1 62 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



the other two were girls, whom I knew by sight, from the 

 same village one of them was rather pretty. They gave 

 me a letter from Aleixo, stating he was very sorry that he 

 and his wife were unable to come, but that his sisters-in- 

 law, brother-in-law, and some " compadres," * i.e. relations, 

 would accept my hospitality. Shortly afterwards the others 

 arrived, and then my guests numbered ten in all three 

 men, five women, and two slaves. Oh ! was it not delight- 

 ful ? The five women all took possession of Roberts's small 

 dressing-room, the two slaves were in the store-closet of 

 my large room, and the three men slept in the principal 

 room. They brought any amount of mats and bedclothes, 

 and twelve horses and mules. Fortunately they arranged 

 for the pasturage of the animals, so I had no trouble on 

 that score. All the saddles and horse-trappings, etc., were 

 stored in the closet where the two slaves slept my wine- 

 cellar, only filled, however, by empty bottles. 



Besides the stock of provisions I mentioned as having 

 provided, I had also laid in two bottles of cachaga, which 

 latter were emptied by my guests, the ladies, before I had 

 the pleasure of meeting them. 



April n, Good Friday. I had arranged with my cook 

 that the guests were to prepare their own food, so that, at 

 least, she might not have additional work ; and I assigned 



* I must here say a word about the term " compadre." Strictly speaking, 

 it is a religious expression, and has reference to the spiritual relationship in 

 which the godfather and godmother stand to the parents of their godchild. It 

 is their "afilhado " or "afilhada," according to sex ; they are the child's 

 "padrinhos," and are the "compadre" and "comadre" of the child's 

 parents. But these two last terms are applied with a wide meaning to other 

 friends than those who are thus spiritually connected. For instance, a wife 

 sometimes calls her husband "compadre," and vice versd. The ties of this 

 spiritual relationship, however, are very highly considered in fact, as much 

 as ties by marriage ; and a man who consents to be a godfather in these parts 

 has entailed upon him a multitude of duties, and incurs an amount of responsi- 

 bility which is unknown amongst us. 



