Chapter VIII (1)

RETURN.—FROM SEARA TO NATAL.—SERTANEJOS.—CATTLE.—VEGETABLE WAX.—FROM NATAL TO RECIFE.

I LEFT Searà at day-break with three Indians, and three loaded horses, and one of the young men with whom I had formed an acquaintance accompanied me to a short distance from the town. I deviated on my return to Aracati, in some measure, from the road by which I had travelled to Searà. The first day passed without any circumstance worthy of being mentioned, and I was chiefly occupied in finding out what sort of beings my Indians were, for I had had very little conversation with them before we set off. In the afternoon of the second day, having asked one of the Indians if the road was intricate to our next resting-place, and being answered, that there was no turning by which I could lose the right path, I left the loaded horses and rode on, being tired of following them at a foot’s pace;—this I had often done on other occasions. About five o’clock I put up at a cottage in which were two boys, whose appearance was very wretched, but they seemed glad to say that they would let me have a night’s lodging. On enquiry, they told me that their parents were gone to some distance to make paste from the stem of the Carnàûba, for that their usual food, the flour of the mandioc, was no longer to be had at any price in that neighbourhood. I was shown some of this paste, which was of a dark brown colour[46], and of the consistence of dough that has not been sufficiently kneaded; it was bitter and nauseous to the taste. On this substance these miserable people were under the necessity of subsisting, adding to it occasionally dried fish or meat. My party arrived about an hour after me, and late in the evening, the younger boy began to beg; inconsiderately I gave him money, but shortly he returned, saying his elder brother desired him to tell me, that it would be of no use to them, as nothing could be purchased with it. Then I understood their meaning in begging at this moment,—my men were going to supper,—the children were of course desired to sit down with them. Here Feliciano, one of the Indians, sewed two hides loosely round the two bags of _farinha_, saying, that if we proceeded without disguising what they contained, we should at some hamlet upon the road be obliged to satisfy the people, who would probably beg part of it from us. He had not known, before he enquired from these children, that this part of the country was in such a dreadful state of want. The inhabitants had eaten up their own scanty crop, and some of them had even been tempted by the exorbitant price, to carry their stock to Searà for sale. They had not heard of the supply which had arrived at that place from the southward. We reached Aracati on the fifth day.

I remained two days at Aracati, that the horses might be brought from the island upon which they had been put out to grass. I experienced fully now what the guide had before told me respecting the horses. They had all lost flesh, and were apparently less fit for work than when I first arrived at Aracati, though doubtless the relief from daily work for so long a period must have rendered them better able to renew it again now. The Spanish discoverers in South America, who understood the business into which they had entered, strongly inculcated to their people the necessity of the steady and regular continuance of their journies, unless a pause could have been made for some length of time[47]. I bought a large dog at Aracati, which had been trained to keep watch over the baggage of travellers.

A man presented himself here, requesting to be allowed to go with me to Pernambuco. He described himself as a Portugueze sailor, a European by birth, and as having belonged to the Portugueze sloop of war, called the Andorinha, which was wrecked upon the coast between Parà and Maranham. He had travelled from the spot at which he had landed to this place without any assistance from government. No provision had been made by any of the men in power for the subsistence of the persons who escaped. I consented to his joining me; he behaved well, and I never afterwards had any cause to doubt the truth of his story.

I had now a great increase in my number of men and horses, but was advised to take the men all forwards with me, as the rains might commence and the rivers fill, in which case the more people I had to assist in crossing them, with less danger would it be accomplished. The additional number of horses enabled me to divide the weight into smaller loads, and to have two or three beasts unencumbered, for the purpose of relieving the others if necessary. The party now consisted of nine persons and eleven horses.

Senhor Barrozo’s kindness was still continued towards me, and I hope I shall never cease to feel grateful for it.

I was advised to get on to the sea-shore as soon as possible on leaving Aracati, this being the better road; consequently I slept the first night, distant three leagues from that place, at Alagoa do Mato—a small lake which was now nearly dried up. The following morning we travelled over the sands, passed a small village near to the shore called Retiro, and slept at Cajuaes, a place we were acquainted with; and from hence to St. Luzia we followed the same route as in going to Searà. From Cajuaes we passed through Areias, famous for the ghost story, and rested at Tibou, proceeding in the afternoon with the intention of sleeping at the unfinished house on the road to Ilha; but the night was closing in upon us when we were still two leagues short of it, and for this reason it was thought adviseable to stop and pass the night among the brushwood. We had had several showers of rain, occasionally for some days past, and although they were slight, the grass had begun to spring up in some places. The rapidity of vegetation in Brazil is truly astonishing. Rain in the evening upon good soil will by sunrise have given a greenish tinge to the earth, which is increased, if the rain continues, on the second day to sprouts of grass of an inch in length, and these on the third day are sufficiently long to be picked up by the half starved cattle.

