Island of Marajo.--Rare and Beautiful Birds.--Original Mode
of Securing Humming-Birds.--Maranhao.--Educational.--Value
of Native Forests.--Pernambuco.--Difficulty of Landing.--An
Ill-chosen Name.--Local Scenes.--Uncleanly Habits of the
People.--Great Sugar Mart.--Native Houses.--A Quaint
Hostelry.--Catamarans.--A Natural Breakwater.--Sailing down
the Coast.
The island of Marajo, situated at the mouth of the Amazon, opposite
Para, and belonging to the province or state of that name, is a hundred
and eighty miles in length and about one hundred and sixty in width,
nearly identical in size with the island of Sicily, and almost oval in
form. One of the principal shore settlements is Breves, on the
southeastern corner of the island, which lies somewhat low, and consists
of remarkably fertile soil, so abounding in wild and beautiful
vegetation and exquisite floral varieties, that it is called in this
region "the Island of Flowers." We can easily believe the name to be
appropriately chosen, since, as we skirt its verdant shores hour after
hour, they seem to emit the drowsy, caressing sweetness of fragrant
flowers so sensibly as to almost produce a narcotic effect. The easterly
or most seaward part of Marajo is open, marshy, sandy land, but back
from the shore the soil is of a rich, black alluvium, supporting in very
large tracts a dense forest growth, similar to all the low-lying
tropical lands of South America. The population is recorded as numbering
about twenty thousand, divided into several settlements, mostly on the
coast, and consists largely of the aboriginal race found by the first
comers upon this island, who, on account of their somewhat isolated
condition, have amalgamated less with Europeans and the imported colored
race than any other tribe on the east coast of the continent.
The extensive meadows of Marajo are the grazing fields of numerous herds
of wild horses and horned cattle, the former of a superior breed, highly
prized on the mainland; and yet so rapidly do they increase in this
climate, in the wild state, that every few years they are killed in
large numbers for their hides alone. The exports from the island consist
of rice, cattle, horses, and hides. There are some large plantations
devoted to the cultivation of rice, the soil and water supply of certain
districts being especially favorable to this crop. As intimated, a
considerable portion of Marajo is covered with a forest growth so dense
as to be compared to the jungles of Africa and India, and which, so far
as is known, has never been penetrated by the foot of man. Travelers who
have visited the borders of this leafy wilderness expatiate upon the
strange, inexplicable sounds which are heard at times, amid the
prevailing stillness and sombre aspect of these primeval woods.
Sometimes there comes, it is said, from out the forest depth a wild cry,
like that of a human being in distress, but which, however long one may
listen, is not repeated. Again, there is heard an awful crash, like the
falling of some ponderous forest giant, then stillness once more settles
over the mysterious, tangled woods. Every time the silence is broken it
seems to be by some new and inexplicable sound, not to be satisfactorily
accounted for.
The lagoons near the centre of Marajo are said to abound in alligators,
which are sometimes sought for by the natives for their hides, for which
a fair price is realized, since fashion has rendered this article
popular in a hundred different forms. The number and variety of birds
and lesser animals to be found upon the island are marvelous. Certain
species of birds seem to have retreated to this spot from the mainland,
before the tide of European immigration; indeed, it has for a long time
been considered the paradise of the naturalist. Over thirty species of
that peculiar bird, the toucan, have been secured here.
