CUSTOMS OF THE SERTANEJOS. 



227 



correct idea of the inhabitants of the fazendas 

 or cattle estates. Unlike the Peons of the coun- 

 try in the vicinity of the river Plata, the Ser- 

 tanejo has about him his wife and family, and 

 lives in comparative comfort. The cottages are 

 small and are built of mud, but afford quite 

 sufficient shelter in so fine a climate ; they are 

 covered with tiles where these are to be had, 

 or, as is more general, with the leaves of the 

 Carnauba. Hammocks usually supply the place 

 of beds, and are by far more comfortable, and 

 these are likewise frequently used as chairs. 

 Most of the better sort of cottages contain a 

 table, but the usual practice is for the family to 

 squat down upon a mat in a circle, with the 

 bowls, dishes, or gourds in the centre, thus to 

 eat their meals upon the floor. Knives and forks 

 are not much known, and are not at all made 

 use of by the lower orders. It is the custom in 

 every house, from the highest to the lowest, as 

 in former times, and indeed the same practice 

 prevails in all the parts of the country which I 

 visited, for a silver basin, or one of earthenware, 

 or a cuia, and a fringed cambric towel, or one 

 that is made of the coarse cotton cloth of the 

 country, to be handed round, that all those who 

 are going to sit down to eat may wash their 

 hands ; and the same ceremony, or rather neces- 

 sary piece of cleanliness, takes place again after 

 the meal is finished. Of the gourds great use 



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