BAIAO 



83 



sixty feet high. The houses were more substantially 

 built than those we had hitherto seen. We succeeded 

 in buying a small turtle ; most of the inhabitants had a 

 few of these animals, which they kept in Httle inclosures 

 made with stakes. The people were of the same class 

 everywhere, Mamelucos. They were very civil ; we were 

 not able, however, to purchase much fresh food from 

 them. I think this was owing to their really not having 

 more than was absolutely required to satisfy their own 

 needs. In these districts, where the people depend for 

 animal food solely on fishing, there is a period of the year 

 when they suffer hunger, so that they are disposed to 

 prize highly a small stock when they have it. They 

 generally answered in the negative when we asked, money 

 in hand, whether they had fowls, turtles, or eggs to sell. 

 Nao ha, sinto que nao posso Ihe ser bom or * Nao ha, 

 meu coracao ' (* We have none ; I am sorry I cannot 

 oblige you or ' There is none, my heart 



Sept. yd to 7th. — At half-past eight a.m. we arrived 

 at Baiao, which is built on a very high bank, and con- 

 tains about 400 inhabitants. We had to climb to the 

 village up a ladder, which is fixed against the bank, and, 

 on arriving at the top, took possession of a room, which 

 Senhor Seixas had given orders to be prepared for us. 

 He himself was away at his sitio, and would not be here 

 until the next day. We were now quite dependent on 

 him for men to enable us to continue our voyage, and so 

 had no remedy but to wait his leisure. The situation of 

 the place, and the nature of the woods around it, promised 

 well for novelties in birds and insects ; so we had 

 no reason to be vexed at the delay, but brought our 

 apparatus and store-boxes up from the canoe, and set 

 to work. 



The easy, lounging life of the people, amused us very 

 much. I afterwards had plenty of time to become used 

 to tropical village life. There is a free, familiar, pro 

 bono publico style of living in these small places, which 

 requires some time for a European to fall into. No 

 sooner were we established in our rooms, than a number 

 of lazy young fellows came to look on and make remarks, 

 and we had to answer all sorts of questions. The houses 

 have their doors and windows open to the street, and 

 people walk in and out as they please ; there is always, 

 however, a more secluded apartment, where the female 



