The village of Iquitos is located near the left bank of the Amazon River, at about 74 degrees west longitude.There is a river called the Maranon River, which is the border river between Peru and the Republic of Ecuador.This area is about 200 kilometers away from Brazil's western border.
Like many huts, villages and small towns in the Amazon, Iquitos was founded by missionaries. Before 1817, the Indians of Iquitos never intermarried with foreigners.They stayed away from the river and lived inland at that time.However, one day, due to a volcanic eruption, the water source in their territory dried up, so they had to settle on the left bank of the Maraignon River.The Indians of Iquitos are no longer a pure-blood ethnic group due to intermarriage with local Indians (such as the Tijunas or Omagas), including some Spaniards and two , Three households of mixed race.
Forty dilapidated houses that could barely be called huts made up the whole village.The village is located on a piece of open land more than sixty feet above the river bank, and the layout is patchwork.A staircase made of horizontal timbers leads directly to the village.However, ordinary tourists cannot see the whole picture of the village because they are too close before climbing the ladder.However, once boarded this open space, tourists will be greeted by a ring of low shrubs and arbor forests.Numerous vines are interspersed, and from time to time you can see a few graceful banana trees and palm trees.
At that time, the Indians of Iquitos were almost naked.After a long time, they can change this primitive dressing habit.The local Spaniards and mestizos despise the dress habits of these indigenous neighbors.They wore straw hats, light shirts and light cotton trousers.The people in the village are poor and have little contact with each other.Only when the bells of the missions rang did they gather in the hut that served as a church.
Like most villages in the Upper Amazon, living conditions here are harsh.However, less than four kilometers down the Amazon River, there is a rich building, and the people there live a comfortable life.
This is the estate of Joam Galar.After the two young men bid farewell to the captain of the forest, they returned here.
This estate, built many years ago, is thriving.The locals call it "Fazangda".It is located at the confluence of the Maraignon and Nanai rivers.The Nanai River is about five hundred feet wide.The estate is just one mile from the right bank of the Nanai River on the north and one mile from the Maraignon River on the east.On the west side of the manor, several small-flow tributaries of the Nanai River and several small lagoons separate the manor from the savannah used as pastures.
Twenty-six years ago, in 1826, it was here that Joam Gallard was taken in by the then owner of the manor.
At that time, the owner of the manor was named Magalaes, a Portuguese who only operated the local timber industry.At that time, the estate had just been built, covering only half a mile of land.
Like all traditional Portuguese, Magalaes is hospitable and lives with his daughter Yaquita.Since her mother's death, Yaquita has been managing the house.Magalaes was hardworking but uneducated.He managed well the few slaves he owned and the dozen or so hired Indians.However, he seems a little powerless for activities other than his own business.Therefore, the manor of Iquitos was not prosperous at that time, and the business of the old manor owner also encountered some troubles.
It was against this background that Joam Galar, who was only twenty-two years old, appeared in the life of the old manor owner.Magalaes found Joam Galar in a nearby forest.Joam was exhausted, penniless, and dying.The kind Magalaes didn't ask where he came from, but just cared about him and took care of him.Although exhausted, Joam still had a noble and proud look on his face, and Magalaes was very moved by it.He took in Joam and restored him to health.At first, he took Joam in for a few days, and later, Joam lived with him all the time.
That's how Joam got into this Iquitos estate.
Born in Brazil, he had neither family nor property.According to himself, he left his country because of some painful events, and he had given up all hope of returning home.He begged the manor owner not to ask about his painful past, and he hoped to seek a new working life.At that time, he was walking aimlessly in the forest, hoping to settle down on some estate in the interior.He is educated and intelligent.There was something indescribable about Joam Galar, which made him appear to be a man of sincerity, frankness, and integrity.Magalaes admired his temperament very much, and persuaded him to settle in the manor.Joam Galar had all the knowledge and ability that the venerable manor lacked.
Joam Galar agreed without hesitation.At first, he had hoped to work in the rubber business.Because at that time, a hard-working rubber tapping worker could earn five or six dollars a day, and if he was lucky, he could even become a boss.However, Magalaes reminded him that although the wages of this kind of work are higher, workers can only work for a few months a year, which means that they only have work during the harvest season.Magalaes was right, and Joam understood it.So, he finally decided to do his best to help Magalaes run the manor.
