A VACATION TRIP TO BRAZIL. 651 
light; but the only feature that strikes the uninitiated 
eye as tropical in this scenery is the occasional slender, 
graceful curved stem of a palm, with its beautiful leaf and 
crown. The breeze comes to us warm and fragrant, and 
one breathes it in in long draughts. But now comes a 
clearing, and a low projecting tiled roof is seen nestled in 
among the heavy foliage. In front is a long line of cocoa 
palms. One sees the large, deep green, shining leaves of 
the Jaca, or bread-fruit ( Artocarpus integrifolia), two spe- 
cies of banana and orange trees, and would never dream 
he was anywhere else than in the tropics. There is one 
palm seen here (Mauricea) which I do not remember 
having seen elsewhere in Brazil. It is a large palm, with 
immense ragged-edged, fan-shaped leaves. There are 
numbers of them on the shore just below Para. Mean- 
while that we have been sweeping the shore with an 
opera glass, watching the little Chinese-looking boats, 
with their leather-colored cotton sails, or a little Brazil- 
ian sidewheel steamer, outward bound, we come up with 
a little fort, an old-fashioned, circular structure, built on 
a tiny island a few miles down the river. Over the para- 
pet appears the mouth of an enormous speaking-trumpet, . 
that hides the head of the officer who hails the ship :— 
Donde vem?” (Whence come you?) 
“New York,” answers the Captain. 
* Quantos dias?” (How many days?) 
“Nineteen.” 
* Para onde vai?” (Where are you going ?) 
“Rio de Janeiro.” 
“Boa Viagem!” 
- At five o'clock we are anchored off the city, having 
consumed the day in ascending the river, a distance of 
seventy miles, for all the morning we had to stem the 
strong outflowing tide. , 
