Bonofacio consisted of several thatched one-room cabins, connected by a stockade which was extended to form an enclosure behind them.  A number of tame parrots and parakeets, of several different species, scrambled over the roofs and entered the houses.  In the open pastures near by were the curious, extensive burrows of a gopher rat, which ate the roots of grass, not emerging to eat the grass but pulling it into the burrows by the roots.  These burrows bore a close likeness to those of our pocket gophers.  Miller found the animals difficult to trap.  Finally, by the aid of Colonel Rondon, several Indians, and two or three of our men, he dug one out.  From the central shaft several surface galleries radiated, running for many rods about a foot below the surface, with, at intervals of half a dozen yards, mounds where the loose earth had been expelled.  The central shaft ran straight down for about eight feet, and then laterally for about fifteen feet, to a kind of chamber.  The animal dug hard to escape, but when taken and put on the surface of the ground it moved slowly and awkwardly.  It showed vicious courage.  In looks it closely resembled our pocket gophers, but it had no pockets.  This was one of the most interesting small mammals that we secured.

After breakfast at Bonofacio a number of Nhambiquaras—­men, women, and children—­strolled in.  The men gave us an exhibition of not very good archery; when the bow was bent, it was at first held so that the arrow pointed straight upwards and was then lowered so that the arrow was aimed at the target.  Several of the women had been taken from other tribes, after their husbands or fathers had been killed; for the Nhambiquaras are light-hearted robbers and murderers.  Two or three miserable dogs accompanied them, half-starved and mangy, but each decorated with a collar of beads.  The headmen had three or four wives apiece, and the women were the burden-bearers, but apparently were not badly treated.  Most of them were dirty, although well-fed looking, and their features were of a low type; but some, especially among the children, were quite attractive.

From Bonofacio we went about seven miles, across a rolling prairie dotted with trees and clumps of shrub.  There, on February 24, we joined Amilcar, who was camped by a brook which flowed into the Duvida.  We were only some six miles from our place of embarkation on the Duvida, and we divided our party and our belongings.  Amilcar, Miller, Mello, and Oliveira were to march three days to the Gy-Parana, and then descend it, and continue down the Madeira to Manaos.  Rondon, Lyra, the doctor, Cherrie, Kermit, and I, with sixteen paddlers, in seven canoes, were to descend the Duvida, and find out whether it led into the Gy-Parana, our purpose was to return and descend the Ananas, whose outlet was also unknown.  Having this in view, we left a fortnight’s provisions for our party of six at Bonofacio.  We took with us provisions for about fifty days; not full rations, for we hoped