UNPLEASANT BATHING 
you were in the water, immersed up to the mouth, it took 
a brave man to come out again, as millions of mosquitoes 
and flies and gnats circled angrily and greedily above your 
head, ready for the attack the moment you appeared. 
We were travelling all the time at elevations varying 
from 1,450 feet at our last camp, to 1,400 feet at our 
present camp, the highest elevation between these two 
places being on a rocky hillock about 100 feet higher than 
those altitudes. 
Our camp was on a streamlet flowing from south to 
north, of milky water containing lime, which made our 
tongues and gums smart when we drank it. 
Again, on May third we went through forest all the 
time, with wonderful palms and many medicinal plants. 
Alcides had an extensive knowledge of the curative quali¬ 
ties of the various plants. Various species of the Caroba 
(Bignoniacece ), very beneficial, they say, as a blood 
purifier, especially in the worst of terrible complaints, 
were plentiful there. Giant nettles, the Ortiga or Cas- 
sausan , as it is locally called, were also frequently notice¬ 
able, especially when we passed too near and were stung 
all over by them. 
We had risen to 1,200 feet on the summit of a range 
called O Fogo. From it we had another exquisite view of 
the mountain range called Bucainha, which we had left 
behind to the east. It had a marked erosion on its 
north side. 
On the west side of the pass we found curious small 
domes, as well as pillars and other rocks of columnar 
formation. We had met during the day many Aricori 
palms, which, I was told, produced a sweet fruit excellent 
to eat when ripe, in the month of November. 
After a steep, rocky descent, we made our camp. We 
halted earlier than usual. I was sitting outside my tent 
while my dinner was being cooked. I could not help 
smiling at the warlike array which had been necessary 
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