ANTS.—SNAKES, AND OTHER REPTILES.—RIVER OF IGUARAÇU.—BUILDING A
HOUSE.—SEVERAL SPECIES OF TIMBER TREES.—THE PINHAM, MUTAMBA, AND
GAMELEIRA TREES.—THE WHALE.
I HAVE said that the lands of the Engenho Velho were much infested by
the red ants; but indeed scarcely any part of the island of Itamaraca
is free from these most noxious insects. They are of a dusky red
colour, and vary from one quarter of an inch to one inch in length.
Their bite is painful, and they will sometimes fix themselves so
firmly with their antennæ, as to leave the points of them in the wound
which they have made. Their food is entirely vegetable. I found them
extremely troublesome during the continuance of the rains. They would
often make their way between the bricks of the floor of my house, and
pick up any particles of flour or any grains of maize which might
chance to be strewed upon it. On one occasion, two large bags of maize
of equal size were placed in the room at night; but in the morning
one of them was considerably lower than the other; for this I could
not account until, on a nearer examination, I saw one of the red ants
coming out of a small hole which there was at one side of the bag, with
its load upon its back, and soon another followed, and so forth. I now
accidentally put my hand upon the bag, and it fell still lower; so that
an arch must have been formed within, either by a very singular chance,
or by the management of these most extraordinary insects.
Upon another evening, they made their appearance in such great
numbers as to darken the floor of the corner of the room from which
they proceeded. I sent for some dried leaves of the coco-tree, and
only got rid of the enemy by making in the house a bonfire upon the
spot of which they had taken possession. I had some pomegranate trees
at the back of the cottage, which I was preserving with great care;
and I had one evening particularly admired the beauty of one of these
plants, which was covered with red blossoms. In the morning the flowers
were still upon the tree, but scarcely any leaves remained; these
were upon the ground, and some of the destroyers were cutting off
the few which still were left, whilst their companions were occupied
below in conveying away the spoil. I could not avoid watching them
for some minutes, and admiring their ingenuity and systematic manner
of going to work; but soon I vowed vengeance upon these enemies, and
immediately commenced operations. There was a steep bank a little below
the cottage, which had every appearance of harbouring these insects,
for the red earth which lies at some distance below the surface of the
ground, was thrown up all around it. I placed four negroes below the
bank, to cut it away perpendicularly. They had not worked long before
the war commenced, for a war it was when some of the nests were laid
open. The ants came out in great numbers, but torches of dried coco
leaves were ready and a large fire, and with these weapons we had much
the advantage of them. The bank contained a vast number of circular
holes of about six inches diameter, which were placed at unequal
distances from each other, and many of them were without subterraneous
communications from one to the other. Every one had a passage to the
surface of the ground, and some of them had more than one leading
upwards. These nests or holes contained a substance of a grey colour,
which bore the appearance of thick cobwebs pressed closely together;
and on being squeezed in the hand it had a liquid feel, that is, the
skin was moistened by it. When put into water it swam upon the top.
We had placed a large brass basin upon the fire, and filled it with
water for the purpose of putting this substance into it. In some of the
circular holes there were no ants, but others were crowded with them.
Great numbers were destroyed; and the cottage and its neighbourhood
enjoyed for a short time some respite, but another horde from a
different quarter discovered that the place was untenanted, and we were
again persecuted.
There is another method of destroying the ants, which has only of
late years been introduced; but this is more particularly adapted to
their destruction when they are undermining a building. A mixture of
brimstone, and of any other substances which create a considerable
degree of smoke, is burnt at the entrance of the ant-hill, a hole
being in the first place dug around it, that the combustible matter
may be laid rather lower than the surface of the ground immediately
surrounding. Then a large pair of bellows is made use of to blow the
smoke down the aperture; now it is necessary to observe, that all
the crevices by which the smoke is again ejected, should be stopped
up. If the operation is conducted with due attention it has been
found successful. It is likewise a means of discovering the several
communications of the same ant-hill, and thus being able with less
uncertainty to judge of the situation of the chief pot (_panella_) or
nest.
