LIVING AT A VRNDA 21 



presently describe it, as the type of its class. These houses are 

 often large, and are built of thick upright posts, with boughs 

 interwoven, and afterwards plastered. They seldom have floors, 

 and never glazed windows ; but are generally pretty well roofed. 

 Universally the front part is open, forming a kind of verandah, 

 in which tables and benches are placed. The bedrooms join 

 on each side, and here the passenger may sleep as comfortably 

 as he can, on a wooden platform covered by a thin straw mat. 

 The venda stands in a courtyard, where the horses are fed. 

 On first arriving, it was our custom to unsaddle the horses and 

 give them their Indian corn ; then, with a low bow, to ask the 

 senhor to do us the favour to give us something to eat. '' Any- 

 thing you choose, sir," was his usual answer. For the few first 

 times, vainly I thanked Providence for having guided us to so 

 good a man. The conversation proceeding, the case universally 

 became deplorable. " Any fish can you do us the favour of 

 giving?" — "Oh no, sir." — "Any soup?" — "No, sir." — "Any 

 bread ? " — " Oh no, sir."—" Any dried meat ? " — " Oh no, sir." 

 If we were lucky, by waiting a couple of hours, we obtained 

 fowls, rice, and farinha. It not unfrequently happened that we 

 were obliged to kill, with stones, the poultry^f^ our own supper. 

 When, thoroughly exhausted by fatigue and hunger, we timorously 

 hinted that we should be glad of our meal, the pompous, and 

 (though true) most unsatisfactory answer was, " It will be ready 

 when it is ready." If we had dared to remonstrate any further, 

 we should have been told to proceed on our journey, as being 

 too impertinent. The hosts are most ungracious and disagree- 

 able in their manners ; their houses and their persons are often 

 filthily dirty ; the want of the accommodation of forks, knives, 

 and spoons is common ; and I am sure no cottage or hovel in 

 England could be found in a state so utterly destitute of every 

 comfort. At Campos Novos, however, we fared sumptuously ; 

 having rice and fowls, biscuit, wine, and spirits, for dinner ; 

 coffee in the evening, and fish with coffee for breakfast. All 

 this, with good food for the horses, only cost 2s. 6d. per head. 

 Yet the host of this venda, being asked if he knew anything of 

 a whip which one of the party had lost, gruffly answered, " How 

 should I know ? why did you not take care of it ? — I suppose 

 the dogs have eaten it." 



Leaving Mandctiba, we continued to pass through an in- 



