168 



A GHOST. 



our horses to be turned, and this arrangement 

 being made, I had then time to look round, and 

 see my quarters. Not a tree or shrub was to be 

 seen in the neighbourhood, but there were im- 

 mense sand-hills on one side, and on the other 

 the sea. The convenience of the spot for fishing 

 could alone have made these people fix upon it 

 for a residence. I sent out to purchase a fowl ; 

 one was brought, for which I paid 640 reis, 

 about 3s. 6d. Julio told me that he had seen 

 some goats and kids, upon which I sent him to 

 purchase one of the latter ; he returned with a 

 large one, for which the owner asked 80 reis, 

 less than 6d. I thought I was in duty bound to 

 eat my fowl, but the kid was much finer of its 

 kind. A boy passed in the evening with a large 

 turtle, which he begged the guide to exchange 

 for about one pound of the kid ; the meat was 

 given to him, but his turtle would have been of 

 no use to us. 



Julio, when lie went to purchase the ikid, had 

 heard a long story about a ghost, which made its 

 appearance in the house at which we had sta- 

 tioned ourselves. The persons from whom he 

 heard it, had advised him to make me acquaint- 

 ed witli the circumstance, that I might move to 

 some other place for the night. I began to sus- 

 pect some trick, and told my people my idea of 

 the sort of ghost we were likely to meet with ; I 

 found that this cheered them, as by them sha- 



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