Chap, iv.] CATTLE FAIR. 85 



Makers of the long riding boots so fashionable here wan- 

 dered about the fair trying to sell their handiwork, and I 

 bought from a similar wanderer one of the vaqueiro's leather 

 hats, which did me the best of service in thick and thorny 

 forests throughout the remainder of the cruise ; with this on 

 my head I could butt my way head first into any bush with 

 impunity. 



Close by the market-place was the church of the vicar 

 already mentioned, which had a mosque-like dome ornamented 

 with variously coloured dinner and tea plates set in patterns 

 in cement, a very original form of decoration. 



In the leather market quantities of skins of leather were 

 exposed for sale, and also tanned puma skins used for saddle- 

 cloths, and boa-constrictor skins, also tanned, used to make 

 boots and said to be remarkably waterproof. 



But the great sight of the fair is the cattle market, the 

 situation of which has already been described ; the cattle are 

 bred at estates far up the country, where they run wild in the 

 bush and are caught and branded, and drafted for market 

 every two years. 



The men who look after and drive the cattle are termed 

 " vaqueiros " in Portuguese. They are of all shades of colour 

 from black to white ; they are dressed when at work from 

 head to foot in undyed red-brown leather ; they wear leather 

 breeches, high leather boots with huge spurs, a leather coat 

 like a longish jacket, and a leather hat with rounded close- 

 fitting crown and broad brim : they ride small rough horses, 

 which are worth at Feira St. Anna from ^4 to ;£^. They 

 ride in saddles of the form commonly called Mexican or 

 Spanish. 



The vaqueiros receive as payment from the owners every 

 tenth head of cattle brought to market. They are, of course, 

 extremely expert riders, and it is marvellous what work they 

 get out of their small horses. 



The breeders rarely bring the cattle to market on their own 

 account, but sell them to dealers, who take them to Feira 

 St. Anna, and hand them over to other dealers again, who 

 sell them in Bahia or Caxoeira. 



The cattle are driven by the vaqueiros, who use a short 

 leather thong to strike them with. Bands of from 20 to 50 

 head of cattle were being driven into the market as we 

 approached. A vaqueiro rides in front of each herd, one on 

 each side, and one or more behind. They keep up a constant 

 shouting, and bring the animals along at a fair pace. 



Every now and then, a beast wilder than the rest, or less 

 exhausted by the long journey from the interior, breaks away. 



