Chap. V. BEAUTIFUL VEGETATION. 187 



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 se- 

 cluded 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, volunteered as guide. We em- 

 barked 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 over-archmg trees, 

 glimpses were obtained of the palm-thatched huts of 

 settlers. The projecting boughs of lofty 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 orna- 

 mented with large gaily- coloured flowers. Art could not 

 have assorted together beautiful vegetable forms so 



