Travels m the Brazils. 107 



here found together. But as this country was still in the pos- 

 session of Patachos, and the wild beasts, it was not possible to 

 erect the saw-mill; the minister ordered the high-bailiff of 

 Porto Seguro to repair hither, to assemble the necessary hands 

 for establishing afazenda, and to protect the inhabitants against 

 the Tapuyas. It accidentally happened that Captain Benta Lou- 

 renzo Vas de Abren Lima, an inhabitant of Minas Novas, who 

 with twenty-two armed men had penetrated from the frontiers 

 of the Capitania of Minas Geraes, along the banks of the Me- 

 curi through the wilderness, had, just at this time reached 

 the sea coast. His unexpected appearance in the Villa do Port 

 Allegre, induced the minister to issue orders to furnish that 

 enterprizing Mineiro with people requisite to form a passable 

 road through those forests, in the route which he had taken. I 

 had the pleasure to learn from this ingenious man the particu- 

 lars of this bold and dangerous enterprise. He undertook at 

 his own expense to cut a path through the woods which with 

 several years hard labour he had accomplished with the assist- 

 ance of twenty- two soldiers and armed volunteers. The Cap- 

 tain and his party were nearly starved in their progress 

 through the wood, having nothing to subsist on but what 

 chance threw in their way. Finally, however, they succeeded 

 in their undertaking and entered Villa de Mucuri amidst the 

 acclamations nndfeux de joye of the inhabitants. 



It was now determined to open a road through these forests, 

 in the track of the captain ; and to this end they Avaited only 

 the arrival of the high-bailiff. By degrees, the woodmen who 

 were mostly Indians, arrived and were set to work. 



Between the hills of Minas Geraes and the east side of this 

 wild wilderness onwards, are still many hordes of Aboriginal 

 savages to be met with, and which apparently will remain 

 some time longer, independent of the Portuguese. Measures 

 are taking to construct roads in various directions, in order to 

 convey to this poor and newly-planted colony the products 

 of Minas, and to obtain a communication with the principal 

 towns and the sea. As the rivers afforded the speediest passage, it 

 was determined to form these roads along them. One has 

 been opened to Mucuri, another to Rio Grande de Belmont Cy 

 a third on the Ilheos, and two others are now constructing to 

 Espirito- Santo, and to Itapemirim on to Minas. The woods 

 round Mucuri are filled with the Potachos and Botocudos. 

 Higher up there are more tribes of the Tapuyas in a distknt 

 desert, in the confines of which reside the well-shaped, comely 

 Maconis, the Malalis, and others. 



The Capuchas, or Capo^c/i-Indians. Cumanachos, Machacalis, 

 and Panhamis, or {Payiiamis,) are found in the surrounding 



