people came into the village to mass, than on any
other day.
At a short distance from the ‘ Caldeiros ’ a spring
gushes out from a crack in the rock of a cool chaly-
heate water, charged with carbonic acid, and with a
slight dash of sulphuretted hydrogen. There is a hot
spring close beside it, and on the bank of the warm
stream and in the steam of the Caldeira, there is a
luxuriant patch of what the people there call ‘ ignami ’
or yams {Caladivm esculentum), which seems to thrive
specially well in such situations. The flavour of the
aerated Avater is rather peculiar at first, hut in the
hot steamy sulphurous air one soon comes to like its
coolness and freshness, and it seems to taste all the
better from the green cup extemporised out of the
beautiful leaf of the Caladium. The warm water
from all the springs finds its way hy various channels
to join the river Quente, which escapes out of the
‘ valley of the caves ’ at its north-eastern end, and,
brawling down through a pretty wooded gorge, joins
the sea on the north coast about six miles from Villa
Franca.
W e left Gren’a after breakfast next morning, our
long train of about twenty saddle and baggage asses
winding along, the eastern shore of the lake and
np the steep passes—gloriously fringed and mantled
Avitli Woodwardia and Pteris arguta, and variegated
Avith copses of the dark tree-heath and brakes of the
bright green faya—to the crest of the ridge hounding
the northern end of the valley ; and thence down
crooked and laborious ways through many gorges
planted Avith grafted fruit-hearing chestnuts, and
over many lava spurs, to the road along the south
shore Avhere we found the carriages Availing for us.
The Avheat harvest was going on vigorously in the
loAA’er lands, and shortly before entering Villa Eranca,
a long town which straggles over four or five miles
between Ribeira Quente and Ponta Delgada, aa'O
stopped and rested at a farm-house Avhere they were
‘ threshing.’ The carriage I Avas in had fallen a
little behind the rest, and when we came up the scene
at the farmyard was very lively. Outside Avas the
‘ threshing-floor,’ a hardened round area Avith a stake
in the centre. The Avheat Avas spread on the baked
clay floor, and I a v o sledges, each drawn by a pair of
oxen, went slowly round and round, ‘ treading out
the corn.’ The sledges Avere driven with much noise
and gesticulation hy taAvny, good-natured Acoreaus,
and Avere often Aveighted hy a mother or aunt squatting
on the sledge, holding a laughing, black-eyed
baby. The drivers were armed Avith enormously long
poles, with which they extorted a certai.n amount of
attention to their wishes from the unmuzzled oxen,
mnch more intent upon snuffling among the sweet
straw for the grains of wheat, and making the most
of their brief opportunity. "Within the house Avhither
most of our party had retreated from the roasting
sun, the first large entrance room Avas encumbered
Avith the beautiful ripe ears of maize, of all colours,
from the purest silvery Avhite to deep orange and red.
It was high noon however, and a lot of bright-eyed
girls, who had been husking the maize, had knocked
off w o rk ; and on the arrival of the strangers, a lad
brought out a guitar, and they got up a dance, very
simple and merry, and perfectly decorous.
Neither hosts nor guests understood one AA'ord