r house and moved through the
crowd toward the little chapel. Joam was received with absolutely
frantic applause. He gave his arm to Madame Valdez; Yaquita was escorted
by the governor of Belem, who, accompanied by the friends of the young
army surgeon, had expressed a wish to honor the ceremony with
his presence. Manoel walked by the side of Minha, who looked most
fascinating in her bride's costume, and then came Fragoso, holding the
hand of Lina, who seemed quite radiant with joy. Then followed Benito,
then old Cybele and the servants of the worthy family between the double
ranks of the crew of the jangada.

Padre Passanha awaited the two couples at the entrance of the chapel.
The ceremony was very simple, and the same bands which had formerly
blessed Joam and Yaquita were again stretched forth to give the nuptial
benediction to their child.

So much happiness was not likely to be interrupted by the sorrow of
long separation. In fact, Manoel Valdez almost immediately sent in his
resignation, so as to join the family at Iquitos, where he is still
following the profession of a country doctor.

Naturally the Fragosos did not hesitate to go back with those who were
to them friends rather than masters.

Madame Valdez had no desire to separate so happy a group, but she
insisted on one thing, and that was that they should often come and see
her at Belem. Nothing could be easier. Was not the mighty river a bond
of communication between Belem and Iquitos? In a few days the first mail
steamer was to begin a regular and rapid service, and it would then only
take a week to ascend the Amazon, on which it had taken the giant raft
so many months to drift. The important commercial negotiations, ably
managed by Benito, were carried through under the best of conditions,
and soon of what had formed this jangada--that is to say, the huge raft
of timber constructed from an entire forest at Iquitos--there remained
not a trace.

A month afterward the fazender, his wife, his son, Manoel and Minha
Valdez, Lina and Fragoso, departed by one of the Amazon steamers for
the immense establishment at Iquitos of which Benito was to take the
management.

Joam Dacosta re-entered his home with his head erect, and it was indeed
a family of happy hearts which he brought back with him from beyond the
Brazilian frontier. As for Fragoso, twenty times a day was he heard to
repeat, "What! without the liana?" and he wound up by bestowing the name
on the