162 
TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [December, 
village of Serpa, where we found a festa or procession 
going on,— a number of women and girls, with ribands } 
and flowers, dancing along to the church with the priest | 
at their head, in a most ludicrous manner. In the even- I 
ing we went to the house where the dancing took place, I 
1 
and had some wine and sweetmeats. We bought here 
some coffee and a large basket of plantains. On Christ- 
mas day we reached a house where they had just caught 
a quantity of fish, and we wanted to buy some, which 
was refused, but they gave us a fine fat piece for our 
dinner. We bought some eggs, and when we stopped i ! 
for the day concocted a farinha pudding, and so, with our 
fish and coffee, made a very tolerable Christmas dinner, : ■ 
while eating which our thoughts turned to our distant 
home, and to dear friends who at their more luxurious 
tables would think of us far away upon the Amazon. 
