RIDE UP COUNTRY. 61 



ways at Barbacena and S. Joao del Rey. Cajuru is the 

 centre of about forty districts and villages, within six or 

 seven leagues, which supply a great portion of the exports 

 of the S. Joao del Rey Railway. These districts will be 

 tapped by our railway, which will probably take three- 

 quarters of the traffic away from the little line. A great 

 saving will also be effected in cost of transit, as S. Joao del 

 Rey is over one hundred miles away, and cartage is very 

 costly. That railway now imports from eighty thousand to 

 ninety thousand sacks of salt annually, of which a great 

 portion comes in this direction, and its cost here is double 

 the price it is at Rio de Janeiro. The captain was so 

 engrossed with his subject that when he showed us to our 

 bedroom he came in and stood a long time talking of the 

 coming railway. 



August^. The painful screech of a passing ox-cart woke 

 us at 6.30, and we " fell to " with coffee and " pipoca " (fried 

 pop-corn). Fortunately our host asked whether we would 

 breakfast before we started which is unusual, as you are 

 supposed to depart after coffee and as we had not the 

 faintest idea where or when we should get any food, we 

 accepted with joy. While waiting, I bought half a metre 

 of tobacco, which was rolled on a reel like rope at an Eng- 

 lish oilman's, and is sold by lengths ! 



Our host, who is a sturdy Liberal, began conversing on 

 politics, and mentioned the names of Lord Palmerston, Mr. 

 Gladstone, and Lord Russell. I told him the Conservatives 

 are very strong in England, as he appeared to think they 

 form quite an insignificant and inconsiderable party. It 

 was well we had something to draw away our attention 

 from the breakfast, for it was not sumptuous eggs, pork, 

 and marmalade (made of marmello = quince). The pork in 

 this province is always disgusting, being cut into small 