The brushwood among which we had determined to pass the night was low and not close, so that only two shrubs were found to be near enough to each other and of sufficient strength to support a hammock; between these mine was hung, whilst the people took up their quarters upon the packages as to them seemed best. Between one and two o’clock in the morning the rain commenced, at first, with some moderation; the guide fastened two cords from shrub to shrub above my hammock, and laid some hides upon them as a covering for me, but soon the rain increased, and the whole party crowded under the hides. I got up, and all of us stood together in some degree sheltered, until the hides fell down owing to their being quite soaked. Our fires were of course completely extinguished. I reminded my people of the necessity of keeping the locks of our fire-arms dry; indeed those persons of the party who knew the Sertam must be even more aware than myself of the numbers of Jaguars which are to be met with upon these _travessias_. I had not spoken many minutes before Feliciano said that he heard the growl of one of these animals—he was right, for a lot of mares galloped across the path not far from us, and shortly after the growl was distinctly heard; either the same or many of these beasts were near to us during the remainder of the night, as we heard the growl in several directions. We stood with our backs to each other and by no means free from the chance of being attacked, though the Indians from time to time set up a sort of song or howl, (such as is practised by the Sertanejos when guiding large droves of half tamed cattle) with the intent of frightening the Jaguars. Towards day-break the deluge somewhat abated, but still the rain was hard and it did not cease. In the morning there was much difficulty in finding the horses, as the Jaguars had frightened and scattered them; indeed we much doubted that they would all be alive, but I suppose the wild cattle were preferred as being in better condition. The loads were arranged and we proceeded to Ilha, distant six leagues, arriving there about two o’clock in the afternoon, after having sustained twelve hours of continued rain. The owner of the estate of Ilha sent a message to say that he wished me to remove from the out-house, in which I had settled myself for the remainder of the day and ensuing night, to his residence; I accepted his offer. It was a low, mud cottage covered with tiles, which had been made from the clay that is to be found upon the skirts of the salt marsh near to which his house stood. He gave us plenty of milk and dried meat; there was a scarcity of _farinha_, but a plentiful year was expected. Immediately on my entrance into his house he offered me his hammock, in which he had been sitting, but mine was soon slung and we sat, talked, and smoked for a considerable time. The mosquitos were very troublesome, indeed from this day we were scarcely ever without them at night, and they annoyed us more or less, according to the state of the wind and the quantity of rain which had fallen during the day. The inconvenience occasioned by these insects is inconceivable, until it has been experienced.

The next day we advanced to the village of St. Luzia, and rested at noon there in an unfinished cottage. Soon after we had unloaded our horses and I had lain myself down in my hammock intending to sleep, the guide told me that a number of people appeared to be assembling near to us, and that I ought to recollect the quarrel which we had had here in going. I got up and asked for my trunk, opened it with as little apparent design as possible, turned over several things in it, and taking out the Red Bag, placed it upon a large log of timber near to me, and then I continued to search in the trunk, as if for something I could not immediately find. When I looked up again, in a few minutes, all the persons who had assembled were gone—either the important consequences attending this bag were known,—that of having the power of making a requisition of horses, or some other idea of my situation in life was given by the sight of this magical bag. The river near St. Luzia had not yet filled. We proceeded in the afternoon and reached the banks of the river Panema, a narrow but now a rapid stream. One of the men went in to try if it was fordable, but before he was half way across he found that it would be impossible to pass, as the rapidity and depth would effectually prevent any attempt to carry the packages over upon the heads of the Indians. I desired the people to remain where they were, whilst I turned back with the Goiana guide to look for some habitation, because, owing to the commencement of the rains, sleeping in the open air would have been highly imprudent.

