32 A WAYSIDE INN. [chAp? 



who, sooner than again be led into slavery, dashed hen 

 to pieces from the summit of the mountain. In a Romai 

 matron this would have been called the noble love o 

 freedom : in a poor negress it is mere brutal obstinacy 

 We continued riding for some hours. For the few las' 

 miles the road was intricate, and it passed through £ 

 desert waste of marshes and lagoons. The scene by the 

 dimmed light of the moon was most desolate. A few 

 fireflies flitted by us ; and the solitary snipe, as it rose, 

 uttered its plaintive cry. The distant and sullen roar of 

 the sea scarcely broke the stillness of the night. 



April ^th, — We left our miserable sleeping-place before 

 sunrise. The road passed through a narrow sandy plain, 

 lying between the sea and the interior salt lagoons. The 

 number of beautiful fishing birds, such as egrets and 

 cranes, and the succulent plants assuming most fantastical 

 forms, 'gave to the scene an interest which it would not 

 otherwise have possessed. The few stunted trees were 

 loaded with parasitical plants, among which the beauty 

 and delicious fragrance of some of the orchideae were most 

 to be admired. As the sun rose, the day became extremely 

 hot, and the reflection of the light and heat from the white 

 sand was very distressing. We dined at Mandetiba ; the 

 thermometer in the shade being 84'. The beautiful view 

 of the distant wooded hills, reflected in the perfectly calm 

 water of an extensive lagoon, quite refreshed us. As the 

 venda* here was a very good one, and I have the pleasant, 

 but rare remembrance, of an excellent dinner, I will be 

 grateful and presently describe it, as the type of its class. 

 These houses are often large, and are built of thick upright 

 posts, with boughs interwoven, and afterwards plastered. 

 They seldom have floors, and never glazed windows ; but 

 are generally pretty well roofed. Universally the front 

 part is open, forming a kind of verandah, in which tables 

 and benches are placed. The bedrooms join on each side, 

 and here the passenger may sleep as comfortably as he 

 can, on a wooden platform, covered by a thin straw mat. 

 The vinda stands in a courtyard, where the horses are 

 fed. On first arriving, it was our custom to unsaddle the 

 horses and give them their Indian corn ; then, with a low 

 bow, to ask the senh6r to do us the favour to give us 

 something to eat. "Anything you choose, sir," was his 

 usual answer. For the few first times, vainly I thanked 



* V^nda, the Portuguese name for an inn. 



