My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

'IN THE AMAZON VALLEY 157her average being two or three, so that we have hada most tedious time of it, and even now cannot calculatewith any certainty as to when we shall arrive.Besides this, she was rather short of provisions, andas our arrival exactly doubled her crew, we wereall obliged to be put on strict allowance of bread,meat, and water. A little ham and butter of thecaptain's were soon used up, and we have been nowfor some time on the poorest of fare. We have nosuet, butter, or raisins with which to make * duff,' oreven molasses, and barely enough sugar to sweetenour tea or coffee, which we take with dry, coarsebiscuit, and for dinner, beef or pork of the very worstquality I have ever eaten or even imagined toexist.This, repeated day after day without any variation,beats even Rio Negro fare, rough though it often was.About a week after we were picked up we spoke andboarded an outward-bound ship, and got from hersome biscuits, a few potatoes, and some salt cod,which were a great improvement, but did not lastlong. We have also occasionally caught some dolphinand a few fish resembling the acarras of the RioNegro ; but for some time now we had seen none, sothat I am looking forward to the * flesh-pots of Egyptwith asmuch pleasure as when we were luxuriatingdaily on farinha and * fiel amigo.' ^ While we were inthe boats we had generally fine weather, though witha few days and nights squally and with a heavy sea,which made me often tremble for our safety, as weheeled over till the water poured in over the boat'sside. We had almost despaired of seeing any vessel,our circle of vision being so limited ; but we had great* This was the name given by our kind host, Seilor Henrique, atBarra to dried pirarucu, meaning " faithful friend," always at handwhen other food failed.