We made for a house, which was situated among the Carnàûba trees, at some distance from the road, and as the owner of it said that he could accommodate us, and that there was abundance of grass for our horses, the guide returned to bring the party to this place, which was called St. Anna. In the course of the night I had an attack of ague, which would have delayed me at St. Anna even if the height of the waters had not prevented me from proceeding. However I became more unwell, and perhaps I imagined myself to be worse than I really was, but I began to wish to arrive at Açù, as, by so doing, I should be advancing upon my journey, and at the same time I should obtain the advantage of being near to some priest, to whom I could impart any message which I might have to send to my friends. Although I was not in immediate danger, I was aware of the sudden changes to which aguish disorders are liable. As soon as the waters began to subside I determined to remove, but as I could not mount on horseback, it would be necessary that I should be carried in a hammock; however the difficulty consisted in procuring a sufficient number of men. By waiting another day six persons were obtained from the cottages in the vicinity, some of which were distant more than a league. On the fifth day from that of my arrival here, we set off, crossed the river, which was barely fordable, and entered upon the flooded lands. The waters covered the whole face of the country, though they were now subsiding a little. The depth was in parts up to the waist, but was in general less than knee-deep. The men knew the way from practice, but even the guide whom I had hired at Açu could not have found it without the assistance of those who carried me. At noon the hammock with me in it was hung between two trees, resting the two ends of the pole by which the men carried it upon two forked branches; and hides were placed over this pole to shade me from the sun, as the trees had not recovered from the drought and were yet without leaves. The men slung their hammocks also, the packages were supported upon the branches of trees, and the horses stood in the water and eat their maize out of bags which were tied round their noses. The water was shallow here, as this spot was rather higher than the lands around; and in one place the ground was beginning to make its appearance. At dusk we reached Chafaris, a _fazenda_, situated upon dry land, and here we put up under an unfinished house. The horse upon which my trunk and case of bottles had travelled, had fallen down, and to add to my discomfort, my cloaths were completely wetted, and even the red bag did not entirely escape.

I passed a wretched night, from the ague and from over fatigue. The following morning I had some conversation with the owner of the place, and purchased two of his horses. At noon I sent off the _comboio_, under the care of Feliciano, who was desired to reach Piatô the following night. I remained with the Goiana guide and Julio, who had been promoted to John’s place of groom. With considerable difficulty the packages were carried across the river, which runs just below this estate; the stream was at present rapid, and the stony bed in which it runs increased the difficulty. When I passed on the morning following, the depth and rapidity of the current were considerably diminished, for no rain had fallen during the night. I had mounted the two persons who accompanied me upon the two horses which had been purchased the day before, and I rode a led horse which was quite fresh; resolving to arrive at Piatô, distant ten leagues, in one day; this I accomplished, resting only a short time at noon. I was very unfit for so much exertion, but the necessity of the case did not allow me any alternative, and I was determined to ride until absolute exhaustion forced me to give way.

We overtook my people, and all of us rested at the same place. Feliciano shot an antelope, upon which we dined. It was seldom if ever absolutely necessary to depend upon our guns for subsistence, though the provision thus obtained was by no means unacceptable, as it varied our diet. We could generally either purchase a considerable supply of dried meat, or as occasionally occurred, it was afforded us gratuitously. Sheep were sometimes to be bought, and at others, fowls might be obtained on enquiring at the cottages; but although numbers of the latter were to be seen about the huts, and a high price offered, still the owners frequently refused to part with them. The women, naturally enough, had the management of this department of household arrangement, and after much bargaining, the housewife would often at last declare, that all of them were such favourites, that she and her children could not resolve to have any of them killed. This behaviour became so frequent, that at last when either the guide or myself rode up to a cottage to purchase a fowl, it was quite decisive with us, if the husband called to his wife, saying that she would settle the matter. Unless we had time to spare for talking, we generally went our way.

My friend the commandant was still residing at Piatô; I felt as if I was returning home; my spirits were low, and any trifle relieved them. This night I was still very unwell, my thirst was great, and nothing satisfied and allayed it so much as water-melons, of which there was here a superabundance. I ate several of them. The guide said I should kill myself; but I thought otherwise, for I liked the fruit. In the morning I awoke quite a changed person, and the ague returned no more. The guide often said afterwards that he never had known until the present occasion, that water-melons might be taken as a cure for the ague. He was quite certain that they had performed the cure, and that they would have the same effect upon all persons in the same disease. Such are the changes to which this strange complaint is subject; often thus suddenly leaving the patient, but as frequently or more so, ending in fever and delirium; however it seldom proves fatal.

On the morrow we left Piatô, with the addition to our party of a small tame sheep, and a tame _tatu-bola_, or armadillo, both having been given to me by the commandant. The former kept pace with the horses for many days, and it never gave us any trouble, until the long continuance of the journey wearied it out, and then I was obliged to make room for it in one of the panniers; in this manner it travelled for a day or two at a time. The armadillo was conveyed in a small bag, and only on one occasion gave us any trouble; when we released it at our resting-places, it usually remained among the packages, either feeding or rolled up. It was with some difficulty that Mimoza was prevented from annoying it; but latterly she and the armadillo were very good friends. At Açu I changed one of my horses for another that was in better condition, and gave about the value of a guinea to boot.

