SEARCH FOR A DINNER. 
57 
1848.] 
the lady or her grown-up daughters. At six a.m. we had 
coffee; at nine, breakfast, consisting of beef and dried 
fish, with farinha, which supplies the place of bread; and, 
to finish, coffee and farinha cakes, and the rather unusual 
luxury of butter. We dined at three, and had rice or 
shrimp soup, more variety of meat or fresh fish, and ter- 
minating with fruit, principally pine-apples and oranges, 
cut up in slices and served in saucers ; and at eight in 
the evening we had tea and farinha cakes. Two or three 
Negro and Indian boys wait at table, constantly changing 
the plates, which, as soon as empty, are whipped off the 
table, and replaced by clean ones, a woman just behind 
being constantly at work washing them. 
Our boy Antonio had here turned lazy, disobeyed 
orders, and was discharged on the spot, going off with a 
party who were proceeding up the Amazon after pirarucii. 
We now had but one man left, and with two that Senhor 
Gomez lent us to go as far as Baiao, we left Vista Alegre 
on the morning of the 2nd of September. The river 
presented the same appearance as below, — innumerable 
islands, most of them several miles long, and the two 
shores never to be seen at once. As we had nothing for 
dinner, I went with Mr. Leavens in the montaria, which 
om' Indians were to return in, to a house up an igaripe, 
to see what we could buy. Cattle and sheep, fowls and 
ducks were in plenty, and we thought we had come to 
the right place ; but we were mistaken, for the follow- 
ing conversation took place between Mr. Leavens and a 
Negro woman, the only person we saw; — ''Have you 
any fowls to sell?” — -"No.” "Any ducks?” — "No.” 
" Any meat?”—" No.” " What do you do here then ?” 