The red ant is particularly destructive to the mandioc plant, and in
many parts it is almost impossible to preserve the plantations of it
from them[117]. I recollect having planted a considerable quantity of
it in some low marshy ground, upon hillocks, and the land was so moist
that water remained in the furrows round the bottom of each hillock,
after the manner of dykes. On this account, I thought it superfluous
to desire that any precautions should be taken against the ants;
however, I rode one afternoon to see the field, and was surprised to
find that the plants upon some of the hillocks were deprived of their
leaves. I knew by whom this must have been done, but could not for some
minutes discover how the insects had been able to reach the mandioc. I
soon saw an ant-track and a few of the ants going along it; I followed
the track, and observed that they had formed a bridge of leaves across
one of the furrows, upon which they were going over. Some of them
crossed to and from the hillock, as I stood watching them.
There were several other species of ants of less bulk, which were
occasionally seen. The small red ant and the small black ant, both of
which feed on animal substances, would sometimes crowd around a fly,
a spider, a small lizard, or any other small animal or insect which
might lie dead upon the floor; and by degrees, a number sufficient to
move their prey would assemble, and they would convey it slowly along,
even up a white-washed wall, if the load was not heavier than usual. It
was a most unpleasant sight to watch these insects clinging to their
burthen on all sides of it, and so closely packed as to appear to be
one shapeless mass of moving substance. All species of ants have a
disagreeable smell; but the carnivorous small red ant is that which
is the most offensive. There is also another kind of small black ant;
it makes its nest in trees, and not near to and among the timbers of
houses. Though the size of this ant is very diminutive, being smaller
than any other species, it is a dreadful enemy to the large red ant,
owing to the numbers and determined courage of the black ant. These
small insects are sought after, and encouraged to build upon orange and
other fruit trees, which are liable to destruction from the large red
ant; and they effectually defend their appointed posts from the dreaded
invaders, if time has been given for their numbers to be equal to the
task. I have sometimes seen the entrance to the nest of the red ants
surrounded by the dead of both parties; but notwithstanding that the
number of black ants which are engaged is always much greater than
that of the red ant, still I observed that the slain of the latter
always out-numbered the former.[118]
The house in which I resided at Jaguaribe, had been in former times a
barn in which the sugar was put into chests for exportation; and I had
heard from the neighbours that the ants about it were numerous; and
particularly a small black ant called the _formiga douda_, or foolish
ant, owing to its not appearing to have any track, but to wander about
the spot upon which the horde has appeared, running fast to and fro,
and irregularly. These are distinguished from the black ant of the
orange trees by this name of _douda_. One evening I had been asleep
in my hammock, and was not a little surprised on waking, to see that
part of the wall opposite to me, which was white-washed, appeared to
be covered with a piece of black cloth; I got up, and approached it
with the lamp in my hand. I soon saw what it was, and could not help
shuddering, for the sight, I may say, was horrible; myriads of these
ants were marching along the wall, and their numbers were rapidly
increasing. I had scarcely recovered from the first surprise, when
on looking round, I saw that the other side of the room was in the
same state; I left the place quickly, and calling to some of the
negroes, desired them to bring coco and palm-leaves in abundance; this
was done, and operations being actively set on foot against them by
applying lighted leaves to the walls, we soon got rid of the major
part of the ants; however many of them escaped by retreating into the
numerous cracks in the walls. The next morning the walls were again
white-washed, and as many of the crevices filled up as possible. On
another occasion, I was awakened in bed in the middle of the night, by
a sensation in my feet as if they had been pricked gently by many pins.
I jumped up, and as there was a light in the room, I soon perceived
what had caused the uneasy sensations; several of these black ants were
running about my legs, and upon the bed and floor they were every
moment becoming more and more numerous. I escaped, and as soon as the
bed cloaths were removed the scene of burning the host of enemies was
re-acted.
There yet exists another description of ants, called the _tioca_; these
are black, and on the whole are even larger than the destructive red
ant; but I never saw the _tioca_ in great numbers; and when I have
observed them, it has been near to where sugar is kept, running to
and fro without any settled path and seemingly without any plan of
operations. Their bite is still more painful than that of the red ant.
