254 JOURNEY FROM CARAVELLAS 



cnmpo entirely surrounded with woods, and produced beautiful grasses 

 and various wild plants, which were new to us, and formed a welcome 

 addition to our collections. Among others, we found on the ground 

 under the shade of the trees, the reindeer moss, ( lichen rangiferinus. 

 Linn.) in abundance. This plant, which in the north is the food of 

 that most useful animal, the reindeer, is widely extended. From 

 this place we soon came again to the sea-coast, and at the distance 

 of a league and a half from Comechatiba, to the little river Cahy, 

 which cannot be passed except at ebb tide. When we reached it, we 

 were almost too late to cross it ; but the negroes and Indians of the 

 fazenda, who were perfectly acquainted with the road and the waters, 

 waded through the stream, and carried our baggage on their heads 

 and shoulders, fortunately without suffering any part of it to get wet, 

 to the opposite bank. The Cahy, which like all these rivers flows 

 from a dark woody valley, is inconsiderable at the time of the ebb, 

 but at high water rapid and rough. Farther to the north, at the 

 distance of three or four leagues, we met with another rather larger 

 river, the Corumbao. On our way the flood rather impeded us, and 

 the oppressive heat rendered it still more fatiguing. 



The coast was sometimes high and steep, and then again low, 

 covered with dark-green woods of the laurel kind. On the beach we 

 often found the aricuri palm, as well as many beautiful new species 

 of grass and reeds. The small valleys, which open to the sea, are 

 partly filled with beautiful picturesque lakes or lagoas, M'hich, where 

 they could open themselves a passage to the sea, have outlets ; they 

 are generally full of various reedy plants. The tide continued to 

 rise till about noon ; and as the trunks of fallen trees blocked up the 

 road in several places, we were obliged to ride through the advancing 

 surge. In this manner we reached without accident the mouth of the 

 Corumbao, which is said to be in 17° south latitude. At the barra 

 of this little river, the fertile banks of which are stated to produce 