Our friends, the saddler and the owner of the house which we had inhabited in going, received us very cordially, and offered to assist us in crossing the river, which was full; but they advised me to wait for a decrease of the depth and rapidity of the stream; however I was anxious to advance, and my people made no objection. Here I discharged the young man whom I had taken from hence as a guide to Aracati. We crossed the smaller branch of the river, with the water reaching to the flaps of the saddles. When we arrived at the second and principal branch, it was discovered that a _jangada_ would be necessary to convey the baggage across. Several of the inhabitants of the place had followed us, judging that this would be the case, and they were willing to be of service to us in expectation of being compensated for their trouble. A few logs of timber were soon procured; some of them had been brought down by the stream, and were now upon the banks, and others were conveyed from the town; the cords with which the packages were fastened to the pack-saddles were made use of to tie the logs together, for the purpose of forming the raft. The father of the young man who had been with me to Aracati accompanied us to the river side to assist, and had brought Mimoza with him. I requested him to secure her, otherwise I thought she would follow me; he did so, and sent her back to the town by a boy. When the raft was prepared, the saddles and all the packages were placed upon it, and I sat down among them. Four men laid hold of each side of the raft, and shoved off from the shore, and when they lost their footing, each man kept hold of the raft with one hand, swimming with the other; but notwithstanding their exertions, the stream carried us down about fifty yards before we reached the other side, which however was gained in safety. The Indians were already there with the horses. The river of Açu is from two to three hundred yards in breadth; it was now deep and dangerous, and from the violence of the current, a guide is requisite, that advantage may be taken of the shallowest parts. The Sertanejos have a curious contrivance for crossing rivers, which is formed of three pieces of wood, and upon this they paddle themselves to the opposite side. I heard it often spoken of by the name of _cavalete_; but as I did not see any of them, I cannot pretend to give an exact description[48].

The men soon left us to arrange the loads, which we were doing with all possible expedition, when on turning round, I saw Mimoza running up to me, half crouched and half afraid. I had often wished to purchase this animal, but nothing would induce her master to part with her; he said that he had had her from a whelp, and added, that if he put the pot upon the fire, and then went out with her, he was sure to return by the time it boiled, bringing something with which to fill it. He did not mean that this was literally the case; but thus quaintly he wished to impress the idea of her great expertness in hunting. She followed us, as she found that she was well received. We advanced, and halted at St. Ursula, a _fazenda_, distant from Açu one league and a half, and here we slept. The roads lay through woods, which were thick and close. From hence to the Seara-meirim, the country was new to me, as I deviated from the road by which I had arrived at Açu, on my way northwards. I now took the shortest road to Natal, but had frequently to cross this winding river.

Whilst I was at dinner, Mimoza was near to me, watching for her share, when suddenly she crept under the bench upon which I sat; I soon saw what had caused this movement, for the old man, the father of her owner, was coming towards us; he said that he came for his son’s dog. I persuaded him to sell her, and when he was going his way, Mimoza ran out from under the bench and fawned upon him. I told him to go on, and invite her to follow him; but upon this she immediately returned growling to her old station under the bench. She had been better treated and better fed with me than when she was with her master. I always fed her myself, and had several times prevented him from beating her.

The next day we passed through the _fazendas_ of Passagem and Barra; the road was over loose stony ground and we crossed one dry marsh. In the afternoon we travelled from S. Bento to Anjicos, which obliged us to pass over some higher ground, which was very stony and painful to our horses. We crossed a small shallow stream several times.

