It required four days’ time to reach the Juruena. We had been compelled to reduce the amount of baggage very materially shortly after leaving the Parecís village, as many of the cargo-animals had given out on the trail, and the others were weakening perceptibly. It was of course impossible to carry along grain for the animals; each night they were turned loose to shift for themselves, and while there was an abundance of grass, the long-continued strain began to tell. We abandoned most of the tents, and all superfluous clothing was left behind. The equipment for collecting and preserving specimens had to be reduced to a minimum also, on account of its weight; we retained only a few hundred cartridges and about a dozen traps with which to prosecute the natural-history work. This reduction of the impedimenta was unavoidable and affected every member of the party, either directly or indirectly. It was one of the several instances where individual interests had to be sacrificed for the good of the whole expedition.
At Juruena we made the acquaintance of a primitive tribe of Indians who probably represent the lowest type of savage to be found anywhere on the South American continent. They are known as the Nhambiquaras. As we drew up on the river-bank they gathered about and stared in curiosity at the party, but betrayed no hostile feelings. Colonel Rondon had but recently succeeded in establishing amicable relations with them. On his first visits into Matto Grosso, numbers of his men had been slain by the Nhambiquaras, and they had resented his every step into their stronghold. In the days that followed, Colonel Rondon related some of his experiences with these Indians. As accompanied by a few companions, among whom Lieutenant Lyra figured prominently, he made his way slowly and painfully through the _chapadão_, parties of the savages constantly followed his movements. On account of the open character of the country they remained in concealment during the daytime; but when night spread a protecting cloak of darkness over the land, the Indians became bolder and harassed the camp. It was impossible to build a fire, for that would have enabled the lurking fiends to see their victims and make easy targets of them. After trying many schemes for making friends with the savages, Colonel Rondon took a phonograph into the wilds with him, and played it at night. The Indians were unable to understand the music, and finally their curiosity prompted them to leave the sheltering blackness and come timidly into the Brazilians’ camp in search of the sound.