TO VILLA DE ST. SALVADOR. 95 



here met with was truly astonishing. Large black flocks of the 

 Spanish duck (anas viduata. Linn.) and of the piping green- 

 shouldered kind, which Azara has described by the name of ipecu- 

 th'i, flew up like a cloud at our first fire ; the latter is the most com- 

 mon species of duck in those parts of Brazil which I visited. 



When it was near twilight, our guide, who was a negro, led us 

 across the water to a marshy island. He told us that his master 

 would arrive here with his canoe to carry us over the Lagoa Feia ; he 

 however did not make his appearance that day. As we were threat- 

 ened with heavy rain, some of our company proposed to ride back to 

 a little hut about half a league distant, where we had found five or 

 six soldiers, who kept guard there, that no smuggling of diamonds 

 from Minas might be carried on. We returned to this post ; the 

 soldiers made us a good fire, gave us mandiocca flour and salt meat, 

 and we chatted away the evening with them. These militia soldiers, 

 who are of a rather brown complexion, wear ^^'hite cotton shirts and 

 breeches, with their necks uncovered, and l)are feet ; like all the 

 Brazilians, each of them has a rosary hung round his neck. A 

 musket without bayonet is their only weapon. In the day-time they 

 fish in the lagoas, and except the flour and salt meat with which they 

 are supplied, they derive their sustenance from the water. Cords, 

 made of twisted ox-hide, are put up about their hut, on which they 

 hang their fish to dry. The hut itself was fitted up as a guard-house, 

 contained several chambers, and was furnished with some sleeping- 

 nets and wooden tressels. 



It was not till the following morning that the canoe appeared Mitli 

 the hunters, who had suffered themselves to be detained by the flocks 

 of ducks, and had been overtaken by the night. We now began to 

 cross the lagoa, and as soon as the canoe landed our cargo, the men 

 who composed it immediately dispersed to hunt. They shot among 

 other birds, the ibis with a reddish face (cardo ), and the caracara 