Our next day’s march carried us across more stony ground. The persons to whom we spoke, said that there had been no rain, and indeed this was evident. There was no grass, and the country was yet parched and dreary. The horses had no water at noon, for the well was small, and the spring which supplied it was insufficient for so great a number of beasts. I was thirsty in the afternoon, and therefore left the _comboio_ to follow at its usual pace, and rode on accompanied by Julio; the two dogs likewise would come with us. We entered upon a plain, and now for the second time I saw an _ema_, a species of ostrich. Notwithstanding my attempts to prevent them, the dogs set off after it, and much against my inclination I was obliged to wait until their return. The bird ran from them with great velocity, flapping its wings, but never leaving the ground. The _emas_ outstrip the fleetest horses. The colour of the one which we saw was a dark grey; its height, including the neck, which was very long, was about that of a man on horseback, and it had that appearance at first sight, when at some distance. The Sertanejos say, that when pursued the _ema_ spurs itself to run the faster; that the spurs or pointed bones are placed in the inside of the wings, and that as these are flapped, the bones strike the sides and wound them. I have heard many people say, that when an _ema_ is caught after a hard chase, the sides are found to be bloody. It is possible that this effect may be produced by some cause similar to that by which a pig cuts its own throat in swimming. The eggs of the _ema_ are large, and although the food which they afford is coarse, it is not unpalatable. The feathers are much esteemed. When the dogs returned we continued our journey; the road led us between high rocks, and after proceeding along it for some time, the dogs suddenly struck from the path, and went up the side of a flat rock, which sloped down towards the road, but was sufficiently low to allow of a horse ascending it. Our horses stopped and snuffed up the air. Julio cried out at the same time “water, water,” and spurred his horse to follow the dogs, and I did the same. Julio was quite correct in what he had supposed, from the direction which the dogs immediately took, and from the stopping of the horses. There was a long and narrow but deep cleft in the rock, which was nearly full of water, clear and cold. The sides of the cleft slanted inwards, and the water was below the surface, so that the dogs were running round and howling, without being able to reach it; the horses too, as soon as we dismounted, and they saw the water, began to paw, and attempted to press forwards to drink. We had brought no vessel with which to take up any of it, and were under the necessity of using our hats to satisfy the horses and dogs. The rest of the party came up after some time; Feliciano was acquainted with the spot, but if the dogs and horses had not pointed it out to Julio, he and I should have missed it. We were delayed considerably in giving water enough to all the horses, as we had no large vessel in which to take it up. I heard from Feliciano, and subsequently from other persons, that these clefts in the rocks are common; but that they are known to few, and those principally of his rank and occupation in life, and that this knowledge enabled them to find plenty of water when others were in great distress. He said, “we never refuse to give information, but we say as little about it as possible.” I travelled until ten o’clock at night, wishing to reach some _fazenda_, and not to remain in the open air, as there were several heavy clouds flying about, from the look of which we well knew that if the wind abated, rain would come on. We reached a _fazenda_, and applied for a night’s lodging, which was granted; but upon a survey of the interior of the house, I preferred the open air with all its disadvantages. The place was full of persons who had assembled from the neighbouring estates, in expectation of rain, as they had come to assist in collecting cattle. The fellows were eating dried meat, and had by some means obtained a quantity of rum. I took up my station at a distance from the house, and we scarcely laid down during the night, from the fear of rain, and in some measure that we might be prepared to prevent any of our horses being stolen, as a piece of sport, by the people in the house.

The next day we crossed over a plain which was partly without trees and in part covered with brushwood; in going over this last portion I had pushed on with Julio, leaving the _comboio_ to follow us. We had nearly lost our way at the division of several paths; even Julio’s knowledge was insufficient, and had we not met some travellers and enquired of them, I know not how far from the baggage we might have been at night.

On the following morning we advanced again, took water in skins near to some cottages, and at noon stationed ourselves in the bed of a rivulet, where there was good grass, but no water. As the bed was lower than the neighbouring land the very first shower had made the grass spring up, though there had not been rain sufficient to excite vegetation upon its banks. Here the armadillo strayed into some brushwood; Feliciano followed it by the marks of its footsteps over the grass and dry leaves, and brought it back. I am quite confident that he did not see which way it went, and to a person unused to tracing footsteps there appeared to be none. If it had passed over sand, there would not have been any thing extraordinary in discovering the way which the animal had taken, but upon grass and dry leaves so small an animal could make but a most trifling impression. I mentioned at this place accidentally that the skins had spoiled the water, for it tasted of the grease with which they had been rubbed. Feliciano heard me, and took up a small skin that lay empty, which was old and therefore not greasy, and said, “I’ll try to find some for you that is better;” and away he went. In about an hour he returned with the skin full of excellent water. He had recollected a cleft in a rock at some distance, and had gone to see if any yet remained in it.

We slept at a _fazenda_, and the next day proceeded in the expectation of reaching the Searà-meirim, which we did. This track of country had not recovered from the drought, but the trees were beginning to be cloathed, and the grass under them was in most parts of sufficient length to afford subsistence to our horses. Water was still scarce and bad, but the rain had made it less brackish and more plentiful. We passed over the _travessia_ with all possible haste, as the floods were expected shortly, and sometimes the water comes down, as I have before stated, with great rapidity. There is some danger in being caught by the water upon any of the peninsulas or islands which are formed by its bends, for to be under the necessity of crossing over a stream which runs with much violence, perhaps ten times or more successively, would be too much for almost any horse to bear, and particularly for those which were already fatigued by a long journey. We left the Searà-meirim in four days, passed Pai Paulo, and early on the fifth day arrived again at the dry lake. The people of this place were upon the point of decamping, as the rains were expected or rather had already commenced. We now met several parties of travellers, who had taken advantage of the first rains to pass over this track of country, and who were hastening before the floods came down the river.