The ants were not my only persecutors at Itamaraca, for these were
assisted by the _copim_, (_termes arborum_), who build their enormous
nests, called in Brazil _panellas_ (pots) among the rafters of houses,
which they destroy in the course of time; and likewise they form their
settlements upon trees. They oftentimes made their covered ways along
the white-washed walls of my house, or up the door posts; but I took
every precaution against them, which was more particularly necessary
in this instance, as my dwelling was not built of the best kinds of
timber. I was advised to besmear the places in which they persisted
in attempting to build with treacle, and I found that this was
successful in making them alter their proceedings. It is well known in
that country by all those persons who have paid any attention to the
subject, that there are certain kinds of timber which are more liable
to be attacked by these insects than others. However, a person who was
about to build a house, chose to think that the distinction which the
carpenters made in the several kinds of timber which they recommended
him to obtain, either proceeded from some sinister views in the men,
or from prejudices which they had imbibed. Therefore, contrary to
the advice of his workmen and of his friends, he purchased any kinds
of timber which were presented to him for sale, not attending to the
quality but to the price. The house was built, and he had already
either removed to it or was upon the point of so doing, when it was
discovered that the _copim_ had attacked some of the principal timbers;
and at last it was judged expedient to pull down a considerable part
of the building, without which the whole would have fallen a sacrifice
to the insects. A solution of the substance of which the nest of the
_copim_ is formed, is used as an injection by the peasants in aguish
disorders.[119]
I have not yet mentioned all the persecutors; for besides those
which have been here named, and the famous _chiguas_, of which I
have elsewhere spoken, there are the _moribondos_, a black insect,
resembling somewhat the large red and the _tioca_ ant in shape; the
_moribondo_ is supplied with wings, and has a most painful sting in
the tail. It forms its nest upon the trunks and branches of trees;
and in clearing lands, the negroes always proceed with much care,
that they may not be taken unawares by these insects; for on a nest
being disturbed, they fly out in great numbers; notwithstanding every
precaution, this will occasionally happen; and I have known a negro to
be unable to work for several days after he has been stung by them. The
parts which are affected swell and become inflamed, and the sufferer
experiences for a day or two the alternate sensations of violent cold
and burning heat, similar to the symptoms of aguish disorders. When the
negroes discover the nest without disturbing its inhabitants, dried
palm leaves are lighted, and the nest is destroyed by fire. The insects
are not often all killed, but those which escape appear to be stupified
by the fire and smoke, and do not leave the nest. I have handled them
when they have been in this state, for they become harmless; however,
after a short time, their activity returns. There are three species of
_moribondo_; the black, of which I have treated; the white, which are
so called, although they are only partially white; and the _moribondo
formiga_, which are distinguished from the black _moribondo_, in
bearing a still greater resemblance to the large black ant.
The bats also failed not here to annoy me, for they persecuted my
horses. They fasten upon the ears of the beasts, or upon their backs,
if there is any spot from which the skin has been rubbed. I have in
travelling sometimes been made particularly uneasy at their attacks
upon the horses; for unless we had some animals above the requisite
complement, it was necessary to load them with the wound open. The skin
of an owl is often hung up in a stable for the purpose of scaring the
bats.
In laying open the ant-hill which I have above-mentioned, we discovered
a couple of the _cobras de duas cabeças_, or two-headed snakes or
worms; each of them was rolled up in one of the nests. These snakes are
about eighteen inches in length, and about the thickness of the little
finger of a child of four or five years of age. Both extremities of the
snake appear to be exactly similar to each other; and when the reptile
is touched, both of these are raised, and form a circle or hoop to
strike that which has molested it. They appear to be perfectly blind,
for they never alter their course to avoid any object until they come
in contact with it, and then without turning about they crawl away
in an opposite direction. The colour is grey inclining to white, and
they are said to be venomous. This species of snake is often found in
ant-hills, and I have likewise killed them in my house; they frequent
dung-hills and places in which vegetable matter has been allowed to
remain for a length of time unremoved.
