The lower Amazon : a narrative of explorations in the little known regions of the state of Pará, on the lower Amazon, with a record of archæological excavations on Marajó Island at the mouth of the Amazon River, and observations on the general resources of the county / by Algot Lange ; with an introduction by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh.

Lange, Algot, 1884-

Date:: 1914

Credit: The lower Amazon : a narrative of explorations in the little known regions of the state of Pará, on the lower Amazon, with a record of archæological excavations on Marajó Island at the mouth of the Amazon River, and observations on the general resources of the county / by Algot Lange ; with an introduction by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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The regulation length of a hammock, counting the end-pieces for suspension, averages fifteen feet. The cheaper sorts are made of gaily co,oured cotton-strands, while the dearer are unicoloured, often with finely decorated borders or “verandas. ” Hammocks are universally used. But few beds exist on the Amazon and these are in possession of foreigners or of those Brazilians who have lived abroad and have grown accustomed to the Eu- ropean or American mode of sleeping. I string my hammock along the rail, the only available space left—and try to sleep. At places on both shores, the steamer makes many stops to unload merchandise and now and then a passenger leaves having reached his destination. At some points there are landings, more or less rickety; at others the goods have to be transferred to the respective owner’s canoes or montarlds, alongside, as there are no landings. With all this noise and commotion and blowing of the whistle it is not easy to sleep. At midnight there is a dead stop. Some- thing is the matter with the air pump down in the engine room, and the engineer works till four in the morning, when he succeeds in putting things in order and we proceed. The river is slightly nar- rower and the flood tide is strongly felt. By this time the day-crew are arousing themselves from their short, interrupted slumber and indulge in their first morning coffee, after having poured buckets of river-water over their bodies to refresh themselves.

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