sound of
the drum; and the harvest is divided into three parts–one to the
watchers, another to the Indians, a third to the state, represented
by the captains of the shore, who, in their capacity of police, have
to superintend the collection of the dues. To certain beaches which
the decrease of the waters has left uncovered, and which have the
privilege of attracting the greater number of turtles, there has been
given the name of “royal beaches.” When the harvest is gathered it is