142 



THE LAKE. 



morning, we discovered that we had halted 

 within half a league of the lake. The water was 

 all gone ; but the ground was boggy, and not to 

 be crossed, excepting at the place over which is 

 the usual path. It extends to the right and left 

 to a considerable distance, but is not broad, Jf 

 the mud was cleared away, it might, perhaps, af- 

 ford an inexhaustible source of water to the 

 neighbourhood ; but Brazil is not in a state for 

 such works ; hands, in these parts, are not yet 

 sufficiently numerous. In the afternoon, we 

 crossed some stony hills, and passed by two 

 fazendas. This day, I observed, at some dis- 

 tance, a high hill, of a circular form, standing 

 quite alone, and unconnected with any other 

 high ground. Its sides appeared to be too steep 

 for horses to ascend ; and I much regret not 

 being so situated as to be enabled to delay, for 

 the purpose of taking a nearer and more exact 

 view of it, &c. The guide was surprised at 

 my curiosity about it, and told me that horses 

 could not go up its sides, that there were 

 snakes upon it, &c. Ail this might be true ; 

 but it was evidently said, to prevent any inten- 

 tion I might have had of delaying to see it more 

 correctly. The plain appeared in many parts 

 as if the sea had at some time covered it ; — the 

 dead flat, the sand in places mixed with parti- 

 cles of a substance which looked like broken 

 shells, and the rocks worn away in such parts. 



