124 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



who mostly come to get work on the railway, though a few 

 of them are pedlars or itinerant musicians, may commit a 

 murder or other crime for the sake of robbery. There is no 

 capital punishment ; the severest sentence is imprisonment 

 for life or transportation to the island Fernando de Neronha. 



He informs me that Queluz is now filling fast with 

 people, who are building houses everywhere round about, 

 in anticipation of the railway being opened as far as that 

 place by the loth of January next. 



In his clearings are ten and a half alqueires * of maize, 

 which is now coming up finely. The yield will be probably 

 eighty carros (ox-carts), each carrying from twenty-five to 

 twenty-seven alqueires of maize ears, which is a pretty good 

 return. 



On the afternoon of the 17th, we had to ride a long 

 distance to meet some men on business ; it rained nearly 

 the whole time, and the return journey of two hours and a 

 half was through a ceaseless deluge. Having passed over 

 a marsh brilliant with fireflies and a will-o'-the-wisp, we 

 forded a much-swollen stream, up to the horses' girths, and 

 reached camp at eight, thoroughly wet. 



December 20. — We had ordered the ox-cart to be here 

 early this morning to shift our camp. It was only about a 

 mile — as the crow flies — from the ox-cart's starting-point 

 on the other side of the valley to our camp ; yet, owing to 

 the amount of water in the river, they had to travel some 

 six miles by a circuitous route ; and even then, when they 

 reached the ford, it was impassable for the cart ; so the 

 oxen were unyoked, the cart was left on the other side, 

 the oxen were brought over somehow, another cart was 

 borrowed on this side, and it finally arrived at 12.30. 



* An alqueire of land is the surface that can be sowed with an alqueire of 

 seed. 



