96 CARIPI AND THE BAY OF MARAJO. Cuap. V. 
closely packed together that the ground beneath is thrown into the 
deepest shade, under which nothing but fetid fungi and rotten vegetable 
débris is to be seen. On emerging from this unfriendly solitude near 
the banks of the Murucupi, a charming contrast is presented. A 
glorious vegetation, piled up to an immense height, clothes the banks of 
the creek, which traverses a broad tract of semi-cultivated ground, and 
the varied masses of greenery are lighted up with a sunny glow. Open 
palm-thatched huts peep forth here and there from amidst groves 
of banana, mango, cotton, and papaw trees and palms. On our first 
excursion, we struck the banks of the river in front of a house of some- 
what more substantial architecture than the rest, having finished mud 
walls, plastered and whitewashed, and acovering of redtiles. Itseemed 
to be full of children, and the aspect of the household was improved 
by a number of good-looking mameluco women, who were busily em- 
ployed washing, spinning, and making farinha. Two of them, seated 
on a mat in the open verandah, were engaged sewing dresses ; for a 
festival was going to take place a few days hence at Balcarem, a village 
eight miles distant from Murucupi, and they intended to be present to 
hear mass and show their finery. One of the children, a naked boy 
about seven years of age, crossed over with the montaria to fetch us. 
We were made welcome at once, and asked to stay for dinner. On our 
accepting the invitation a couple of fowls were killed, and a wholesome 
stew of seasoned rice and fowls soon put in preparation. It is not often 
that the female members of a family in these retired places are familiar 
with strangers ; but these people had lived a long time in the capital, 
and therefore were more civilised than their neighbours. Their 
father had been a prosperous tradesman, and had given them the best 
education the place afforded. After his death the widow, with several 
daughters, married and unmarried, retired to this secluded spot, which 
had been their sitio, farm or country house, for many years. One of the 
daughters was married to a handsome young mulatto, who was present 
and sang us some pretty songs, accompanying himself on the guitar. 
After dinner I expressed a wish to see more of the creek ; so a lively 
and polite old man, whom I took to be one of the neighbours, volun- 
teered as guide. We embarked in a little montaria, and paddled some 
three or four miles up and down the stream. Although I had now 
become familiarised with beautiful vegetation, all the glow of fresh 
admiration came again to me in this place. The creek was about 100 
yards wide, but narrower in some places. Both banks were masked by 
lofty walls of green drapery, here and there a break occurring, through 
which, under overarching trees, glimpses were obtained of the palm- 
thatched huts of settlers. The projecting boughs of lofy trees, which 
in some places stretched half-way across the creek, were hung with 
natural garlands and festoons, and an endless variety of creeping plants 
clothed the water-frontage, some of which, especially the Bignonias, 
were ornamented with large gaily-coloured flowers. Art could not 
have assorted together beautiful vegetable forms so harmoniously as 
was here done by Nature. Palms, as usual, formed a large proportion 
of the lower trees ; some of them, however, shot up their slim stems to 
a height of sixty feet or more, and waved their bunches of nodding 

