THE TOWN. 3d 



produced in tliis genial climate, and from the little 

 intercourse these peojile hold with the rest of man- 

 kind, can be obtained at a mere nominal price. On 

 nearing the shore we found the coast rocky and pre- 

 cipitous, covered with herbage of the richest green ; 

 a heavy surf was beating on the rocks, but we landed 

 by the assistance of the Portuguese, who fearlessly 

 plunged into the water and hauled our boat ashore. 

 We found on the beach a concourse of dark and 

 light, young and old, male and female, assembled to 

 meet us ; all shoeless, and many of them hatless ; all 

 making a noise and bounding from cliiFto cliff" with 

 little less agility than the goats, of which great num- 

 bers are kept for the sake of their milk and skins. 

 On proceeding to the town, the name of which I 

 never could discover, not having seen an American 

 who knew, or a Portuguese who could tell me what 

 it was, although I have asked the question fre- 

 quently, always with the same result, we found that 

 it was built without regard to order or regularity — 

 the buildings of stone. Many plats of ground were 

 surrounded by immense stone walls ; some of these 

 plats are not more than sixteen feet square, but are 

 enclosed by walls two feet thick, reminding one of 

 the masonry in the German castles of romance. At 

 the town we saw little to attract except the merry 

 appearance of the female, and scowling expression 

 of the male inhabitants ; the men looking upon us, 

 it seemed, as intruders, and desiring but little inter- 

 course with us ; the women, although barefooted and 

 with hair unkempt, their negligent dress exposing 

 rather more of their persons than accordant with 

 modesty, were more than affable ; every article of our 



