38 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



in full fruit. The host was at dinner, to which he imme- 

 diately gave us a hearty invitation. The food was, as usual, 

 chicken hash mostly bones came secca (sun-dried beef), 

 rice, farinha, cheese, and preserved Indian corn made into 

 a sweet. The repast finished, I had a long talk with mine 

 host, after which coffee came in, and with it his wife. 

 I rose and saluted her ; she bowed, and begged me to be 

 seated, and then retired. The women are very much 

 secluded here ; in fact, I have not yet seen the wife of my 

 landlord at this hotel, though I have heard her through 

 the walls. An old gentleman shared my bedroom at the 

 fazenda. We went to bed at eight, and rose at six next 

 morning. After coffee, and visiting our beasts, and a 

 farewell glass of Schiedam, we left the hospitable roof, 

 taking a youth for a short way to show us the direction 

 to the main road. He left us when we arrived at the bridge 

 across the Rio Paraopeba, whence the guide said he knew 

 and I thought ,1 could find the route. The youth 

 intensely appreciated a milreis, which I gave him for 

 attending, to the horses and pointing out the road. We 

 reached Sao Amaro by 10 a.m., and after breakfast and 

 a walk round about left, arriving here, our starting-point, 

 late in the afternoon. During this trip I have only seen 

 one snake (Cobra coral} that is dangerous, and a large 

 bird like a small ostrich, called " ciriema." All snakes are 

 called " cobra " here, which is a deception. 



One of our party has been attacked by "jiggers" or 

 " chegoes," but only one so far.* I have been attacked by 

 numerous carrapatos, which I believe I caught by hanging 

 my clothes on the bushes when bathing in the river, 

 because in my three-days' ride I have found none. 



On the road from Sao Amaro hither, I passed through 



* See note on Insect torments. 



