PRELIMINARY EXPLORATIONS. 



oxen go down again to bring up the other. You would be 

 surprised if you saw the country, and what are called roads. 

 Sometimes one side of the cart is a couple of feet higher 

 than the other, while the next moment the reverse is the 

 case, and it is a wonder there are not often upsets. Al- 

 though the drivers appear to consider their animals in the 

 matter of affording them sweet music (!), they are fearfully 

 cruel ; even on level ground the oxen are continually goaded, 

 so that their bodies are a mass of wounds and sores, especially 

 on the shoulders ; and when they are pulling against the 

 cart (going downhill), the drivers stand in front brandishing 

 their arms, prodding and beating the poor things over the 

 head, eyes, and neck (yelling the whole time), till they 

 tremble and shrink back with fright and pain. 



Having sent off our impedimenta, and obtained a 

 sufficient number of mules and horses, we all left yesterday 

 morning, most of the staff going off at about nine ; while I 

 remained with the chief, and we were detained an hour and 

 a half. We had a pleasant ride, stopping at 3.30 for some 

 German export beer, and " biscoito de polvilho " cakes 

 made of the gluten (or raw tapioca) from the mandioca 

 root, very good and nutritious. Our hostess, the woman 

 with the neck, was glad to see me again, and wished us to 

 remain, which was impracticable ; so again mounting, we 

 reached Brumido before seven, and found our companions 

 had only arrived a quarter of an hour earlier. My bene- 

 volent friend Joao Baptista entertained us all right royally 

 at dinner, and placed a house on the opposite side of the 

 street at our disposal. 



Brumado (as it is generally called, though there are 

 several places of the same name) is a large village of some 

 twelve hundred inhabitants, and has several very good 

 houses. It is dubbed a city (cidade) after the American 



