These sand banks are considered to be the richest
turtle grounds in the basin of the Upper Amazon.
On the evening of the 29th of July they were securely moored off the
island of Catua, so as to pass the night, which promised to be dark.
On this island, as soon as the sun rose above the horizon, there
appeared a party of Muras Indians, the remains of that ancient and
powerful tribe, which formerly occupied more than a hundred leagues
of the river bank between the Teffe and the Madeira.
These Indians went and came, watching the raft, which remained
stationary. There were about a hundred of them armed with blow-tubes
formed of a reed peculiar to these parts, and which is strengthened
outside by the stem of a dwarf palm from which the pith has been
extracted.
Joam Garral quitted for an instand the work which took up all his
time, to warn his people to keep a good guard and not to provoke
these Indians.
In truth the sides were not well matched. The Muras are remarkably
clever at sending through their blow-tubes arrows which cause
incurable wounds, even at a range of three hundred paces.
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