( 157 ) 



We arrived, about, four in the evening, at a poor place called 

 Kesequinha, the owner of which made every provision for us which 

 his scanty means afforded. He dispatched a negro to gather grass 

 for the mules, which is here incredibly scarce ; and killed us a fowl 

 or two for dinner. The time previous to that meal ,hung heavy on 

 our hands ; there were no birds to afford us an hour's shooting, and 

 we had no source of diversion, except that which the lively fancy 

 and inexhaustible humour of my companion afforded. We dined 

 heartily about seven o'clock on stewed fowls and mandioca, which 

 fully supplied the want of bread. That article is so extremely scarce 

 in these parts, that even the populous village of Barbasinas, though 

 situated in the richest corn-district of the province, could furnish 

 us only one rusk. Being overcome yv'ith weariness, we prepared 

 for rest. One of our beds was placed on the table, the other on a 

 dried hide stretched upon the clay floor. These were miserable ac- 

 commodations; but sleep knows little distinction between the hovel 

 and the palace, and a man thoroughly disposed may enjoy it as 

 soundly in one as in the other. So it was with my companion ; he 

 was in a profound slumber within five minutes after he had lain 

 down, in despite of the rough materials of which his pallet was 

 composed. Mine prevented me from sleeping, and compelled me 

 to sit up during most of the night ; it consisted, as well as his, 

 of the leaves of Indian corn crammed into a bag, with the mouth 

 tied up ; but the careless negro who performed that operation had 

 neglected to pick out the core or pith from which the grain is rubbed 

 so that there was no finding an easy posture upon it. I sat 

 musing on the absolute wretchedness of every thing around ; a mi- 

 serable lamp hung over our heads and threw a dismal glimmer 

 through the apartment ; the floor was uneven and broken into holes; 

 the table on which we had dined consisted of one large plank of a 

 quality not discoverable without the assistance of a scraper, as it 

 had never been cleaned since it was made ; there was not a chair or 

 any thing resembling a seat, except an antique bench with a back 



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