270 



JOURNEY FROM CARAVELLA§ 



Among the trees which surrounded the dwelhng, was an immense 

 gamelera tree, (Jicus,) which spread its gigantic arms horizontally 

 to a great distance, and bore a magnificent crown, on a short very 

 thick trunk ; the stiff' oval leaves are broad and dark green, and the 

 twigs contain a milky juice. On the trunk and branches of this tree 

 there was a rich botanical collection; for many kinds of bromelia, a 

 fine cactus, bind-weeds, mosses, and lichens, with many other juicy 

 and leafy plants, were sociably assembled in the most remarkable 

 manner, in the dark shade of this fig-tree. More to the south, on 

 this coast, they give the name of gamelera to a very different kind of 

 tree ; but the gamelera preta, and hranca, mentioned by Koster, 

 seem to have an afiinity to the tree in question. The wood of the 

 gamelera is used by the savages in some parts to kindle fire, by turn- 

 ing it round in another piece of wood. The anacarclium occide?itale, 

 Linn, {acaju tree) was also very common here ; its sourish, pear- 

 shaped fruit is frequently eaten; it M-as now in full blossom. 



At St. Andre I found some of the inhabitants employed in making 

 thin ropes, which, as soon as they were finished, they rubbed with the 

 fresh juicy bark of the arueira shrub, (schmus moUe, Peruvian mastic 

 tree,) by which they are rendered of a bright dark-brown colour, and 

 very durable in water, as the oily resinous juice of the bark com- 

 pletely covers and penetrates them ; this method is however applied 

 only to tiiciim ropes, which, when prepared in this manner, fetch a 

 good price at Bahia. Ropes of grawatha (hromelia ) or of cotton, are 

 rubbed with mangrove leaves. The juice of the arueira is likewise 

 used by the Indians in diseases of the eyes ; but they take for this 

 purpose only the greenish sap of the young plants. 



When the unpleasant windy weather had a little abated, I took 

 leave of our host at St. Andre, intending to reach the same day the 

 river Mogiquicaba, which the inhabitants of the country generally 

 call Misquipaba. The beach, as far as that river, is at low water 



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