Chap. IV. SONGS OF CANOE-MEK 149 



treated their two superiors with the most amusing 

 famiUarity, yet I never sailed in a better managed 

 vessel than the St, John. 



In crossing to Cameta we had to await the flood-tide 

 in a channel called Entre-as-Ilhas, which lies between 

 two islands in mid-river, and John Mendez, being in 

 good tune, gave us an extempore song, consisting of a 

 great number of verses. The crew lay about the deck 

 listening, and all joined in the chorus. Some stanzas 

 related to me, telling how I had come all the way from 

 " Ingalaterra " to skin monkeys and birds and catch 

 insects ; the last-mentioned emplo}^nent of course 

 giving ample scope for fun. He passed from this to 

 the subject of political parties in Cameta ; and then, 

 as all the hearers were Cametaenses and understood 

 the hits, there were roars of laughter, some of them 

 rolling over and over on the deck, so much were they 

 tickled. Party spirit runs high at Cameta, not merely 

 in connection with local politics, but in relation to affairs 

 of general concern, such as the election of members to 

 the Imperial Parliament, and so forth. This political 

 strife is partly attributable to the circumstance that a 

 native of Cameta, Dr. Angelo Custodio Correia, had 

 been in almost every election one of the candidates for the 

 representation of the province. I fancied these shrewd 

 but unsophisticated canoe-men saw through the absurdi- 

 ties attending these local contests, and hence their incli- 

 nation to satirise them ; they were, however, evidently 

 partisans of Dr. Angelo, The brother of Dr. Angelo, Joao 

 Augusto Correia, a distinguished merchant, was an 

 active canvasser. The party of the Con^eias was the 