January is not properly speaking the rainy season. The rains at the commencement of the year are called the _primeiras aguas_ or the first waters, and continue for about a fortnight or three weeks, after which the weather generally becomes again settled until May or June, and from this time until the end of August the rains are usually pretty constant. From August or September until the opening of the year there is not usually any rain. The dry weather can be depended upon with more certainty from September until January, than from February until May; likewise the wet weather can be looked for with more certainty from June until August than in January. There are very few days during the whole course of the year of incessant rain. What I have said regarding the seasons must however be taken with some latitude, as in all climates they are subject to variation.

The horse I left at the dry lake was faithfully delivered to me, and I continued my journey on the following day to Natal. The governor received me with the same cordiality as before.

I had now left the Sertam, and though it treated me rather roughly, still I have always wished I could have seen more of it. There is a certain pleasure which I cannot describe in crossing new countries, and that portion of territory over which I had travelled was new to an Englishman. From the sensations which I experienced I can well imagine what those are, which travellers in unexplored countries must feel at every step—at every novelty which comes under their view. There is yet much ground upon the continent of South America to be traversed, and I most heartily wish that it had been my fate to be the civilized individual first doomed to cross from Pernambuco to Lima.

I have perhaps hardly said sufficient to give a correct idea of the inhabitants of the _fazendas_ or cattle estates. Unlike the Peons of the country in the vicinity of the river Plata, the Sertanejo has about him his wife and family, and lives in comparative comfort. The cottages are small and are built of mud, but afford quite sufficient shelter in so fine a climate; they are covered with tiles where these are to be had, or, as is more general, with the leaves of the Carnàûba. Hammocks usually supply the place of beds and are by far more comfortable, and these are likewise frequently used as chairs. Most of the better sort of cottages contain a table, but the usual practice is for the family to squat down upon a mat in a circle, with the bowls, dishes, or gourds in the centre, thus to eat their meals upon the floor. Knives and forks are not much known, and are not at all made use of by the lower orders. It is the custom in every house, from the highest to the lowest, as in former times, and indeed the same practice prevails in all the parts of the country which I visited, for a silver basin, or one of earthenware, or a _cuia_, and a fringed cambric towel, or one that is made of the coarse cotton cloth of the country, to be handed round, that all those who are going to sit down to eat may wash their hands; and the same ceremony, or rather necessary piece of cleanliness, takes place again after the meal is finished. Of the gourds great use is made in domestic arrangements; they are cut in two and the pulp is scooped out, then the rind is dried and these rude vessels serve almost every purpose of earthenware—water is carried in them, &c. and they are likewise used as measures. They vary from six inches in circumference to about three feet, and are usually rather of an oval shape. The gourd when whole is called _cabaça_, and the half of the rind is called _cuia_. It is a creeping plant, and grows spontaneously in many parts, but in others the people plant it among the mandioc.

The conversation of the Sertanejos usually turns upon the state of their cattle or of women, and occasionally, accounts of adventures which took place at Recife or at some other town. The merits or demerits of the priests with whom they may happen to be acquainted are likewise discussed, and their irregular practices are made a subject of ridicule. The dress of the men has already been described, but when they are at home a shirt and drawers alone remain. The women have a more slovenly look, as their only dress is a shift and petticoat, no stockings, and oftentimes no shoes; but when they leave home, which is very seldom, an addition is made of a large piece of coarse white cloth, either of their own or of European manufacture, and this is thrown over the head and shoulders; a pair of shoes is likewise then put on. They are good horsewomen, and the high Portugueze saddle serves the purpose of a side-saddle very completely. I never saw any Brazilian woman riding, as is the case occasionally in Portugal, in the manner that men do. Their employment consists in household arrangements entirely, for the men even milk the cows and goats: the women spin and work with the needle. No females of free birth are ever seen employed in any kind of labour in the open air, excepting in that of occasionally fetching wood or water, if the men are not at home. The children generally run about naked until a certain age, but this is often seen even in Recife; to the age of six or seven years, boys are allowed to run about without any cloathing. Formerly, I mean before the commencement of a direct trade with England, both sexes dressed in the coarse cotton cloth which is made in the country; the petticoats of this cloth were sometimes tinged with a red dye, which was obtained from the bark of the _coipuna_ tree, a native of their woods; and even now this dye is used for tinging fishing-nets, as it is said that those which have undergone this process last the longer.