The island of Itamaraca is said to be less infested with snakes than
the main land, and perhaps this opinion is founded on experience;
but some of those which are generally accounted venomous certainly
exist upon it. A rattle-snake was killed at Amparo two years previous
to the period of which I am speaking. A horse died one night in my
neighbourhood, and his death was attributed to the bite of a snake;
there was a wound upon him, and his body was much swoln. Manoel killed
a _cobra de veado_, or antelope snake (_Boa Constrictor_) which he
brought home to shew me. It was a young one, of seven feet in length,
and about the thickness of a man’s arm. The name which it bears of
antelope snake proceeds from the destruction which it causes among
these animals. The full-grown snake of this species lies in wait for
the antelope and other animals of the same size; it entwines its tail
around a tree, and patiently expects that its prey will pass within
its reach; when this occurs, it encircles the unfortunate animal with
its enormous body, thus securing it. I never could discover, after
much enquiry, that it had ever been found in a torpid state, digesting
its food. Men have sometimes been caught by them; but if the person so
situated can draw his knife, his escape is very possible, though he
will probably receive several wounds. The opinion is general in the
country that the person who receives the bite of one of these snakes,
has nothing farther to fear from that of any other snake of whatever
description.
One of the negroes whom I had hired with the plantation of Jaguaribe,
had one leg much thicker than the other. This was occasioned, as he
told me, by the bite of a rattle-snake; he said, that he had been cured
from the bites of snakes by a _Curador de cobras_ or _Mandingueiro_,
and had therefore not died; but that “as the moon was strong[120],”
he had not escaped receiving some injury from the bite. He had
frequently violent pains in his limbs, at the full and change of the
moon particularly, and sometimes the wound opened, and remained in
this state for weeks together; but if he was careful in not exposing
it to the early dews of the morning, it would again heal without any
medicinal applications being made use of.
The most beautiful reptile which I saw was the _cobra de coral_,
or coral snake or worm. It is about two feet in length, and of the
thickness of a man’s thumb; it is marked with black, white and red
stripes transversally. The general opinion is that it is venomous.[121]
But the snakes do not cause so much annoyance as the smaller species of
vermin which I am about to mention; because the former seldom enter the
houses, nor are they very frequently to be seen in the paths or roads.
But the _aranha caranguejeira_, or crab-spider, (_aranea avicularia_);
the _lacraia_ or scorpion, and the _piolho de cobra_, or snake louse,
(_scolopendra morsitans_), are to be met with in the houses and in
all situations. They should be carefully avoided, for their bites
are painful, and are said to cause inflammation. An instinctive
recollection of the chance of meeting with these or other vermin of
less importance became so habitual with me (and indeed is so with most
persons) that when I was about to begin to read, I closed the book in
the first place violently so as to crush any thing that might have
crept in between the leaves; when my hat, or boots, or cloaths were put
on, some precaution was taken, as a thing of course; this was not done
from a direct idea of the likelihood of finding any thing unpleasant
in that immediate instance; but the precaution was entered into from
habit, unconsciously. I was one day bit by a _lacraia_; I had mounted
my horse, and had taken my umbrella in my hand for the purpose of
shading me from the sun when I had advanced farther upon my ride; when
I was in the act of opening it, I felt suddenly a violent pain upon
the fleshy part of the inside of one of my hands; on looking down I
soon saw what it was that had bitten me, upon which I turned back, and
rode home. I applied the juice of lemons to the part, and in about half
an hour, not finding any particularly disagreeable sensations, again
mounted my horse. The only effect which I experienced from the bite was
a numbness in my hand for the remainder of the day, and a redness about
the point which was immediately affected; but on the following day the
former was removed, and the latter did not last long. Labat mentions an
instance in which the bite of a scorpion caused as little inconvenience
as that which I have related. When I mentioned to some of my neighbours
the slight consequences of the bite, they ascribed it to the state of
the moon.
