A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



Others. We sallied forth, and took a tramcar going S.W. 

 Passing the cathedral, which has a beautiful exterior, we 

 went on as far as the Boulevard de Talence. Here we were 

 in the midst of country roads, detached stone houses in 

 beautiful gardens, surrounded by high stone walls, creeping 

 vines hanging over some of them ; in fact, the tout ensemble 

 very picturesque. We walked along the Boulevards de 

 Talence and du Tondu as far as the Rue d'Orano, and then 

 back to town by the Rue d' Alsace-Lorraine. It was now 

 8.30, and breakfast time. We indulged in the local bif-tik 

 a la bordelaise and other delicacies, and, after a final walk 

 round, repaired to our tender. 



Being detained three-quarters of an hour before start- 

 ing, I had the amusement of witnessing a civil marriage. 

 The happy pair came to the office on the quay, attended by 

 two or three friends ; the bride dressed in white with a veil, 

 the bridegroom in full dress. They said a few words, the 

 bride and bridgroom joined hands, gave a bouquet to the 

 registrar — a little fat man in a tall hat — and the business 

 concluded in about two minutes, when the joyous pair 

 walked off. 



June 10. — Last night at 7.30 we had a little excite- 

 ment. I was on deck aft, close by the rudder, when 

 suddenly there was a noise and a snap, and one chain of 

 the steam-steering gear broke. We were consequently 

 unable to steer the vessel, and, considering that we were 

 just at the mouth of the river in rough water and running 

 between buoys, it was rather serious. The captain and 

 a dozen men immediately rushed aft and disconnected the 

 steam gearing, while four men were set to work the wheel 

 sailors being stationed along the deck to pass the commands 

 from the bridge. Everything, however, was put straight 

 by 9.15. I found out in the course of the evening how the 