When Professor Agassiz was engaged in his scientific exploration of the
Amazon, he dispatched a small but competent party especially to obtain
specimens from this island, the result being both a surprise and a
source of great gratification to the king of naturalists. Many of the
objects secured by these explorers were rare and beautiful birds, not a
few of which are unique, and of which no previous record existed. There
were also many curious insects and other specimens particularly valuable
to naturalists, most of which are preserved to-day in the Agassiz Museum
at Cambridge, Massachusetts. The toucan, just spoken of, is most
remarkable for its beauty and variety of colors, as well as for the very
peculiar form and size of its elephantine bill, which makes it look
singularly ill-balanced. This ludicrous appendage is nine inches long
and three in circumference; the color is vermilion and yellow delicately
mingled. The toucan is much coveted for special collections by all
naturalists, and is becoming very scarce, except in this one equatorial
locality. Scarlet ibises and roseate spoonbills are also found at
Marajo, both remarkably fine examples of semi-aquatic fowl, and when
these are secured in good condition for preservation, the natives
realize good prices for them. In order to procure desirable specimens of
the humming-bird species, which are also abundant on this island, the
native hunters resort to an ingenious device, so as not to injure the
skin or the extremely delicate plumage of this butterfly-bird. For this
purpose they use a peculiar syringe made from reeds, and charged with a
solution of adhesive gum, which, when directed by an experienced hand,
clogs the bird's wings at once, stopping its flight and causing it to
fall to the ground. Some are caught by means of nets set on the end of
long bamboo poles, such as are used to secure butterflies, but this
method is poorly adapted to catch so quick moving a creature as a
humming-bird. The author has seen, in southern India, butterflies of
gaudiest texture with bodies as large as small humming-birds, which were
quite as brilliant as they in lovely colors. The variety and beauty of
this insect, as found anywhere from Tuticorin to Darjeeling, is notable.
Wherever British troops are permanently settled, the wives of the common
soldiers become very expert in catching and arranging these attractive
objects, preserving them in frames under glass. These find ready
purchasers for museums and private collections all over Europe, and are
sold at moderate prices, but serve to add a welcome trifle to the
extremely poor pay of a common soldier having perhaps a wife and one or
two children to support.
The island of Marajo was not formed at the Amazon's mouth of soil
brought down from the interior by the river's current, as is often the
case with islands thus situated, but is a natural, rocky formation which
serves to divide the channel and give the river a double outlet into the
Atlantic. Agassiz studied its character, and gives us an interesting
statement as the result. He declared, after careful geological
examination, that it is an island which was once situated far inland,
away from the river's mouth, but which is now brought near to it by the
gradual encroachment of the Atlantic Ocean, whose waves and restless
currents have slowly worn away the northeastern part of the continent.
This abrasion must have been going on for many thousand years, to have
produced such a decided topographical change. For the word years, upon
second thought, read ages, which will undoubtedly express the true idea
much more correctly.
There are over twenty species of palms indigenous to Marajo, which, as
one skirts the water front, are seen growing along the far-reaching
shore, fostered by the humidity of the atmosphere arising from the
ever-flowing waters of the great river. Among these the peach-palm is
quite conspicuous, with its spiny stems and mealy, nutritious fruit.
There are also the cocoa-palm and the assai-palm, the latter gayly
decorated with its delicate green plumes and long spear pointing
heavenward, an emblem borne by no other tree in existence. The great
variety of forms of plant life and giant grasses is extremely curious
and beautiful on this interesting island. We heard, while at Para, of a
proposal made by some European party to thoroughly explore Marajo, which
has never yet been done, so far as is known to our time, and it is
believed that some very interesting and valuable discoveries may be the
result of such an expedition, composed of engineers, scientists, and
naturalists.
A day's sail to the eastward, bearing a little to the south along the
coast, brings us to the port of Maranhao, which is the capital of a
province of Brazil known by the same name, situated a little over three
hundred miles from Para. The place is picturesquely nestled, as it were,
in the very lap of the mountains, which come boldly down to the coast at
this point. It was founded nearly three hundred years ago, is regularly
built, and contains between thirty and forty thousand inhabitants.
Nearly all of the houses, which are generally of two stories, are
ornamented with attractive balconies, and have handsome gardens attached
to them, where the luxurious verdure is with difficulty kept within
proper bounds. Vegetation runs riot in equatorial regions. It is the one
pleasing outlet of nature, whose overcharged vitality, spurred on by the
climate, must find vent either in teeming vegetation or in raging
volcanoes, tidal waves, and unwelcome earthquakes, though sometimes, to
be sure, we find them all combined in the tropics.