In the month of September, I went up the river in a canoe to Iguaraçu.
The distance from my residence was two leagues. The river or creek has
two mouths, which are situated in the bay of the village of Camboa,
which is immediately opposite to Conception. In the river there are
several islands which are covered with mangroves, and are too low to
be cultivated; the banks of the river are likewise lined with the same
description of plant, excepting at one point to the left in going up,
where the bank is high and perpendicular, and projects considerably.
At this place the forest trees come down to the edge of the bank. Near
to the town of Iguaraçu the mangroves have been destroyed, and perhaps
upon some particular spots they did not originally grow. When the tide
is out, the quantity of water which remains in the river is trifling,
and in some parts it is nearly dry; indeed, were it not for two places
of inconsiderable breadth, where the water is always deep, a man on
foot might walk along its bed from about one mile above Camboa to the
town. I came down from Iguaraçu one day at the ebb of the tide in a
small canoe, which held one man besides myself; it was with difficulty
that he could find a channel in which there was sufficient water to
float our vessel. It was to Conception that the Portugueze came down
from Iguaraçu for provisions, during the siege of the latter place by
the savages in 1548, as is related by Hans Stade. I also observed one
of the spots at which the savages attempted to sink the boat as it
returned, by means of letting a large tree fall upon it[122]. The town
of Iguaraçu was plundered, and the inhabitants slaughtered by the Dutch
in 1632, under the direction of the dreadful mulatto Calabar.[123]
The mangroves entirely destroy the beauty which it is natural to
suppose that the rivers of the country of which I am treating would
possess. Until they are destroyed a dull sameness presents itself, for
the eye cannot penetrate beyond them. Upon the banks of the Capibaribe
they have given place to houses and gardens, and the alteration is
most pleasing; upon the banks of the Maria Farinha, the mangroves are
beginning to give way to cultivation at the settlements (_sitios_)
of Jardim and Olaria; but the Iguaraçu is without any break, and the
Goiana is, I understand, in the same state. There are plantations along
these rivers, but the owners content themselves with merely cutting
a path through the mangroves down to the water’s edge, so that to a
stranger who goes up the rivers the country appears to be uninhabited,
until he passes some of these small openings, at which a canoe or a
_jangada_ is moored; but the openings are very narrow, and are only to
be seen on coming immediately opposite to them. The mangroves grow as
far down as low water-mark, and when the tide is out their entangled
roots and sprouts, and their stems covered with oysters and besmeared
with mud, are left uncovered; but at the height of the tide these are
concealed, and the water reaches up to the branches of the trees, so
that those which bend downwards are partly wetted, presenting to the
beholder the view of a forest growing in the water. This species of
mangrove sometimes attains the diameter of fifteen or eighteen inches,
and the height of twenty-five or thirty feet. There are two species
with which I am acquainted, the _mangue vermelho_ or red mangrove, of
which I have been speaking, and the _mangue bravo_ or wild mangrove.
The bark of the former is used for tanning, and the timber is much
esteemed for beams and rafters in building, but it cannot be used as
posts, for under ground it decays very quickly; nor as railings, for
it does not bear exposure to the weather. A considerable trade is
carried on from Itamaraca, and from some other parts to Recife, in
the wood of these plants, which is used as fuel. The tree grows again
as often as it is cut down if the root is not injured, and with such
rapidity that the supply of the wood will, for a length of time—I mean
unless the destruction of the plant becomes more extensive than it is
at present—be fully adequate to the demand for it. The fish forsake
those parts to which the trees are brought to be cut up for firewood.
