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Updated: May 5, 2025
"Sir," said the doomed man, "before to-morrow, before the hour of my execution, may I pass a few moments with Padre Passanha, whom I ask you to tell?" "It will be forbidden." "May I see my family, and embrace for a last time my wife and children?" "You shall see them."
There were Yaquita, her daughter, Manoel Valdez, Padre Passanha, Benito, Lina, Fragoso, Cybele, and some of the servants, Indian or negro, of the fazenda. Fragoso could not keep himself still; he went and he came, he ran down the bank and ran up the plateau, he noted the points of the river gauge, and shouted "Hurrah!" as the water crept up. "It will swim, it will swim!" he shouted.
They had proposed it to him, and he had accepted, and when arrived at Belem he was to marry the young couple, Minha and Manoel. But if Padre Passanha during the course of the voyage was to take his meals with the family, Joam Garral desired to build for him a dwelling apart, and heaven knows what care Yaquita and her daughter took to make him comfortable!
But, ere this was done, a ceremony had to take place on the jangada the marriage of Manoel and Minha, the marriage of Lina and Fragoso. To Father Passanha fell the duty of celebrating the double union which promised so happily. In that little chapel the two couples were to receive the nuptial benediction from his hands.
It was difficult to say, but this wish, coming from the adventurer, left an unpleasant impression. Manoel felt this, and wishing to destroy its effect, "Look here, padre," said he, "while we are on this subject, are there not any more couples to betroth on the raft?" "I do not know," answered Padre Passanha, "unless Torres you are not married, I believe?"
Several women came with these Marahuas, smoking cigars, but holding the lighted ends in their teeth. All of them, like the king of the Amazonian forests, go about almost naked. The mission of Cocha was then in charge of a Franciscan monk, who was anxious to visit Padre Passanha. Joam Garral received him with a warm welcome, and offered him a seat at the dinner-table.
Torres, after having for an instant turned toward Joam as if he would speak to him, and prevented perhaps by the arrival of Padre Passanha, who had come to bid the family good-night, had gone back to his cabin. The Indians and the negroes were at their quarters along the sides. Araujo, seated at the bow, was watching the current which extended straight away in front of him.
Yaquita followed the advice of Padre Passanha, who counseled patience, but the good priest had not such an easy task in Manoel, who was quite disposed to put on shore the intruder who had been so unfortunately taken on to the raft. The only thing that happened on this evening was the following: A pirogue, going down the river, came alongside the jangada, after being hailed by Joam Garral.
The pilot Araujo was then summoned and informed of what they were going to do. "Good!" replied he; "I know all the eddies and currents where the Rio Negro and the Amazon join, and we shall succeed in recovering the body. Let us take two pirogues, two ubas, a dozen of our Indians, and make a start." Padre Passanha was then coming out of Yaquita's room.
Benito went to him, and in a few words told him what they were going to do to get possession of the document. "Say nothing to my mother or my sister," he added; "if this last hope fails it will kill them!" "Go, my lad, go," replied Passanha, "and may God help you in your search." Five minutes afterward the four boats started from the raft.
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