154 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



house, I thought it well to give my large, nickel-plated 

 army regulation revolver an ostentatious cleaning, and 

 load it before their eyes. To-day, two pretty little Italian 

 boys were roving about the town with violin and harp, 

 playing and singing. I believe they made a good thing 

 of it ; but their father, who kept in the background, took 

 the money. 



Guavas are now abundant ; they began to come in about 

 ten days ago. I found one or two ripe near the river, a 

 week ago, and being very thirsty, after a Saturday after- 

 noon spent in catching lepidoptera, I ate them. They are 

 by no means pleasant to taste when raw, and have a 

 peculiarly disagreeable smell ; the delicious and delicate 

 flavour only appears after cooking, and they are even more 

 succulent when the fresh fruit is simply skinned, cut up, and 

 stewed with a little sugar, than in jelly or marmalade. The 

 latter is called " goiaba," and is most excellent ; it is very 

 generally made here. * 



This week the townsfolk have begun to weed the street 

 and mend the road in preparation for the crowds of visitors 

 who come here for the Holy Week. 



It was only to-day that I was able to have the mince- 

 meat made up into mince-pies which you sent in the box 

 that arrived on January 10. But it was in perfect condition, 

 and we all enjoyed it much, though rather late in the season. 



March 23. To-day Aleixo, our former cook, came to 

 pay me a visit, and to ask me to house him and his wife 

 and one or two brothers-in-law during the coming " festa." 

 I did not at all like the idea, but was compelled to assent 

 with as good grace as I could. In the afternoon I dined 

 with John Baptist, as I often do. The parish priest, Padre 



* On leaving Rio de Janeiro for Europe, I bought a large quantity of it, 

 which was much appreciated in England. 