This may be judged to proceed from the properties of the bark. In a
fish-pen, (_cural de peixe_) near to my place no fish was caught after
the fuel-cutters had established themselves at the bridge hard by; of
this I heard much, as there was some squabbling upon the subject. The
ashes of the mangrove plants are used as _temper_ in the sugar boiling
houses.[124]
As I did not, in 1814, suppose that on the following year I should
be recalled, I began to make some addition to my cottage, for it was
too small for me; and besides it was old, and was constructed of
bad timber, which caused it to be much infested by the ants and the
_copim_. I had a considerable quantity of timber of excellent quality
at Jaguaribe, which had been prepared by me for building there, and
therefore I determined to send for it. Permission was also obtained
from the owner of the Engenho Novo, to cut down some trees in his
woods, for which he ultimately refused to be paid. The woods of his
plantation came down nearly to the water’s edge near to Camboa, and
were consequently very conveniently situated for my purpose. The
building was to be constructed of wood and mud,—that is, of thick
posts supporting the roof and smaller posts at fixed distances between
the principal ones, and the openings between each of them were to be
filled up with mud. I could not help regretting that such beautiful
woods as those which were used should be employed in purposes so much
beneath their worth. The _pao ferro_ or iron wood, which is also called
the _coraçam de negro_ or the negro’s heart[125], was the most valuable
of those which I employed. The outward coat of the wood of this tree
is not particularly hard, but the heart destroys many hatchets. I
have seen some of this timber taken out of the ground after standing
for many years as a supporter to the roof of a house; and though
the outward coat was crumbling into dust, the black heart seemed to
be literally of iron, or to have increased rather than decreased in
hardness[126]. This wood admits of considerable polish; but the black
wood, which is most esteemed for furniture, is the _jacaranda_; this is
also hard, but is much more penetrable than the _pao ferro_, and the
polish to which it may be brought is more complete.[127]
The _pao d’arco_ is another valuable wood, and is so called, I imagine,
from the use which the Indians made of it for their bows; it is much
used in building, and is accounted almost as durable as the _pao
ferro_. It admits of being cleft into splinters, which are flexible
without breaking. The _pao d’arco_ has the property of retaining fire
for a long time without being stirred, and of yielding a bright light
if the log be occasionally touched. The peasantry take advantage of
this, and cleave the logs into several narrow splinters, of which they
form a bunch; this being lighted, serves them as a flambeau. Formerly,
likewise, when every thing was in a ruder state even than it is now
in Brazil, the sugar-works were lighted with logs of _pao d’arco_
instead of oil; indeed I have heard that some of the mills in the back
settlements still continue this practice. The ashes of this tree are
used as _temper_ in the boiling houses of the mills. The number of fine
species of timber in Brazil is very great, but I am myself acquainted
only with a few of them.[128]
The _louro_ is a large tree, and of it there are three species, all of
which are used principally for the beams of houses, for the timber of
them rots quickly under ground or if it be exposed to the weather. The
most esteemed timber for doors, window-shutters, floors of houses, &c.
is the _pao amarello_ or yellow wood. This is a large tree, and the
name which it has obtained, continues to be sufficiently appropriate
for the first six months after it has been cut down; but the yellow
colour is after this period lost, and the wood becomes of a dirty
brown. The canoes are almost exclusively made of the _pao amarello_.
The _pao santo_ or holy-wood is scarce, and is much sought after for
certain purposes, as it is not liable to split, bend, or break; it is
particularly required for the teeth of the sugar-rollers. The wood
is beautifully veined with yellow and brown, but becomes after some
time of a dusky brown colour. There is likewise a tree which is called
_cedro_, but whether it is the cedar or not I cannot determine; the
wood is hard, and is much esteemed for building.[129]
I cut down all the mangroves which grew along the borders of my piece
of land, and likewise some other kinds of trees which grew just beyond
the reach of the salt-water; among these was the _aroeira_, a small
irregular tree, of which the wood is soft, and not even fit for timber;
the only use to which the plant is put, is, that as the leaves have
an aromatic smell, they are used in curing fish, to which they impart
a slight portion of their odour; they are placed upon the _girau_ or
_boucan_, and the fish is laid upon them; fish is likewise packed in
the leaves of the _aroeira_ when about to be sent to a distance[130].
