RIDE UP COUNTRY. 65 



yam, which when boiled is not unlike mealy potatoes. 

 There was a shoemaker at breakfast who was much exer- 

 cised about my long boots and the extremely broad soles, 

 and he was especially surprised when I told him they 

 were porpoise hide, made from the skin of a fish (golfinho, 

 in Portuguese) ; such a thing he had never heard of. The 

 owner of the fazenda is of Indian descent, and is said to be 

 rather grasping ; but his wife is very nice ; he also was 

 very civil, and refused any payment for the breakfasts of 

 our three selves and the horses. 



Leaving this hospitable house at midday, we travelled 

 for three hours, and then reached Sao Gongalo do Para. 

 This village is charmingly situated on a hill, which is the 

 general rule , but, though rather large, it is a very poor 

 place, composed almost entirely of mud huts, with the 

 exception of two or three houses ; and the children, both 

 black and white, go about with scanty attire, either a little 

 shirt or nature's garb. The churchyard there, as at Cajuru, 

 is on a hill, and surrounded by sixteen crosses, which are 

 supposed to keep off evil spirits. The sight it presents is 

 curious, being a large square bare plot, encompassed by a 

 wall, without any gravestones, but with these numerous 

 crosses all round, each ten or twelve feet high. 



The village possesses four wine-shops, which are also 

 general dealers, one apothecary's shop, and one sort of haber- 

 dashery store. We stopped at the last wine-shop near the 

 end of the village, and had some wine, mandioca biscuits, 

 and coffee, after which we left for Pitanguy ; but before we 

 had ridden for half an hour, we met the pack-mules, 

 camarades, and a spare horse belonging to the chief, and 

 heard that he was intending to sleep at Sao Gonjalo, and 

 put up at the above-named apothecary's. We, therefore, 

 returned to the village to await his arrival. In a quarter of 



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