286 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
was in sight, and the sun rose beautifully clear, 
dispelling the mists from the serras and tinging 
them with gold. To a mind alive to the beauties 
of nature such a scene has always a soothing and 
enlivening effect ; and this being further aided by 
the stimulus of a fragrant cup of coffee, Richard 
was himself again." We had one considerable" fall 
to ascend just after starting, but after this we had 
only rapids easily passed until reaching the worst 
of all the falls, at the foot of the hill on which Sao 
Gabriel is built. It is commonly called the 
cachoeira da praya granda " from a wide sandy 
beach stretching below it, on the left bank of the 
river. Here we had again to pass the heavy cargo 
overland. A broad path has been made from below 
the fall up into the town, but the distance is much 
greater than from above the fall. I walked up, 
however, to have an interview with the Com- 
mandant, and found the path sufficiently fatiguing 
— up and down hills of granite, heated by an un- 
clouded sun. Thanks to Senhor Manoel Jacinto's 
recommendation, he had procured me a house, the 
best in the place. Having ascertained this, I re- 
turned to see the canoe dragged up the fall. There 
was now no want of hands, for several soldiers of 
the garrison came to lend their assistance, attracted 
probably by the expectation of a pinga of aguardiente. 
Still, it took an hour and a half to surmount the fall, 
though fifteen men were yoked to the ropes. 
I sat down under a cliff of granite, watching with 
anxious eyes the passage of my little vessel ; and 
when at last she had plainly cleared the perilous 
spot, a load was, as it were, removed from my heart, 
and I mentally returned thanks to a kind provi- 
