102 



TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON, 



[September^ 



curious and clumsy-looking wooden saddles, huge stirrups, 

 long lassos, and leather ammunition-bags, with long guns and 

 powder-horns of formidable dimensions, made them striking 

 figures, and the more picturesque from their being dusky 

 mulattoes. As soon as the sun set the mosquitoes made their 

 appearance, and the doors of the house were shut, a pan of 

 cow-dung lighted outside, and a lamp within. After a short 

 time supper was announced, and we sat down on a mat on the 

 floor to an excellent repast of turtle, which had been recently 

 brought from the Amazon. We then turned into our hammocks, 

 which were hung across the room in every direction. In fact, 

 the house was pretty well occupied before we came, so that we 

 were now rather crowded ; but a Brazilian thinks nothing of 

 that, and is used to sleep in company. The doors and 

 windows were well closed, and though rather warm we did not 

 suffer from the mosquitoes, an annoyance to which any other is 

 preferable. 



The next morning we prepared for our expedition to the 

 mountain, and as we did not know whether we should have to 

 stay the night, we provided ourselves with sufficient provisions, 

 and a large gourd to carry water. We walked some miles along 

 the side of the marsh, on which were many curious aquatic 

 birds, till we arrived at a deserted cottage, where we made our 

 breakfast, and then turned off by a path through a wood. On 

 passing this we found ourselves at the foot of a steep slope, 

 covered with huge blocks of stone, in the greatest confusion, 

 overgrown with coarse sedges and shrubs, rendering any ascent 

 among them extremely difficult. Just above was the curious 

 pillar we had seen from the village, and which we determined 

 to reach. After a most fatiguing scramble over the rocks and 

 among innumerable chasms, we found ourselves on the plat- 

 form below the columnar mass, which rises perpendicularly 

 thirty or forty feet, and then hangs over at the top all round in 

 a most curious and fearful manner. Its origin is very plainly 

 to be seen. The pillar is of friable stone, in horizontal layers, 

 and is constantly decaying away by the action of the weather. 

 The top is formed by a stratum of hard crystalline rock, which 

 resists the rain and sun, and is apparently now of the same 

 diameter that the pillar which supports it originally was. 



We had thought, looking from below, that we could have 

 proceeded along the ridge of the mountain to the further end, 



