538 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



ation as has been described, while the others acted upon it according to 

 circumstances. They pillaged and murdered the victims, and buried, in 

 some secluded spot, the bodies, clothes, trunks, animals, bridles, saddles, 

 and every thing belonging to them. 



Such is the general outline of a story, which is related with some 

 variety of circumstances, but with a perfect agreement as to the effect of 

 these events on the mind of the Priest. He thought that, as a Minister 

 of the Catholic Faith, it was mortal sin in him to betray a secret, and 

 to fail in the discharge of a trust, and that he was, on no account what- 

 ever, except in the service of religion, to hasten the death of a human 

 being ; and, fancying that he had sinned in all these points, he became 

 insane. — A little more firmness of mind, a slight change in his modes of 

 thinking, or even a tinge of that corrupt lightness, which in so many 

 cases modifies the superstition of his fi-aternity, might not only have 

 saved him, but led him to rejoice that he had been an instrument of 

 saving many from death, and promoting the ends of justice. " So com- 

 plicate, so wonderful, is man !" 



A few miles farther on, we left the stream, and entered a country 

 of singularly irregular features, yet exceedingly rich, inclosed with fine 

 fences of Espinho, a species of Mimosa, and, comparatively speaking, 

 well peopled. Our route was very uneven, and we descended the slip- 

 pery hills with more speed than we wished to use, for every step was 

 insecure and hurried us forward ; at the same time, a number of loaded 

 mules, which we passed going up a steep hill, seemed to me, from the 

 same causes operating in a different direction, to go twice, or even 

 three times, over the ground. From one of these heights we looked 

 back to the spot where day had broken upon us, traced the whole line 

 of intervening mountains, and, on the East and lN[orth-East, contem- 

 plated valleys, through which rolled the streams of the country toward a 

 grey expanse, seemingly the bed of a principal river. 



Having outridden my companions, I halted at a place where was a 

 small church and a house or two ; and employed myself, till they came 

 up, in shooting parrots, some of which I wished to secure for dinner. 



