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return that I supposed would be inevitable. The Peruvian comissário , resolute in this attitude since
we left Manaus, maintained his usual position: we wouldn't be able to cross the varadouros . But in
contrast to what I thought, the navigation neither improved nor worsened. The Purús did not appear
to have lost a tributary after the port of Curanja. It varied little in its width, maintained the same
depth,and,inexplicably,increaseditsvelocity.OurtraveltoForquilha,wherewearrivedon___,was
achieved in ___days, and this was among the most rapid rates of ascent that had ever been done. The
palpablechangeinclimate—incomparablysuperiortotheregionwehadjustleft—wasnominorcon-
tributiontothedifference.Eventheplaguesofmosquitoes,gnats,andchiggersthathadsotorturedus
downstreamweregone.Thegeneralregimehadatoniceffect—therewerenosuddenchangesintem-
perature nor the heavy humidity that we'd had to endure—so we soon felt invigorated and inspired
forthetrekaheadofus.Unhappily,inthissectionanotherincident threatened thecordiality thatIand
the Peruvian chief had struggled at all costs to maintain.
As you see in the attached drawing, Peruvian outposts dotted the upper reaches of the Curanja.
Some, like Chamboyaco and Cocama, had the air of little villages. I found these places of great in-
terest, and ever since the first one, Sta. Rosa (at the confluence of the Curinaá and the Chandless), I
never lost anopportunity togooutandchat with the unusual people whomIcame upon.Even onthis
point Sr. Buenaño and I differed. He had never gone into a Brazilian outpost, even at the last of these,
Sobral,wheretheowner,atmyrequest,wenttothePeruviancamptoofferSr.Buenañotheuseofhis
house.
Lacking such antipathies, I was inspired on these visits by an eagerness to know this rough and
interesting society. Thus, as I docked at Sta. Cruz, an outpost of the caucheiros (which I show on the
map), I had my first disappointment and noted an animosity entirely discordant with the way I had
beentreatedatotherposts.AsYourExcellencyknows,thePeruvianshaveanalmostmechanicalgen-
tility: they surround recent arrivals with smiles, salutations, flattery, and offerings as though reciting
an old lesson by heart. They have, if you will, an automatic courtesy such that only the imperative
of a powerful sentiment would make them neglect this reflexive habit of pleasing. On this occasion,
whatIhadbeguntonoticeinSta.Cruz,andsawlaterdisgracefullyconfirmed,wastheirincandescent
hatred of Brazilians, which could not be masked even by their skilled gallantry.
Inoteditineverything: thecoolness withwhichweweregreeted, thesullenresponsestoourques-
tions, and even the astronomical prices placed on the most insignificant items for us. On the other
hand, I do the Peruvian comissário the justice of admitting that he acted unintentionally and didn't
know how to mollify this treatment. Having arrived and disembarked before me, they did not show
the same attitude as at Sobral. Hardly had I been presented to the master of the estate than Buenaño
withdrew under the pretext of having ordered the site to be photographed. I determined then not to
go into any Peruvian villages without a preliminary invitation, to avoid further contretemps. Beyond
this, I vowed to exhibit an intentional lapse in courtesy. In the long passage through the Lower and
Middle Purús, Sr. Buenaño never saluted our flag, even in front of the barracks. I decided never to
salute thePeruvian flagsprofuselydisplayed nowatall pointsatthepassage ofthetwocommissions.
We continued on to Sta. Cruz, and following my earlier resolution, we traveled in a way that main-
tained the distance between ourselves and the Peruvian Commission, avoiding the embarrassment of
arriving at a hamlet where they had to stop and Ihad to leave. But this came to pass at the settlements
of] “Independencia” and “Cocama.” Here at Cocama, the Peruvian officer, after a speedy trip, caught
up with me in the evening. Avoiding the hamlet, I proceeded ahead again, only to be joined by the
PeruvianCommissionontheeveningof___andourarrivalattheCampasettlementofCincoReales.
Bothcommissionswerecampedonthebeach,andnothingrevealedtheslightestdisharmony.Atdusk
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