;'.^V:-> 



158 



SALT-MARSH. 



nauba trees. We bordered the marsh, looking 

 for a crossing and entered it, where we found the 

 footsteps of others who had recently passed ; the 

 mud was from twelve to eighteen inches deep 

 where we crossed ; but it was in some parts im- 

 passable. The salt had coagulated wherever the 

 footstep of a horse had formed an opening in 

 the mud, and had collected a small quantity 

 of water. The breadth of the marsh might be 

 about two hundred yards in the centre, and its 

 length about one league. After leaving the 

 marsh, we reached the taboleiro, upon which we 

 were to sleep. Towards evening, the wind was 

 high. I was riding as if I had been seated upon 

 a side-saddle, with both my legs on the same side 

 of the horse, and with my umbrella over my head 

 to shade me from the heat of the sun ; a sudden 

 gust of wind took me and my umbrella, and 

 landed us in the sand, to the no small entertain- 

 ment of my companions. If the horse had gone 

 off, I should have been awkwardly situated ; but 

 he had travelled too many leagues to be fright- 

 ened at trifles such as these. 



We continued travelling for two days over the 

 same kind of ground ; plains with trees thinly 

 scattered, and spots of wooded land. We like- 

 wise crossed two salt-marshes ; but upon these 

 there was no mud. The water which oozes 

 from the land, on digging into it, is however 

 salt ; but the soil was dry and hard. Mimoza, 

 the dog belonging to my new guide, afforded us 



