LETTERS FROM BRAZIL 99 
siz, Coutinho, and I going first, our companion waiting 
to look after the baggage. If you had seen me, dear 
Mother, on some parts of that day’s ride I think you 
would not have believed your eyes. You would have 
said, “either our Lizzie has gone completely out of 
her senses and is downright crazy, or it’s not she at 
all.’ What do you think, with my sentiments about 
horse flesh in general, of my fording streams with the 
water up to the horse’s breast, so that I was in momen- 
tary anguish lest he should take to swimming? All I 
could do was to hold up my habit and tuck up my feet 
as high as I could, notwithstanding which they got 
very wet, and then cling for dear life. Luckily there 
were houses near the two deepest rivers, so I hired a 
man to come and wade before me to find the best 
places and take hold of the bridle when the bottom 
was bad; for often there were logs and deep ruts so 
that the horses went floundering about in a frightful 
way. Altogether I think it was the most perilous 
day’s journey I’ve had yet in all my wanderings. 
Notwithstanding the anxieties Agassiz was happy for 
all his prophecies were fulfilled. 
We came upon the tracks of moraines and all sorts 
of glacial débris, to the importance of which I confess 
I found it difficult to give my mind under the circum- 
stances. We rode in this way a very long four leagues 
(some twelve miles) and did not reach our next stop- 
ping place till two o’clock, having started at half 
past eight o’clock in the morning. We were going to 
ask hospitality for the night from some friends of 
Coutinho and I was, oh, so glad when we turned off 
