The caoutchouc-gatherer reaches the swampy regions on which alone the
Para rubber tree grows towards the close of August, when the floods that have
prevailed for four months and kept the trees under water to their crowns, have
gone down. A spot is chosen where a good supply of rubber trees is at hand,
and in selecting it the gatherer has to take care that too dense an undergrowth
does not hinder a ready passage between the hut and the trees. The caution
is highly necessary, for the juice is rapidly spoiled by contact with the air,
and every one must be familiar with the difficulty of threading a Brazilian
forest because of its marvellous mazes of creepers and shrubs.
A piece of ground, of a size proportioned to the number of the household
or group, is cleared leisurely, about a yard of the stumps being left standing.
At intervals the mestizo, with a genius for saving himself trouble, allows
some of the harder trees to remain, in order to serve as supports for the roof.
The floor of the projected dwelling must be raised above the reach of the water,
and accordingly the felled trees are placed upon the stumps for that purpose.
