5 
were accompanying us said there was another bat cave, which failed to materialize 
xhey next said that there \iere ponds and a rivulet just a little ways further 
over the curve of the loountain. 
Dr. Dias and i both doubted this "little 
ft 
Y/ays stateriBnt, but we decided to try it nevertheless, i shall never regret 
my decision# the whole valley unrolled before us as we went higher and 
higher, until it seemed that we were lookins, over the edge of the world 
# 43 . 
drop of about 80° sti’aiglit down impelled the boy and the negro man to dislodge 
rocks from the path and let them hurtle do\m, bumping and thumping occasionally 
on the muntain side find then bounding out into space again# Thinking of 
this, I Y/as glad I was not responsible for anybody except myself on this trip# 
^ host of georgeous vYild flowers decked our path# un the loY^er reaches^ 
exquisit magenta fuchsia trees held out their pendant buds, and a pearly 
white shrubby begonia beckoned everyv/here# Nature ^s own rock garden appeared 
profusely Dlooming on the higher levels 
.X charming tiny red and yellow 
plant resembled one at Lagoa Grande# very sweet-smelling alpine plant Y/ith 
four roY/s of tiny leaves set in perfect sedum-like regularity along its 
stiff strai^it stem Y/as topper by lovely 5-petaled itiite flo\^rs like tiny 
poppies# I^d give anything if I could get the seeds of itj A gorgeous, 
large-blossomed, purple flower with the most delightfully coral -pink buds 
and nice fuzzy green leaves seemed to be growing ever^^vdiere # A shrub with 
some red berries was rather scarce — 1 only saw three# — un our way up we 
passed through the abandoned lYorks of the gold mines built by the Portuguese 
Bandeirantes 2U0 years ^o# LSassive stone avails a yard thick reared them- 
selves 5u feel from the lower slopes, and we walked along their tops, on 
and off the little path that paralleled them. Great stone doorwa^rs that 
led to nothing franed exquisite bits of mountain and cloud across the valley# 
I Y/ished 1 were an archeologist with pick and slx)vel, to dig around the 
\ 
