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Cornugaya Directory 07
Page 08
On January 14th we went over the whirlpool of Marques, a most picturesque
sight. On the banks of the river was plenty of rubber, _hevea_, but not
of quite such good quality as that found in Brazil. Some of the trees
exuded white and some yellow latex, the coloration being probably due to
the quality of the soil. There were few habitations along the banks of
the Pachitea River. There were tribes of the Campas (or Antis) and
Cashibos Indians, the members of both races having marked Malay
characteristics. Occasionally one met extraordinary people in those
out-of-the-way regions. When we halted for wood, which we used instead of
coal for our engine, a man some six feet four inches in height came on
board--quite an extraordinary-looking person. To my amazement, when I
spoke to him, he turned out to be a man of refined taste and quite highly
educated. He was a Hungarian count and an officer in the Austrian army,
who, having got into trouble in his own country, had gone to settle
there.
We saw large families of _ciancias_--beautiful birds with velvety black
bodies speckled with white, and fan tails of rich brown colour, feathers
of the same colour being also on the outer half of the wings. They
possessed slender, most elegant necks, small brown-crested heads, and
light yellow chests. Seen at a distance they were not, in shape, unlike
pheasants. Twenty or thirty together at a time could be seen playing
among the lower branches of the trees along the edge of the river. Then
there were small birds of a beautiful metallic blue-black, with very long
tails; these latter were innumerable near the water.
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