dark we passed under one of the massive, bare, and steep
hills of granite which are so common in this country. This
spot is notorious from having been, for a long time, the
residence of some runaway slaves, who, by cultivating a
little ground near the top, contrived to eke out a subsistence.
At length they were discovered, and a party of soldiers being
sent, the whole were seized with the exception of one old
woman, who sooner than again be led into slavery, dashed
herself to pieces from the summit of the mountain. In a
Roman matron this would have been called the noble love of
freedom : in a poor negress it is mere brutal obstinacy. We
continued riding for some hours. For the few last miles the
road was intricate, and it passed through a desert waste of
marshes and lagoons. The scene by the dimmed light of
the moon was most desolate. A few fireflies flitted by us ;
and the solitary snipe, as it rose, uttered its plaintive cry.
The distant and sullen roar of the sea scarcely broke the
stillness of the night.
A p r i l 9 t h .—We left our miserable sleeping-place before
sunrise. The road passed through a narrow sandy plain,
lying between the sea and the interior salt lagoons. The
number of beautiful fishing birds, such as egrets and cranes,
and the succulent plants assuming most fantastical forms,
gave to the scene an interest wdiich it would not otherwise
have possessed. The few stunted trees W’ere loaded with parasitical
plants, among which the beauty and delicious fragrance
of some of the orchideiE were most to be admired. As
the sun rose, the day became extremely hot, and the reflection
of the light and heat from the white sand was very distressing.
We dined at Mandetiha ; the thermometer in the
shade being 84°. The beautiful view of the distant wooded
hills, reflected in the perfectly calm water of an extensive
lagoon, quite refreshed us. As the vénda* here w’as a very
good one, and I have the pleasant, but rare remembrance, of
an excellent dinner, I wdll be grateful and presently describe
* V é n d a , th e P o r tu g u e s e n am e fo r a n in n .
it, as the type of its class. These houses are often large, and
are built of thick upright posts, with boughs interwoven, and
afterwards plastered. They seldom have floors, and never
glazed windows ; but are generally pretty well roofed. Universally
the front part is open, forming a kind of verandah,
in which tables and benches are placed. The bed-rooms
join on each side, and here the passenger may sleep as comfortably
as he can, on a wooden platform, covered by a thin
straw mat. The vénda stands in a courtyard, where the
horses are fed. On first arriving, it was our custom to unsaddle
the horses and give them their Indian corn ; then,
with a low bow, to ask the senhòr to do us the favour
to give us something to eat. " Any thing you choose,
sir,” was his usual answer. For the few first times,
vainly I thanked Providence for having guided us to so
good a man. The conversation proceeding, the case universally
became deplorable. “ Any fish can you do us
the favour of giving ?”—“ Oh ! no, sir.”—“ Any soup ?”—
“ No, sir.”—“ Any bread?”—“ Oh! no, sir.”—“ Any dried
meat ?”—“ Oh ! no, sir.” If we were lucky, by waiting a
couple of hour.s, we obtained fowls, rice, and farinha. It not
unfrequently happened, that we were obliged to kiU, with
stones, the poultry for our own supper. When thoroughly
exhausted by fatigue and hunger, we timorously hinted that
we should be glad of our meal, the pompous, and (though
true) most unsatisfactory answer was, “ It will be ready when
it is ready.” If we had dared to remonstrate any further, we
should have been told to proceed on our journey, as being
too impertinent. The hosts are most ungracious and disagreeable
in their manners ; their houses and their persons
are often filthily dirty ; the want of the accommodation of
forks, knives, and spoons is common ; and I am sure no
cottage or hovel in England could be found in a state so
utterly destitute of every comfort. At Campos N ovos, however,
we fared sumptuously ; having rice and fowls, biscuit,
w-ine, and spirits, for dinner; coffee in the evening, and fish
with coffee for breakfast. All this, with good food for the