456 



A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 



mountain* with snow in the hottest days, he brings the 

 stones from the top of the serra to the bottom, he finds 

 animals in the bowels of the earth and brings out their 

 bones."" " Ah ! " replies the padre, " a wonderful saint, 

 truly ! such an one as I need for my chapel ; let me 

 - look upon his face." Handkerchief withdrawn, and the 

 saint in question of course loses his forfeit. Yesterday, 

 after breakfast, we left our pleasant friends and came on tr 

 to the little village of Pacatuba, a league farther inland, 

 and most picturesquely situated at the foot of the Serra 

 of Aratanha. Here we are fortunate in finding an empty 

 " sobrada " (two-storied house), in which we shall establish 

 ourselves for the two or three days we mean to spend in 

 this neighborhood. We have had it swept out, have hung 

 our hammocks in the vacant rooms, which, with the excep 

 tion of a straw sofa and a few chairs, are innocent of 

 furniture ; and if we find it rather forlorn within doors, 

 we have at least beautiful views from all our windows. 



April 7th. — Pacatuba. We have already ascertained 

 that our exploration must be confined to the serras in the 

 midst of which we find ourselves ; for every one tells us 

 that, in the present state of the roads, it would be impossi- 

 ble to go to Baturite and return in the short time we have 

 at our disposal. However, Mr. Agassiz is not disappointed ; 

 for he says a farther journey could only give him glacial 

 phenomena on a larger scale, which he finds here immedi- 

 ately about him in the greatest perfection. On this very 

 Serra of Aratanha, at the foot of which we happen to have 

 taken up our quarters, the glacial phenomena are as legible 

 as in any of the valleys of Maine, or in those of the moun- 

 tains of Cumberland in England. It had evidently a local 

 glacier, formed by the meeting of two arms, which de- 



