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462
NOTES OF A BOTANIST
southward of it, above the Rio Negro, and some-
where between the rivers Coari and Teffe. In the
very year of Orellana's encounter with the Amazons
(1541), Cabeza de Vega headed an expedition which
ascended the Plata and the Paraguay in search of
gold. From the latter river he sent Hernando cle
Ribeiro ahead, in a brigantine, with fifty-two men,
to explore the lake of Xarayes, a large tract ol
country periodically inundated, lying to eastward of
what was afterwards the Province of Moxos. From
the Xarayes Indians Ribeiro received information
of the Amazons, whose country he was told lay two
months' journey to the northward ; and, disregard-
that it
ing the warning of the chief of the Xarayes,
would be impracticable to traverse the forests at that
season of floods, he and his party proceeded on foot
for eight days, with the water up to their middle.
This brought them to another nation, the Siberis ;
and a journey thence of nine days (the first four
being still wading through the water)
to the nation
of Urtueses, who told them there was yet a month's
journey to the Amazons, with much flooded ground
to traverse. From this point they were compelled
to regress by their provisions giving out and the
;
plantations of the Urtueses having been devastated
for two successive years by some insect, no more
food was to be had ;
but
those Indians reiterated
the assurance of the existence of a nation of women,
governed by a woman, and possessing plenty of
both white and yellow metal, their seats and utensils
being made of them. They
lived on the western
(eastern ?) side of a large lake, which they called the
Mansion of the Sun, because the sun sank into it
(Southey's History of Brazil, pp. 156-159).