TMOSQUITOS. 



155 



and threw it down, but before he could turn his 

 horse, another had attacked him, running his 

 horns into the fleshy part of one of the horse's 

 thighs. The boy had taken the precaution of 

 putting a bridle on to his horse, otherwise, if he 

 had mounted with a halter only, he would most 

 probably have suffered much more. One of his 

 brothers came to his assistance, and drove the 

 oxen quite away. The facility with which the 

 beast w r as thrown, proved that practice and 

 quickness were more requisite than strength in 

 this operation. 



Towards the evening a shower of rain came 

 on, being the first we had had since we left 

 Goiana, and indeed this was the only rain which 

 fell during my journey between Goiana and 

 Seara. However there is not usually much wet 

 weather at this season of the year ; the distress 

 occasioned by the want of it, arose from the 

 failure of the accustomed rains in the preceding- 

 winter. We removed to the hut across the 

 ravine, leaving the greatest part of our baggage 

 under the tree, but the shower did not continue 

 long. The hut was too small to admit of our 

 taking up our lodging for the night in it, and in 

 case of rain the tree was too far from the hut to 

 reach it in time to prevent being wet, for which 

 reason I determined to sleep in the ravine close 

 to the fence, at the foot of the hill upon which 

 the hut stood. I made a bed for myself upon 