The harbor of Maranhao is excellent and sheltered, the depth of water
permitting the entrance of ships drawing full twenty feet, an advantage
which some of the ports to the southward would give millions of dollars
to possess. According to published statistics, the exports during 1890
were as follows: thirty-six hundred tons of cotton, six hundred tons of
sugar, seven hundred tons of hides, a large amount of rice, and some
other minor articles. The imports for the same period were estimated at
something less than three million dollars in value. This is the entrepot
of several populous districts, besides that of which it is the capital.
The province itself contains a number of navigable rivers, with some
thrifty towns on their banks. The bay gives ample evidence of commercial
activity, containing at all times a number of foreign steamships, with a
goodly show of coasting vessels. The place is slowly but steadily
growing in its business relations, and in the number of its permanent
population.
It cannot make any pretension to architectural excellence, though the
Bishop's palace and the cathedral are handsome structures. There are two
or three other prominent edifices, quaint and Moorish, which were once
nunneries or monasteries; also a foundling institution, a special
necessity in all Roman Catholic countries. We found here a public
library, and a botanical garden. Not far inland there are some extensive
rice plantations, the province in some portions being specially adapted
to producing this valuable staple. We were informed by those whose
opinion was worthy of respect, that educational advantages are rather
remarkable here, the Lyceum having in the past few years graduated some
of the most prominent statesmen and professionals in Brazil. One thing
is very certain, the authorities cannot multiply educational facilities
any too rapidly in this country, nor give the subject any too much
attention, especially as regards the rising generation of both sexes. So
far as we could learn by inquiry, or judge by careful observation, the
ignorance of the mass of the people is simply deplorable.
Maranhao is situated about fourteen hundred miles north of Rio Janeiro,
with which port it carries on an extensive coasting trade. The exports,
besides the staples already spoken of, are various, including annotto,
sarsaparilla, balsam copaiba, and other medicinal extracts, together
with rum and crude india-rubber. The climate is torrid, the city being
one hundred and fifty miles south of the equator; and though, like most
of the towns on the eastern coast of the continent, it is rather an
unhealthy locality, it is much less so than Para, and is a far more
cleanly place than that city, its situation giving it the advantage of a
system of natural drainage. The country near Maranhao abounds in native
forests of exuberant richness, producing a valuable quality of timber,
and affording some of the finest cabinet woods known to commerce, as
well as a practically inexhaustible supply of various dyewoods, a
considerable business being done in the export of the latter article. It
was observed that the assai-palm, from which the palm wine is made, was
also a prominent feature here. The trunk is quite smooth, the fruit
growing in heavy bunches like grapes, dark brown in color, and about the
size of cranberries, hanging in heavy clusters just below the bunch of
long leaves which forms the top of the tree. The native drink which is
made from these palm grapes is a favorite beverage in northern Brazil,
and when properly fermented it contains about the same percentage of
alcohol as English pale ale.
To the author, the town of Maranhao was quite unknown; even its place
upon the maps had never attracted his attention until after it was seen
lying peacefully in an amphitheatre of tall hills, which come down close
to the rock-ribbed shore of the Atlantic Ocean. This acknowledgment is
between ourselves, for such a confession would sound very ridiculous to
the good people of Maranhao.
After leaving its harbor, our next objective point was Pernambuco, which
is situated about four days' sail from Para by steamship, and about
three from Maranhao.