It was a wise decision of Magalaes to keep Joam.His estate began to prosper.Under Joam's proper management, his timber business also developed very rapidly, extending from the Amazon River to Pala.At the same time, his manor continued to expand, and was built along the river bank to the mouth of the Nanai River.The original residence has been raised by one floor to create a charming two-story house.A verandah was built around the small building, hidden among beautiful flowers and trees: tall and handsome trees such as acacia, Egyptian fig, sheep's foot horn, and "Bolonia", winding wisteria, scarlet wild pomegranate and pineapple Wait for the plants to be graceful.
In the distance, there is a building located behind tall bushes, hidden in a large arbor forest.This is the residence of the manor's slaves and hired hands.There are huts where blacks live, and collective huts where Indians live.However, looking from the shore full of reeds and aquatic plants, people can only see the two-story building in the forest.
Surrounding the lagoon, a large field has been painstakingly cleared and used as pasture.There are large herds of livestock here.This is a new source of income in this fertile land.The herd here doubles every four years.In addition to their own consumption, the breeders also sell the cowhide and beef, so that they can get 10% of the profit.In some places, trees are felled to grow cassava and coffee.Since sugar cane was also grown, a press was built to process these sugary stalks to make rum and rum.In short, the estate of Iquitos has become the most fertile place in the upper Amazon since the ten years since Joam Galar settled here.The young man manages both internal and external affairs in order.The manor flourished day by day.
The owner of the estate was quick to admit that it was all thanks to Joam Galar.In order to repay his efforts, the manor first let Galar participate in the dividends, and then, in the fourth year after Joam's arrival, he made Galar equal to himself.Partners with equal shares.
But the manor owner has another dream.Like him, his daughter Yaquita also found that this taciturn young man was not only gentle and strict with others, but also kind-hearted, intelligent and capable. Yaquita fell in love with Joam.Joam was not indifferent to the character and beauty of this brave girl.But, whether out of pride or prudence, he did not seem to intend to propose to the girl.
However, a serious accident prompted him to make up his mind.
One day, Magalaes was seriously injured by a big tree while directing logging.After Magalaes, who could barely move, was carried home, he knew that he would die soon, so he helped Yaquita who was crying by his side, put her hand in Joam's, and asked Joam to Swear to marry Yaquita as his wife.
"It was you who rebuilt my family business. I can only die with peace of mind when I see you united together and my daughter's future is guaranteed."
Joam, however, replied:
"I can be her faithful servant, her brother, or her protector, but I cannot marry her. Magalaes, you have given me everything I have now, and I will never forget it. Yes, I I have worked hard for the reconstruction of the manor, but if you want to repay me like this, I don't deserve it."
The old man insisted.Because death did not allow him to wait any longer.He asked Joam to swear.Joam finally agreed.
Yaquita was twenty-two and Joam twenty-six at the time.Hours before Magalaes' death, two young people in love bonded together.The old man who still had the last bit of strength at that time blessed them.
Thus, in 1830, Joam became the new owner of the Iquitos estate.The employees and servants of the manor are very satisfied with this.
After the two bright young men got married, the manor became more and more prosperous.
A year after their marriage they had a son, Benito; two years later, a daughter, Mina.The two children are worthy of being the grandchildren of the old manor owner, and also worthy of being the children of Joam and Yaquita.
Mina is beautiful and lovely.She was born in this beautiful tropical area and grew up in this pure and healthy family.She never left the estate, as her parents had more than educated her.Even in the monastery of Manaus or Belem, she may not be able to learn more knowledge.Where else but in this family could she meet people of better quality?Was it only by being away from home that she could become kind and quick-witted?Although Mina has not inherited her mother's management of the manor, she will definitely be able to handle all situations in the future.
As for Benito, Joam wanted him to receive a solid, well-rounded education in Brazil's big cities.The wealthy manor owner created all the advantages for Benito.Benito has many advantages: he is quick-witted, quick-witted, and kind-hearted.At the age of twelve, he was sent to study in the city of Belem in the province of Pará.Under the guidance of some excellent teachers, he acquired knowledge and laid the foundation for becoming an outstanding talent in the future.He is proficient in literature, science, art.He studied hard all day long, as if his father's financial resources were not enough for his entertainment.He does not think that as long as you have money, you can not work.On the contrary, he was a man of determination, integrity and courage.He believes that no one can escape the bounden duty of human beings to work, otherwise, he is not worthy of being called a human being.
During the first years of his studies in Belém, Benito met Manoel Valdes.Manoel, the son of a merchant in Pala, studied at the same school as Benito.They have similar personalities and similar interests, and soon, the two became inseparable friends.