In those times, a dress of the common printed cotton of English or of Portugueze manufacture cost from eight to twelve _mil reis_, from two to three guineas, owing to the monopoly of the trade, by which the merchants of Recife put what price they pleased upon their commodities; other things were in proportion. Owing to the enormous prices, European articles of dress could of course only be possessed by the rich people. However, since the opening of the ports to foreign trade, English goods are finding their way all over the country, and the hawkers are now a numerous body of men. The women seldom appear, and when they are seen do not take any part in the conversation, unless it be some one good wife who rules the roast; if they are present at all when the men are talking, they stand or squat down upon the ground, in the door-way leading to the interior of the house, and merely listen. The morals of the men are by no means strict, and when this is the case, it must give an unfavourable bias, in some degree, to those of the women; but the Sertanejo is very jealous, and more murders are committed, and more quarrels entered into on this score, by tenfold, than on any other. These people are revengeful; an offence is seldom pardoned, and in default of law, of which there is scarcely any, each man takes it into his own hands. This is without any sort of doubt a dreadful state of society, and I do not by any means pretend to speak in its justification; but if the causes of most of the murders committed and beatings given are enquired into, I have usually found that the receiver had only obtained what he deserved. Robbery in the Sertam is scarcely known; the land is in favourable years too plentiful to afford temptation, and in seasons of distress for food, every man is for the most part equally in want. Subsistence is to be obtained in an easier manner than by stealing in so abundant a country, and where both parties are equally brave and resolute; but besides these reasons, I think the Sertanejos are a good race of people. They are tractable and might easily be instructed, excepting in religious matters; in these they are fast rivetted; and such was their idea of an Englishman and a heretic, that it was on some occasions difficult to make them believe that I, who had the figure of a human being, could possibly belong to that non-descript race. They are extremely ignorant, few of them possessing even the commonest rudiments of knowledge. Their religion is confined to the observance of certain forms and ceremonies, and to the frequent repetition of a few prayers, faith in charms, relics, and other things of the same order. The Sertanejos are courageous, generous, sincere, and hospitable: if a favour is begged, they know not how to deny it; but if you trade with them either for cattle, or aught else, the character changes, and then they wish to outwit you, conceiving success to be a piece of cleverness of which they may boast.

The following anecdote is characteristic. A Sertanejo came down from the interior with a large drove of cattle, which had been entrusted to him to sell; he obtained a purchaser, who was to pay him at the close of two or three months. The Sertanejo waited to receive the money, as his home was too far distant to return for this purpose. Before the expiration of the term, the purchaser of the cattle found some means of having him imprisoned; he went to him when he was in confinement, and pretending to be extremely sorry for his misfortune, hinted, that if he would allow him to appropriate part of the debt to the purpose, he would try to obtain his release; to this the Sertanejo agreed, and consequently soon obtained his freedom. He heard soon afterwards how the whole of the business had been managed by the purchaser of the cattle, to avoid paying for what he had bought, and he could not obtain any part of the money. Having advised his employers in the Sertam of these circumstances, he received for answer, that the loss of the money was of little consequence, but that he must either assassinate the man who had injured him, or not return home; because he should himself suffer if the insult remained unrevenged. The Sertanejo immediately made preparations for returning; he had always feigned great thankfulness towards his debtor for obtaining his release, and a total ignorance of his unjustifiable conduct. On the day of his departure, he rode to the house of the man whom he had determined to destroy, and dismounted, whilst one of his two companions held his horse; he saw the owner of the house, and as he gave him the usual parting embrace, ran his long knife into his side; he then quickly leapt on to his horse, and the three persons rode off. None dared to molest them, for they were well armed, and although this occurred in a large town, they soon joined a considerable number of their countrymen who waited for them in the outskirts, and proceeded to their own country, without any attempt being made to apprehend them. These circumstances took place several years ago; but the relatives of the man who was killed still bear in mind his death, and a determination of revenging it upon him who committed it, if he was again to place himself within their reach. Many persons can vouch for the truth of the story.

The colour of the Sertanejos varies from white, of which there are necessarily few, to a dark brown; the shades of which are almost as various as there are persons: two of exactly the same tint are scarcely to be met with. Children of the same parents rarely if ever are of the same shade; some difference is almost always perceivable, and this is, in many instances, so glaring, as to lead at first to doubts of the authenticity; but it is too general to be aught but what is right. The offspring of white and black persons leans, in most instances, more to one colour than to the other, when perhaps a second child will take a contrary tinge[49]. These remarks do not only hold good in the Sertam, but are applicable to all the country which I had opportunities of seeing. The Sertanejo, if colour is set aside, is certainly handsome; and the women, whilst young, have well-shaped forms, and many of them good features; indeed I have seen some of the white persons who would be admired in any country. Their constant exposure to the sun, and its great power at a distance from the sea, darkens the complexion more than if the same persons had resided upon the coast; but this gives them a decided dark colour, which has the appearance of durability, and is much preferable to a sallow sickly look, though of a lighter tint.

