CEARA. 449 
e 
with promptness and punctuality. While the preparations 
for our excursion were going on, neighbors and acquaint- 
ances would stroll in to see how things were advancing ; one 
would propose that we should postpone our departure till 
the day after to-morrow, on account of some trouble about 
the horses ; another that we should wait a week or two 
ior more favorable weather. Evidently it did not occur to 
any one that it could be of much importance whether we 
started to-day or to-morrow, or next week or next month. 
The lotus-eaters in the " land in which it seemed always 
afternoon ? could not have been more happily indifferent 
to the passage of time. Now this calm superiority to 
laws obeyed by the rest of mankind, this ignoring of the 
great dictum " tempus fugit" is rather exasperating to a 
man who has only the fortnight intervening between two 
steamers in which to accomplish his journey, and knows 
the time to be all too short for the objects he has in view. 
These habits of procrastination are much less marked in 
those parts of Brazil where railroad and steam travel have 
been introduced ; though it cannot be said that promptness 
and despatch are anywhere familiar qualities in this coun- 
try. Our delays in this particular instance were in no way 
owing to any want of interest in our plans ; on the contrary, 
we met here, as everywhere, the most cordial sympathy with 
the objects of the expedition, and the President of the 
province, as well as other persons, were ready to give e^ery 
assistance in their power. But a stranger cannot of course 
expect the habits of the people to be changed to suit his 
convenience, and we did but share in the general slowness 
of movement. However, we were at last on the way ; 
our party consisting of Major Coutinho, Senhor Pompeo, 
Government Engineer of the province, whom the Presi- 
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