In Search of an Unknown Race — page 39: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

VAN. 31 The remaining five hundred dollars he took partly in Mexican dollars, a little gold, and partly in the greasy looking mz/reis and half mz/rezs notes which with some nickel coins constitute the ordinary currency. Van's next act was to make his way to the principal business street, and having found a store where English in a broken form was spoken, he proceeded to buy and put on clothing better adapted to the climate than that which he had been wearing. Returning to the pier, Van found that Tom had made sood use of his time. After considerable chaffering, he had succeeded in exchanging the launch with a Portuguese river trader for a nearly new ba/elaos about twenty-five feet long, with mast, sail and paddles, together with a charcoal brazier in a pan of sand and a few utensils of the simplest kind. The boat was hollowed from a cedar log. It was of quite broad beam, shallow draught, having no keel, and aspoon shaped bow and stern, and was steered by a broad-bladed paddle working in a notch. Amid- ships was the cabin—open at both ends, with an arching roof covered with rawhide, which was perfectly water- tight. Under this were kept the stores and bedding— a mosquito curtain of coarse cotton being arranged so as to cover the opening at night. Tom had received a hundred milreis as ‘‘ boot” be- tween the two boats, and was immensely pleased when Van made him a present of ten mi/reis for his services in conducting the bargain. Together they returned to the business street, where the negro’s advice and assiste ance in purchasing the needed supplies was invaluable, GEoOmicbdoo Sale