"'River Putumayo. In this river it is not possible to establish any mission owing to the abuses of the _caucheros_ against the Indians (_los infieles_), whom they maltreat and murder for no reason (_por motivos frivolos_), seizing their women and children.' (P. 782 of the Ministerial Report.)
"Lest this may be thought a vague indictment, I append a further extract from the same Report, this time directed by the Apostolic Prefect of the district of San Francisco de Ucayali to the Minister of Justice. It is dated from Contamana, on the Ucayali, the chief place of the province, on the 27th August, 1907, and deals at some length with the condition of religion and education on that great river, the main feeder and source of the Amazon, and one that has been largely occupied and in civilised hands for the better part of the last century:--
"'Before speaking of the region of the Ucayali I wish to draw the attention of the Supreme Government to the infamous trade in buying and selling boys and girls which for years has been practised in these parts of the montaña (_i.e._, the forest region), in spite of the repeated prohibitions of the Government, just as if these poor savages were irrational beings (_seres irracionales_), or, to be still more clear, just as if they were sheep or horses. This is intolerable in such an illustrious country as Peru. This trade excites and foments the hunting (_correrías_, literally "chasings") so frequently indulged in of these poor savages, so as to seize them in their houses in the moment when they least expect it. This is done by different traders (_comerciantes_) by means of their _peóns_, particularly some of those of the Upper Ucayali. I could cite many examples in confirmation of this, but I will cite one alone which took place last year (1906). Here it is:--
"'The Campas Indians of the River Ubiriqui were dwelling peacefully in their houses when suddenly, as is reported, there fell upon them men sent on a _correría_ by one of the traders of the Upper Ucayali, who lives near Unini. These, without warning, attacked the innocent Campas, seizing those whom they could, killing many of them so that few escaped their cruelties, so that even up to now the number of their victims is not known. It is certain that many bodies have been found in a state of putrefaction, and that all the houses of the Ubiriqui are burnt. These deeds have exasperated the Indians (_los infieles_), and if no effective remedy is applied, later on we shall not be safe even in the mission villages (_pueblocitos de la misión_), nor shall we be able to spread our winning over and civilising of the savages who dwell in our forests.' (P. 783 and following of the Report.)