The persons who reside upon and have the care of the cattle estates, are called _Vaqueiros_, which simply means cowherds. They have a share of the calves and foals that are reared upon the land, but of the lambs, pigs, goats, &c. no account is given to the owner; and from the quantity of cattle, numbers are reckoned very loosely; it is therefore a comfortable and lucrative place, but the duties attending it are heavy, require considerable courage, and great bodily strength and activity. Some of the owners live upon their estates; but the major part of those through which I passed, were possessed by men of large property, who resided in the towns upon the coast, or who were at the same time sugar-planters.

The interior of Pernambuco, Rio Grande, Paraiba, and Seara, contains, properly speaking, no wild cattle[50]. Twice every year the herdsmen from several estates assemble for the purpose of collecting the cattle. The cows are driven from all quarters into the area in front of the house, and here, surrounded by several horsemen, are put into spacious pens. This being done, the men dismount, and now their object is, if any of the cows are inclined to be unruly, which is often the case, to noose them by the horns so as to secure them; or another mode is adopted, which is by noosing one of the hind-legs, and carrying the cord quite round the animal, so as to throw it down. The calves are then caught, and this is done without much difficulty; they are marked on the right haunch with a red-hot iron, which is made of the shape that has been fixed upon by the owner as his peculiar mark. When the oxen are to be collected for a market, the service is more dangerous, and frequently the rider is under the necessity of throwing the animal to the ground with his long pole, as I have in another place mentioned. On the man’s approach, the ox runs off into the nearest wood, and the man follows, as closely as he possibly can, that he may take advantage of the opening of the branches which is made by the beast, as these shortly close again, resuming their former situation. At times the ox passes under a low and thick branch of a large tree, then the man likewise passes under the branch, and that he may do this, he leans to the right side so completely, as to enable him to lay hold of the girth of his saddle with his left hand, and at the same time his left heel catches the flap of the saddle; thus with the pole in his right hand, almost trailing upon the ground, he follows without slackening his pace, and being clear of this obstacle, again resumes his seat. If he can overtake the ox, he runs his goad into its side, and if this is dexterously done, he throws it. Then he dismounts, and ties the animal’s legs together, or places one fore-leg over one of the horns, which secures it most effectually. Many blows are received by these men, but it is seldom that deaths are occasioned.

In crossing the Seara-meirim, I mentioned an instance of a cow having strayed to an immense distance from its native pasture. This propensity to ramble is common among horned cattle, even without its proceeding from the scarcity of grass or water. Often at the time of collecting the cattle, those persons who have been to a considerable distance to assist others, drive back a number of beasts with their own mark; the estate to which they belonged being distant twenty leagues or more. When a traveller is in distress for water, he cannot do better than to follow the first cattle-path, as these usually lead to the nearest pool of water, in a direct line. The paths are easily distinguished, being very narrow, and the wood uniting above, leaving open below only a shady walk, of the height of the animals which made it.

Each lot of mares with its master horse is driven into the pens; this consists of from fifteen to twenty in number. The foals are likewise marked in the same manner as the calves. It is worthy of remark, and the circumstance was often repeated to me, that the horse of the lot drives from it not only the colts but the fillies also, as soon as they are full grown. The fact was only qualified in two or three instances, when told to me, by the person who related it adding, that if the horse did not do so, he was taken from the lot, and broken for the pack-saddle, being considered of a bad breed. When a horse is to be tamed for any purpose whatsoever, he is noosed, after being put into a pen, and is tied to a stake; on the following day, or perhaps the same afternoon, if he appears at all tractable, a small low saddle is placed upon him, and a man then mounts with a double halter. The animal runs off with him, which the man, far from attempting to prevent, rather urges him to do; though in general the whip and spur are not made use of, unless he is obstinate and refuses to go forwards. Horses of good breeds are said to be those most easily tamed. The horse runs until he becomes weary, and is then brought back quietly by its rider; and perhaps they do not reach the rider’s home until the following day. The man must not dismount until he has returned to the spot from whence he started, as he would probably experience great difficulty when he wished again to proceed, from the restiveness of the horse. The same operation is continued as long as the animal is not supposed to be effectually broken in, and safe to mount. It happens on some occasions, that by plunging, the horse gets rid of both man and saddle, and is not again seen for a length of time; however, unless the girths give way, he has little chance of throwing his rider, for the Sertanejos are most excellent horsemen.