

AREIAS. 



16? 



and John also was then ashamed to be the only 

 person on horseback. 



We advanced very quickly over the wet sands, 

 passed two fishermen's huts distant from Tibou 

 two leagues ; and one league further turned up 

 from the shore by a steep, sandy path, which 

 took us to the hamlet of Areias, composed of one 

 respectable looking dwelling and five or six straw 

 huts. The lands we passed this afternoon, bor- 

 dering the shore, are low and sandy, without 

 trees and without cultivation. In seasons less 

 severe than this there is a small spring of water, 

 not far from the fishermen's huts which we had 

 passed, but now it was entirely dried up ; they 

 stand near to a small piece of ground, of which 

 the soil is less sandy than that in the neighbour- 

 hood, and a crop of water-melons is usually ob- 

 tained from it, which had however completely 

 failed this year. On our arrival at Areias I made 

 for the principal house, and asked for a night's 

 lodging. The front room was offered to me, 

 upon which our horses were unloaded, and our 

 baggage put into it. I was surprised to see no 

 elderly or middle aged person belonging to this 

 house ; there were three or four boys only, of 

 whom the oldest was about sixteen years of age, 

 and he appeared to direct the concerns of the 

 establishment. He had a piece of enclosed 

 ground near to the house, into which he allowed 



M 4f 



