[Illustration: SERINGAL WITH THE RUBBER ON THE ALTO ACRE.] Every seringueiro is allotted two or three =estradas= to work. These seringueiros live in the interior of the forest in special =baraken=, either with their families, or usually several together. The different =baraken= are connected by broader roads that can be traversed by mules. In May or June, after the =estradas= have previously been put in order, the gathering of fine rubber commences. The seringueiro proceeds in the early morning into the forest, taps the trees in the customary manner with the little axe Maschadi, attaches the tin cups and afterwards collects the accumulated milk. It is afternoon when he reaches home with the milk he has collected in a rubber bag or in tin cans, to be smoked. In a little hut, roofed with palm-straw, the smoking is proceeded with. Pieces of wood that give a copious smoke are burned and over the fire is placed a tin cylinder, known as a =Boião=. The seringueiro first collects, in the middle of a round, strong stick, some coagulated rubber milk and pours the still fluid milk, which he has in a large tin dish, over this place, turning the stick so that the smoke can impregnate the coagulating caoutchouc. He continues this operation until the milk in the tin pan is all used up. By this means, a rubber ball is produced which is enlarged in the succeeding days until it weighs about 50 kilos. The stick is then withdrawn and the ball, stored with others, until the mule train comes for it. A mule can carry on each side of him 50 kilos without over-exerting himself. If, however, the weight of the ball exceeds sixty kilos, the mules are overloaded and the seringueiro who made the balls pays a fine. Where the dwelling place of the seringueiro is near a river and the fine rubber can be transported by canoe, larger balls, that often weigh more than 100 kilos are made.