194 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



When our party was again collected, I once more proceeded a little in 

 advance, and thereby escaped many single shots ; but had no sooner 

 reached the Church than I was attacked from behind its corner, with 

 several well-aimed balls, one of which almost disabled my bridle hand. 

 I made off with all speed, mounted the sand-hill, and from thence con- 

 templated the conflict between my friends and the fair Amazons, who 

 had lain in wait ; for the Governor's daughters had planted themselves in 

 a well-supplied ambush, in expectation of our passing. The contest, 

 while it wetted, imparted to us a share of the good humour with which 

 it was maintained by our opponents; and even our unfortunate 

 companion escaped from the sullen cloud, which had spread over his 

 mind. 



The party at the Farm consisted of the master of the house, his 

 wife, two sons, and two daughters, five or six English visitors, the 

 German Doctor, and his pretty, wicked wife, who ere long destroyed 

 him by poison. The host had no small resemblance in figure, to our 

 Henry the Eighth : bis face was covered with carbuncles, his features 

 proportioned to his frame, his eyes large and fierce, and his brow won- 

 derfully compressed, and capable of an extraordinary expansion. Hence 

 the movements of his mind were singularly discernible, and from these 

 appearances, as well as his deep and harsh tones, and his boisterous 

 action, we judged him to be ferocious and cruel ; though he could smile, 

 and in his cheerful moments, had a playfulness of manner, which ill- 

 accorded with his other qualities. We were not surprised to find that 

 he had filled a higher rank in society ; and of him I could beheve the 

 story often repeated of singular characters, or of men in singularly 

 obscure circumstances, that he had been obliged by the commission of 

 murder to fly to some distant hiding place. Yet was this tiger held in 

 a soft bondage; his wife, a careful manager of the family, appeared to 

 receive and return his warmest afiection and confidence. She told us 

 that he had once been addicted to gambling, at which period they were 

 always poor ; but that now he was reformed, had purchased the farm on 



