IX 
AROUND SAO GABRIEL 
peak we were in the midst of a thick cloud and 
were soaked by the wet dripping from the trees. 
Though we cut a way at the summit to the side 
from which we should have had a good view of the 
rest of the serra and of the river, and waited some 
time, the clouds only now and then partially rolled 
away so as to show the first lower ridge round the 
base of which we had skirted in order to reach the 
foot of the highest peak. It seemed to be con- 
tinuous with the latter, being joined by the 
shoulder before mentioned and forming with it a 
kind of cirque. We were on the top exactly at 
noon. 
In descending it was not a very pleasant look 
downwards from the top of the perpendicular walls, 
but the actual descent of them was accomplished 
without accident. My long legs and arms stood 
me in good stead in reaching from one branch of 
sipo to another, and I retained my vasculum slung 
across my shoulders all the way. These rocks 
were adorned by pendulous masses of a large 
Selaginella, silvery on the underside. The rock 
throughout was granite. We were just descending 
from the shoulder spoken of in the ascent, v/hen 
the sun broke forth and the clouds rolled rapidly 
away ; but it was not worth while to reclimb 500 
feet merely for the sake of the view, even had the 
sky been certain to continue clear. 
On returning the following day I spent nearly 
two hours in the caatinga, where I gathered a good 
many Ferns and Hepaticae. 
[By careful barometer observations at the top 
and the foot of the serra, and the average at corre- 
sponding hours of the whole month at Sao Gabriel, 
