42 THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



"Viva Senhores," grinning in the height of good nature. He 

 might have been forty years of age ; he was well made, and 

 remarkably athletic, yet his figure was that of a youth of twen- 

 ^ ty. His temples were tatooed, and his teeth cut off diagonally. 

 His whole dress consisted of a pair of coarse, loose brfeeches. 

 We asked him many questions ; he told us that he had been 

 brought from Mozambique when young, but he did not express 

 any desire to return, nor any regret for the loss of his parents. 

 With some hesitation he accepted of a cigar, and it was some 

 time before he was persuaded to light it; when he did, how- 

 ever, he puffed in ecstacies, and I concluded that he had never 

 before regaled himself with a real Havana, and said so. Brun- 

 ner replied, that it was not the cigar which gave him pleasure, 

 but the honor which he conceived he was receiving at our 

 hands — in all probability a white man had never addressed 

 him, except in a sharp, imperative tone. 



He went his ways, and we sat ourselves down upon the rock 

 and lighted our cigars. 



CHAPTER IV. 



The Opera — The Currency. 



The night on which I visited the opera, La Italiana in 

 Algeri" was performed in a masterly style. The scenery was 

 good, and the orchestra full and efficient. The company is 

 composed of Italians, brought here by the emperor, Pedro 1. 

 The house is large, and contains one hundred and twelve 

 boxes, besides the imperial box which fronts the stage. The 

 pit is extensive, and the seats are separated from each other, 

 like arm chairs, and some are so arranged that they may be 

 kept under lock and key. The prompter is placed in front of 

 the stage so conspicuously, that the dramatic illusion is in a 

 great degree lost. A box or wooden hood is built about two 



