392
THE
GLORIETA
DE
COCUY.
g o i n g t o visit t h e missions o f t h e Rio N e g r o , and e x a m i n e the natural canal which u n i t e s t w o g r e a t s y s t e m s o f rivers. In those desert forests i n s t r u m e n t s had been seen only in t h e hands o f t h e c o m m i s s i o n e r s o f t h e b o u n d a r i e s ; and at t h a t time
the subaltern
agents
of the Portuguese
government
could not c o n c e i v e how a m a n o f sense c o u l d e x p o s e h i m s e l f to the fatigues
of a long journey, " t o
did
not b e l o n g
to h i m . "
my
person,
states.
We
Grand
m e a s u r e lands t h a t
had been issued to seize
m y i n s t r u m e n t s , a n d , a b o v e all, those
of astronomical to
Orders
o b s e r v a t i o n s , so d a n g e r o u s
were to be c o n d u c t e d and t h e n c e
Para,
fortunately
sent
registers
to t h e safety o f
by way o f t h e A m a z o n back
for m e , t h e g o v e r n m e n t
at
to
Lisbon.
Lisbon,
But being
on
informed o f t h e zeal o f its subaltern a g e n t s , instantly gave orders but
that on
that
I should
n o t be d i s t u r b e d
t h e contrary
they should
in m y o p e r a t i o n s ; be e n c o u r a g e d ,
if I
traversed any part o f t h e P o r t u g u e s e p o s s e s s i o n s . In the
going right
down
the
D a r i b a and
t h e G u a i n i a , or Rio N e g r o , y o u pass on
CaĂąo
Eny.
of north latitude, is t h e island o f S a n Josef. that
island, in a spot
orange-trees small the
where
now growing
rock, t w o h u n d r e d missionaries
h o u s e ( f o r such
the CaĂąos
M a l i a p o , and on t h e left
At five leagues d i s t a n c e , nearly
the
there are a g r e a t
wild,
feet
the
in 1° 3 8 '
A little below
traveller
number
of
is s h o w n
a
high, with a cavern called by
Glorieta
de
is t h e signification
Cocuy.
This
summer-
o f the word glorieta in
S p a n i s h ) recalls r e m e m b r a n c e s that are n o t t h e most able.
It was here that
C o c u y , the chief o f t h e
agree-
Manitivi-
t a n o s , * had his harem
of women, and where
the finest and fattest.
T h e tradition o f t h e harem and t h e
orgies o f Cocuy
is more c u r r e n t in t h e L o w e r O r i n o c o than
on t h e b a n k s o f the G u a i n i a . that
the chief
he d e v o u r e d
of
the
At San C a r l o s t h e very idea
Manitivitanos
could
be g u i l t y
of
c a n n i b a l i s m is i n d i g n a n t l y rejected. T h e P o r t u g u e s e g o v e r n m e n t has e s t a b l i s h e d m a n y s e t t l e ment,
even
Glorieta, villages
in
in
this
the
remote
Portuguese
in an e x t e n t
of
part
of
Brazil.
territory,
twenty-five
there
leagues.
Below
the
are eleven I
know
of
* At San Carlos there is still preserved an instrument of music, a kind of large drum, ornamented with very rude Indian paintings, which relate to the exploits of Cocuy.