/ START ON CAMP LIFE. 85 



stereotyped style of cookery, so far as I have seen. The 

 cook first takes some toucinho (salted fat pork) and puts 

 it into a pot over the fire to melt ; then, after mixing a little 

 water with the melted grease, he pours some of it into 

 three or more other pots, in one of which is the chicken, 

 armadillo, nhambu, rola — any of them, or all together ; in a 

 second pot will be rice, in a third feijoes, and so on. When 

 the meal is cooked, the black pots are brought into my 

 tent, and I partake of the greasy mess, washing it down 

 with white wine, which is very sweet. If I can get bread 

 so much the better ; if not, I have to be satisfied with 

 farinha, which looks just like white sawdust, to try and 

 take off a little of the superabundant grease. 



September 7. — I found that a large " marimbombo's " 

 (wasp) nest, which was built on the ground in the middle 

 of my picada, had, during the night, been eaten up by a 

 tatu, or at least most of its inhabitants were destroyed, and 

 the nest torn to atoms, of which I was very glad, as my 

 men were much afraid of it, being very cowardly. 



At 2 p.m. a man came to tell me that Dr. Rebou9as 

 had arrived, so I had to return to camp immediately, where 

 I found Dr. Rebou^as, Dr. Amerigo dos Santos, and some 

 other visitors. After a long talk and examination of the 

 rough plans, we all rode off together to inspect as much 

 as could be seen from horseback, and I then accompanied 

 the party a few miles on their way to Brumado. 



September 8. — I had to go into Brumado to see the chief, 

 and disturbed a vast company of fifty-six urubus, or 

 vultures, and one " gaviSo " (hawk), who were gorging on 

 the bullock I before mentioned. My benevolent chief,* to 



* Mr. George Ransom. After leaving us he was employed on railway 

 construction in the Argentine Republic, and was unfortunately killed while in 

 the execution of his duty at Vipos Station, Tucuman, on the North Central 

 Railway, November II, 1885. 



