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These red-faced apes belonged to a species called by the Indians Uakari, which is peculiar to the Ega district, and the cage with its contents was being sent as a present by Senor Chrysostomo, the Director of Indians of the Japura, to one of the Government officials at Rio Janeiro, in acknowledgment of having been made colonel of the new National Guard.
Leaving these agreeable new acquaintances to finish their breakfast, we next called on the Director of the Indians of the Japura, Senor Jose Chrysostomo Monteiro, a thin wiry Mameluco, the most enterprising person in the settlement. Each of the neighbouring rivers with its numerous wild tribes is under the control of a Director, who is nominated by the Imperial Government.
The other hunting trip which I have alluded to was undertaken in company with three friendly young half-castes. The other was Jose Frazao, a nephew of Senor Chrysostomo, of Ega, an active, clever, and manly young fellow, whom I much esteemed. He was almost a white his father being a Portuguese and his mother a Mameluca.
Senor Chrysostomo sent six of his most skillful Indians, who were absent three weeks before they obtained the twelve specimens which formed his unique and princely gift. Adult Uakaris, caught in the way just described, very rarely become tame. They are peevish and sulky, resisting all attempts to coax them, and biting anyone who ventures within reach.
Senor Chrysostomo had, at this time, 200 of the Japura Indians in his employ. He was half Indian himself, but was a far worse master to the redskins than the whites usually are. We finished our rounds by paying our respects to a venerable native merchant, Senor Romao de Oliveira, a tall, corpulent, fine-looking old man, who received us with a naive courtesy quite original in its way.
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