388 



M ARAN GL APE. 



water in the rainy season, and in other places 

 they were covered with woods ; but these were, 

 for the most part to be entered even on horse- 

 back, owing to the cattle feeding in them, and 

 beating down the brushwood: It was astonish- 

 ing to see in how short a period the cattle 

 which had been accustomed to labour, became 

 wild and comparatively fierce. I was in the 

 habit of going occasionally with another person, 

 both of us being on horseback, to collect the 

 animals for the purpose of seeing that none 

 were missing ; we had many hard chaces after 

 them, and got many blows from the branches 

 of the trees, &c. One of the oxen was in the 

 habit of invariably going into a bog when we 

 appeared, and after having proceeded to a cer- 

 tain distance, he would turn round and look at 

 us with apparent unconcern, and as if he was 

 conscious that we could not reach him. This 

 circumstance makes me recollect another which 

 occurred with one of my pack-horses. The 

 animal escaped from Jaguaribe, and was not for 

 a long time heard of; but. at last I enquired of 

 an old black man, who said that he saw him 

 every day. The horse fed upon some lands 

 which produced excellent grass, but the only 

 water in the neighbourhood was to be obtained 

 from a well or hole, of which the entrance was 

 narrow, and the water considerably below the 

 surface. The negro said, that one day he found 



