178 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



foot in the stirrup, and seizing his mane, I threw back my 

 poncho to enable me to jump into the saddle. I suppose 

 he was frightened thereat ; anyhow, he started off at a 

 gallop up the street through the freezing mist. My helmet 

 flew off, the cold air blinded my eyes with tears, and I 

 went tearing up towards the church, endeavouring to get 

 my other leg over. When this was done, I pulled him up 

 and turned him back, after going some three hundred 

 yards, thinking I should kill any number of children, who, 

 with their parents, were all out to see our departure, and 

 rejoined our party, who were splitting their sides with 

 laughing at my discomfort. One of our men had jumped 

 into the saddle and ridden after me, but only caught me 

 up as I was returning. I took it out of that horse during 

 the day, galloping on in front and waiting for the others 

 to come up, and before we had finished our ride I. had to 

 spur him to get on. 



Leaving Brumado at 8.30, we reached Suassuhy at 1 1. 1 5. 

 For. the first part of this ride the mist hid everything, and 

 we passed through uncultivated land, which was only re- 

 markable for the canons, or " barrancadas," which I have 

 mentioned on going over the same ground nearly eleven 

 months before. Owing to one more wet season they were 

 much enlarged, and in some cases the path was really 

 dangerous, having subsided a yard or two. The mist, 

 however, as usual, rolled off as if by magic, and for a time 

 I luxuriated in the cloudless sky and fine views of the 

 valleys, and the ranges of Boa Morte and Ouro Branco. 

 We reached the bridge over the Rio Paraopeba at 12.30, 

 rested here an hour for breakfast, which we had brought 

 with us, and then rode across country through forest and 

 capoeira and scrub, with occasionally some cultivated 

 land, to the station of Lafayette (Queluz), where we arrived 



