TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



47 



The hospitality of this worthy PauUsta, and the 

 natural good-nature with which his numerous family 

 welcomed us strangers, rendered our stay at Ypa- 

 nema one of the most agreeable parts of our 

 journey, upon which we never reflect without 

 pleasure. Our host gave up to us a small house 

 near the manufactory, where we had room enough 

 to arrange, air, and dry our collections. He him- 

 self resided in a farm upon an eminence, about ten 

 minutes walk from the place, but had several horses 

 kept ready saddled the whole day, near to us, to 

 facilitate our excursions. Our residence with this 

 friendly unaffected family would have been very 

 agreeable to us from the first, had we not been un- 

 easy about the delay of our caravan, which was to 

 have joined us on the evening of our arrival. Three 

 days passed in anxious expectation, and it was not 

 till we had sent a tropeiro with fresh animals, that 

 our mules arrived on the fifth day in the most de- 

 plorable condition. A free negro, who came from 

 Rio de Janeiro with our troop, as tropeiro, and who 

 was born in this part of the country, treacherously 

 ran away as soon as he found himself in his native 

 place. This event inspired us with invincible dis- 

 trust of all people of his colour, which opinion was 

 of considerable service to us on many similar occa- 

 sions. We must, therefore, recommend to travel- 

 lers in the interior of Brazil to take the greatest 

 care in the choice of their servants ; the less they 