Manoel was born in 1832, one year older than Benito.His father has died, and his mother lives on the meager property left by her husband.Therefore, after completing his basic studies, Manoel began to study medicine.He loves this noble profession very much, and plans to enter the army he aspires to be a doctor after graduation.
Manoel, who had achieved the lowest rank, was on vacation at Joam's estate when Torres met Manoel and Benito in the forest.He used to spend a few months of vacation here every year. This young man was healthy and handsome, with a natural arrogance commensurate with his temperament. Both Joam and Yaquita regarded him as a son.If this status made him Benito's brother, it did not make him brother and sister to Mina.Because Manoel soon fell in love with Mina, and their relationship went beyond the usual brother-sister relationship.
Our story begins in April, 1852, when Joam was forty-eight years old.In this senile climate he lived a simple life.He restrained his hobbies, lived a regular life, and worked hard.Therefore, he does not age prematurely like ordinary people.His short hair and graying beard made him look like a Puritan.His face showed the honesty typical of a Brazilian merchant and hacienda.One of the most prominent aspects of his character is his integrity.Despite his gentle disposition, one could feel a fire of will control in him.His determined gaze reveals a surge of energy that enables him to give his all to anything.
Yet in this calm, energetic man, in whom everything seemed to be going well, one could always detect a deep sadness that not even Yaquita's tenderness could dissolve.
Why shouldn't this respectable, upright man have everything to be happy?Why is he only happy for others and not for himself?Does he have some unspeakable hidden pain?His wife is often worried about this.
Yaquita was forty-four at the time.In this tropical region, women generally begin to age in their thirties.But she, like her husband, endured the ill effects of the tropical climate.Although the facial lines are a bit stiff, Yaquita is still so beautiful, and still maintains the unique proud expression of the Portuguese.The nobility of her face blended so naturally with the nobility of her soul.
Benito and Mina love their parents infinitely and affectionately all the time.
Benito was twenty-one years old at the time, lively, courageous, agreeable, and a man of unmistakable affection.In this regard, he is in stark contrast to the serious and thoughtful Manoel. After spending a year studying and living in Belem, far away from the manor, Benito is very happy to return to his father's manor with his good friends. See my parents and sister again.As a brave hunter, he is also very happy to be back in this beautiful upper Amazon forest.In the following long centuries, people still cannot fully reveal all the mysteries of this forest.
Mina was twenty at the time.She was a charming girl, with brown skin and big blue eyes that seemed to reveal her inner world.She was of medium height, with a graceful figure and a graceful demeanor, resembling Yaquita.She is slightly more serious than her brother Benito.She is kind-hearted, charitable, and kind to others. She is a good girl that everyone loves.About this, you can ask the lowest servant in the manor, but you can't ask Manoel "What do you think of her?", because his relationship with Mina is too close, and the answer is inevitable. with preference.
In order to fully outline the whole picture of the Galar family, it is necessary to mention the large number of servants in the manor, otherwise there will be some shortcomings.
First, a sixty-year-old black slave, Sybell, should be introduced.Although the dead old manor owner had made her a free man, she was still kept as a slave out of love for his master and his family.She had been Yaquita's wet nurse and was part of the family.She addressed both Yaquita and Mina as "you" and had a close relationship.The good nigger had passed all his life in the fields, in the woods, and on the banks that surrounded the estate.She came to the manor when she was a child, when there was still a slave trade.She never left the village, where she married but was a widow early on.After losing her only son, she stayed on to serve Magalaes.The Amazon River she knew only flowed through the section in front of her eyes.
In addition to Sibel, there is also a maid named Lina who specializes in serving Mina.She is the same age as the young lady, and she is loyal to the young lady.She was a pretty, smiling mulatto girl.She has a gentle temperament, but a little headstrong.The manor's family treated her very well, and she also loved her master.Lina is lively, gentle and lovely, and she doesn't have too many constraints in the manor.
There are also two kinds of male servants in the manor: about a hundred Indians are employed by the manor, and there are more than two hundred black slaves.Although these black slaves were not yet free, their children were already free from birth.On this point, Joam Gallard was one step ahead of the Brazilian government.Unlike other countries, in Brazil, these black slaves from Benguela, Congo and Gold Coast were always treated leniently.Never in the estate of Iquitos did the tragic abuse of slaves take place, as is often the case on foreign plantations.
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