d the mouths of
the Purus.

This is another of the large affluents of the Amazon, and seems to
possess a navigable course, even for large ships, of over five hundred
leagues. It rises in the southwest, and measures nearly five thousand
feet across at its junction with the main river. After winding beneath
the shade of ficuses, tahuaris, nipa palms, and cecropias, it enters the
Amazon by five mouths.

Hereabouts Araujo the pilot managed with great ease. The course of the
river was but slightly obstructed with islands, and besides, from one
bank to another its width is about two leagues.

The current, too, took along the jangada more steadily, and on the 18th
of August it stopped at the village of Pasquero to pass the night.

The sun was already low on the horizon, and with the rapidity peculiar
to these low latitudes, was about to set vertically, like an enormous
meteor.

Joam Garral and his wife, Lina, and old Cybele, were in front of the
house.

Torres, after having for an instant turned toward Joam as if he would
speak to him, and prevented perhaps by the arrival of Padre Passanha,
who had come to bid the family good-night, had gone back to his cabin.

The Indians and the negroes were at their quarters along the sides.
Araujo, seated at the bow, was watching the current which extended
straight away in front of him.

Manoel and Benito, with their eyes open, but chatting and smoking
with apparent indifference, walked about the central part of the craft
awaiting the hour of repose.

All at once Manoel stopped Benito with his hand and said:

"What a queer smell! Am I wrong? Do you not notice it?"

"One would say that it was the odor of burning musk!" replied Benito.
"There ought to be some alligators asleep on the neighboring beach!"

"Well, nature has done wisely in allowing them so to betray themselves."

"Yes," said Benito, "it is fortunate, for they are sufficiently
formidable creatures!"

Often at the close of the day these saurians love to stretch themselves
on the shore, and install themselves comfortably there to pass the
night. Crouched at the opening of a hole, into which they have crept
back, they sleep with the mouth open, the upper jaw perpendicularly
erect, so as to lie in wait for their prey. To these amphibians it
is but sport to launch themselves in its pursuit, either by swimming
through the waters propelled by their tails or running along the bank
with a speed no man can equal.

It i