CUNHAU. 



97 



parts. There are upon it about 150 negroes, 

 and the lands belonging to it would employ four 

 or five times the number, but the colonel pays 

 more attention to cattle, by which his father in- 

 creased his fortune very largely. 



As usual, on our arrival by the side of the 

 rivulet, the horses were unloaded, and my ham- 

 mock was slung for me. I laid down in my 

 clothes, but soon I started up, finding myself 

 uneasy. The guide saw me, and called out, 

 " O sir, you are covered with carapatos" I 

 then perceived them, and felt still more their 

 bites. Instantly throwing off part of my clothes, 

 but with the remainder upon me I ran into the 

 water, and there began to take them off. The 

 carapato or tick, is a small, flat insect, of a dark 

 brown colour ; about the size of four pins' heads 

 placed together, it fastens upon the skin, and 

 will in time eat its way into it. It is dangerous 

 to pull it out quickly, when already fixed, for if 

 the head remains, inflammation is not unfre- 

 quently the consequence. The point of a heated 

 fork or penknife applied to the insect, when it 

 is too far advanced into the skin to be taken out 

 with the hand, will succeed in loosening it. 

 There is another species of tick of much larger 

 size, and of a lead colour; this is principally 

 troublesome to horses and horned cattle, that are 

 allowed to run loose in lands which have been 

 only partially cleared. I have, in some ih- 



VOL. I. 



n 



