BEGINNING OF THE RAINY SEASON. 105 



mounted my horse and rode off. The whole affair seemed 

 to me rather repulsive, and the repetitions in the service at 

 least needless, while the heartless conduct of the priests, 

 bowing and smiling to each other over their pinch of snuff, 

 was scandalous. 



The major was a great man in these parts, as you may 

 imagine from the number of people who attended his 

 funeral. The fazenda was full of visitors, who had come 

 off at such a short notice twelve hours at most ; for they 

 slept there on Saturday night, and kept coming out of 

 their bedrooms after I arrived. Four of these bedrooms 

 open into the hall where I was received, and where we 

 breakfasted. There were some fine-looking old gentlemen, 

 who rather stood aloof from me at first, as a stranger ; but 

 when the sons explained I was the "doctor" and chief 

 engineer for the district, they gradually spoke to me. One 

 asked whether one could go by land from here to England. 

 Another said he believed it was six months' journey to 

 England. When, after answering them, I said that on the 

 opening of the railway they would be able to reach Rio 

 de Janeiro in a day, they thought that I was romancing. 

 Such is the native mind ; but, perhaps, not inferior to that 

 of many English people who have never been to London. 



November 3. To-day, by special request, I attended the 

 Requiem Mass of the seventh day at the private chapel in 

 the Fazenda do Cortume. The service was timed for ten. 

 I arrived a few minutes before, and was, as usual, received 

 with great kindness. The priest of Sao Amaro arrived 

 about 10.30, and Padre Francisco a quarter of an hour 

 later. Service began at eleven. All the men of the family 

 were attired in more or less decent black, with new un- 

 starched black cotton shirts and stand-up collars, so with 

 their swarthy complexions and straight black hair they 



