TO THE RIO GRANDE DE BELMONTE. 



247 



The plantations of the inhabitants of Prado he scattered in the 

 woods on the Sucurucu. These wildernesses contain also great num- 

 bers of animals fit for the chace ; beautiful species of woods and wild 

 fruits. Brazil wood is abundant here ; the shoemakers use it to dye 

 the leather black ; if ashes are added to this colour, it becomes red- 

 dish, ( rocho ). Amongst the birds which enliven the woods, near 

 the town, the aracuan above-mentioned is very frequent: toucans 

 and parrots are shot by the inhabitants, in great numbers, and eaten 

 as delicacies on festivals : for in general mandiocca-flour, black beans, 

 salt meat, and at times some fish, are the constant food of the Bra- 

 zilians, to which the traveller must also accustom himself. Among 

 the natural plagues of this country, the principal is the sand flea, 

 (pulex penetrans,) which is here extremely common in the sand on 

 the coast ; even in the houses these insects abound, and it is there- 

 fore necessary, frequently to examine the feet. 



As a heavy rain came on, and besides, one of our mules had run 

 away, I was obliged to stop two days in this dreary, sandy spot. 

 On the second, however, I was amply indemnified for this unpleasant 

 circumstance ; for, on that day, a company of the savages, with whom 

 I had long wished, in vain, to become acquainted, appeared in the 

 town. They were of the tribe of the Patachos, none of whom I had 

 ever yet seen, and had come down from the woods to the planta- 

 tions but a few days before. They entered the town stark naked, 

 with their arms in their hands, and were immediately surrounded by 

 a crowd of people. They brought large balls of black wax for sale, 

 and we procured a number of bows and arrows of them, in exchange 

 for knives and red handkerchiefs. 



These savages had nothing striking in their appearance, they were 

 neither painted nor otherwise disfigured: some were short, most of 

 them of the middle size, rather slender make, with large bony faces, 

 and coarse features. But a few of them had handkerchiefs tied round 



