72 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



empressement as if we were his oldest friends, and did not 

 appear the least disturbed at the size of our caravan. He, 

 of course, talked long and eloquently about his route for 

 the railway, which we promised to go over the next day. 

 The principal produce of his farm besides maize is cotton, 

 of which he sends four hundred arobas (13,094^ lbs.) yearly 

 to Sao Joao del Rey, whence it goes to all parts, as the 

 southern portions of the province do not produce much. 

 He also grows grapes, and makes wine, which he sells at 

 eight milreis (about 13J. 4^. to 14J. %d^ per "barril" of 

 twenty-one litres, including the cask. 



By the way, speaking of " going to all parts," I asked 

 a man the other day where a certain road led to ; he 

 answered, "Well, first to Barbacena, then to the whole 

 world." 



August 10. — We left the fazenda at about ten, having 

 first insisted on the colonel receiving payment for the 

 maize our beasts had eaten, and after much pressing he 

 took ten milreis. In about two hours we reached the old 

 camping-ground of the second section, and found the tents 

 removed, so we had to ride or walk through the " picadas " 

 (lines cut through the woods) till we came across the party 

 at three p.m. After a long talk we returned a distance of 

 two leagues to the "city" of Rio de Peixe, reaching at 

 length the same path from which I saw the fine sunset 

 on my first journey. 



Arrived at the village, we put up at a small house 

 owned by a gigantic nigger, where the accommodation was 

 nothing remarkable, but the food was excellent ; and after 

 dinner we went up town to pay visits and gather opinions 

 on the colonel's proposed route ; the general feeling seemed 

 rather opposed to it. 



August II. — Having obtained a guide, we set off at ten 



