326 



A JOURNEY m BRAZIL. 



from mosquitoes, piums, and all kinds of noxious insects. 

 At first a life so remote and isolated seems a hard lot, 

 and one would think only the greatest devotion could 

 induce a man to undertake it. But there is hardly a 

 corner so remote in Brazil as not to be reached by the 

 petty local politics ; and the padre is said to be a great 

 politician, his campaign before election among the poor 

 people with whom his lot is cast being as exciting to 

 him as that of any man who canvasses in a more dis- 

 tinguished arena ; the more satisfactory, perhaps, because 

 he has the game very much in his own hands. We left 

 Taua Peassu with the dawn, and are again on our way 

 to Pedreira. The weather still continues most favorable 

 for travelling, — an overcast sky and a cool breeze. But 

 to-day the black river sleeps without a ripple ; and, as we 

 pass along, the trees meet the water, and are so perfectly 

 reflected in it that we can hardly distinguish the dividing 

 line. I have said that the forest is not characterized by 

 palms, and yet we see many species which we have not 

 met before ; among these is the Jara-assti, with its tall, 

 slender stem, and broom-like tuft of stiff leaves. Mr. 

 Agassiz has just gone on shore in the montaria, to cut 

 down some palms of another kind, new to him. As he 

 returns, the little boat seems to have undergone some 

 marvellous change ; it looks like a green raft floating on 

 the water, and we can hardly see the figures of the 

 rowers for the beautiful crowns of the palm-trees. 



December 29th. — Pedreira. I have said little about 

 the insects and reptiles which play so large a part in most 

 Brazilian travels, and, indeed, I have had much less annoy- 

 ance from this source than I had expected. But I must 

 confess the creature who greeted my waking sight this 