The tree only grows in situations near to the sea. Good fences might
be made of it for the stakes take root; I used some of the trees for
this purpose. The _molungo_ and the _pinham_ have likewise this last
property; and as the former is supplied with strong sharp thorns, this
advantage renders it preferable to the _aroeira_. The _molungo_ grows
spontaneously in moist situations, but the stakes take root even if
the soil is dry, unless no rain falls for some time after it has been
planted. Great numbers of the _molungo_ grew near to my house, just
below a spring of water which oozed from the side of the hill. The
cow-itch was also found here in abundance; it is called by the peasants
_machonan_.
The _pinham_ requires less rain and grows quicker than the _molungo_,
but it is without thorns, and the plant is not nearly so large. The
seed of the _pinham_ is used as an emetic by the peasants, and is
violent in its operation, a very small quantity being sufficient even
for an adult. The fruit incloses three seeds, and is about the size
of the common hazel-nut. During the third attack of ague which I had
whilst I was at Jaguaribe, I placed myself under the direction of an
old mulatto woman, than whom I never saw any one more like a witch;
and indeed poor old Antonia had the reputation of being somewhat of a
_mandingueira_. However she gave me a dose of _pinham_, which, I think,
consisted of four seeds, but they were picked out from a heap of others
for their superior size. The dose acted most violently and effectually
produced vomiting, and although excessive weakness followed the
disorder was removed. I begged her to give me a quantity equal to what
she had administered, that I might take it to Recife; this I shewed to
a practitioner, who answered that he should have imagined that such a
dose would have killed any one; but the old reputed sorceress knew full
well, that a dangerous disease requires to be severely attacked[131].
After the ague left me, my nurse would not be satisfied until she
applied the bark of the _mutamba_ tree to my stomach; or rather the
application was made just below the ribs, which she said was to prevent
_dureza_; this she described as a hardness immediately under the lower
rib of each side, which sometimes was produced by the ague, and which,
if precautions were not taken in time ended in dropsy. I did not suffer
her to continue the _mutamba_ for many days, for I found that I was
well, and wanted no more nostrums. The _mutamba_ is a small tree,
having a straight stem; it grows to the height of eighteen or twenty
feet, and to the diameter of twelve or eighteen inches. The bark is
easily torn off, and is extremely glutinous.
The _Gameleira preta_ (black,) so called from the dark colour of its
bark, is a large tree which grows in low marshy grounds; the stem
contains a white juice, which is much sought for as a medicine in all
eruptive complaints and in dropsy; it is likewise given inwardly. The
juice is obtained by making an incision in the stem, and leaving a
vessel into which the liquid may drop. There is another species of the
same tree, which is distinguished by the name of white _gameleira_, and
this is useless.
I was obliged in September to forsake my house for three days from a
most unexpected cause. A whale was stranded upon one of the sand-banks
at the mouth of the harbour; this being the third time that the
inhabitants of Itamaraca had been favoured with visitors of this
description. _Jangadas_ were sent out to it, and when the tide came
in, it floated, and was towed into the harbour, where the persons who
were employed in the business landed it, as near as they could at high
water mark, in front of and distant from my house about three hundred
yards. Many of my neighbours were occupied in making oil; for any one
who pleased was at liberty to take as much of the blubber as he could
make use of; and one man fairly got into the whale, and ladled out the
fat which was melted by the heat of the sun. When the people left the
carcase, either at mid-day or at night, it was attacked by numerous
flights of _urubus_, and was literally covered by them. The trees
round about the spot were occupied by these enormous birds, which were
waiting for an opportunity of satisfying their boundless appetites. The
_urubu_ is nearly twice the size of the common crow of England; it is
quite black, excepting at the point of the beak, which is white, as I
have been told, but this I did not observe. Wherever there happens to
be the carcase of an animal, these birds assemble shortly after the
death of the beast, and they seem to arrive in greater or less numbers
according to the size of the carcase. The peasants tell many stories
about the king of the _urubus_, who has a tuft of red feathers upon his
head, but I never heard any coherent account of this sovereign.
The stench proceeding from the whale became in a few days so
intolerable as to render a removal necessary, and therefore I applied
to an old creole black, a carpenter, to allow me to reside in his
cottage, which was neat and clean. To this he agreed; whilst he went to
live with some of his friends.