160 A BOOK-LOVER S HOLIDAYS 



Portuguese, Indian, and negro, and no color- 

 line was drawn by the pure bloods of any of the 

 three races. Whatever their blood, they lived 

 alike and dressed alike. There were very curious 

 customs among many of them, customs which 

 were probably dying out, but which must 

 surely have been imported from utter savagery, 

 although they were all Christians and all spoke 

 Portuguese. As an instance, a number of them, 

 from out-of-the-way places, but including at 

 least one man who was of practically pure white 

 blood, had the edges of their front teeth filed so 

 as to make them semicircular. 



When we hunted we would leave our camp, 

 or the ranch -house where we had slept, before 

 dawn. The hot sun flamed red above the 

 marshes or sent long shafts of crimson light be 

 tween the palm trunks. It might be evening 

 before we returned. The heat of the day would 

 be spent in the shade near a pond, and often our 

 dusky companions would then get into long con 

 versations with us. These camaradas usually 

 rode little stallions, but sometimes one would 

 be mounted on a trotting ox, which was guided 

 by a string through the nostrils. Half -starved 

 dogs followed behind. The men carried spears, 

 rarely firearms. Their hats and clothes, their 

 saddles and bridles seemed on the point of fall- 