This well known port, with its one hundred and fifty thousand
inhabitants, is reckoned as the third city of Brazil in point of size
and commercial importance. It lacks elevation to produce a good effect,
and recalls the low-lying city of Havana in general appearance, as one
approaches it from the sea. The harbor is not what could be desired for
a commercial city, having hardly sufficient depth of water for vessels
of heavy tonnage, and being also too narrow for a modern long steamship
to safely turn in. The American line of steamships come to a mooring
inside the harbor, but the European lines, or at least the Pacific Mail,
in which we made the home passage, anchor in the open roadstead, three
quarters of a mile from the shore. The harbor is formed by a long
natural reef, which makes a breakwater between it and the open sea, a
portion of the reef having been built up with solid masonry to render it
more effective. This remarkable coral formation, which is more or less
clearly defined, extends along the coast for a considerable
distance,--it is said for four hundred miles. Opposite Pernambuco it
rises six feet above the water, that is, above high-water mark, and runs
parallel to the front street of the city at the distance from it of
about a third of a mile or less. A wide opening in the reef at the
northern end of the town makes the entrance to the harbor. Off the
northeast coast of Australia, there is a very similar reef-formation,
fully as long as this on the South American coast, but situated much
further from the shore.
It is a serious drawback that passengers by large ocean steamers cannot
enter the harbor of Pernambuco except by lighters or open boats; all
freight brought by these steamers must also be transhipped. Landing here
is often accomplished at considerable personal risk, and a thorough
ducking with salt water is not at all uncommon in the attempt to reach
the shore. To pull a boat from the open roadstead into the harbor, or
vice versa, requires six stout oarsmen and an experienced man at the
helm, so that landing from the Pacific Mail steamers is both a serious
and an expensive affair. If a very heavy sea is running, the thing
cannot be done, and no one will attempt it. The powerful wind which so
often prevails on the coast occasionally creates quite a commotion even
inside the harbor, among the shipping moored there, causing the largest
cables to part and vessels to drag their anchors. Of course a vessel
lying in the open roadstead, outside of the reef, has no protection
whatever, and is in a critical situation if the wind blows towards the
land. If it comes on to blow suddenly, she buoys and slips her anchor at
once; she dares not waste the time to hoist it, but gets away as quickly
as possible to where there is plenty of sea room and no lee shore to
fear. Fortunately, though so fierce for the time being, and of a
cyclonic character, the storms upon the coast are generally of brief
duration, and like the furious pamperos, which are so dreaded by
mariners further south, they blow themselves out in a few hours.
The geographical situation of Pernambuco is such, in the track of
commerce, that vessels bound north or south, from Europe or from North
America, naturally make it a port of call to obtain late advices and
provisions. The name has been singularly chosen, no one can say how or
by whom, but it signifies "the mouth of hell," a cognomen which we do
not think the place at all deserves. It is a narrow, crowded,
picturesque old seaport.
The town is situated at the mouth of the Biberibe River, just five
hundred miles south of the equator, and is divided in rather a peculiar
manner into three distinct parts: Recife, on a narrow peninsula; Boa
Vista, on the river shore; and San Antonio, on an island in the river;
all being connected, however, by six or eight substantial iron bridges.
The first named division is the business portion of the capital, about
whose water front the commercial life of Pernambuco centres, but the
streets of Recife are very narrow and often confusingly crooked. Boa
Vista is beautified by pleasant domestic residences, delightful gardens,
and attractive promenades, far beyond anything which a stranger
anticipates meeting in this part of the world. Though the business
portion of the city is so low, the other sections are of better and more
recent construction.
The view of the town and harbor to be had from some portions of Olinda
is very fine and comprehensive, taking in a wide reach of land and
ocean. When a brief storm is raging, spending its force against the
reef, the view from this point is indeed grand. The sea, angered at
meeting a substantial impediment, seethes and foams in wild excitement,
dashing fifty feet into the air, and, falling over the reef, lashes the
inner waters of the harbor into waves which mount the landing piers, and
set everything afloat in the broad plaza which lines the shore. The big
ships rock and sway incessantly, straining at their anchors, or chafing
dangerously at their moorings. Precautions are taken to avert damage,
but man's strength and skill count for little when opposed by the
enraged elements.
This plaza, or quay, is shaded by aged magnolias of great height, and is
the resort of unemployed seamen, fruit dealers, and idlers of all
degrees. The house fronts in the various sections of the town are
brilliantly colored, yellow, blue, white, and pink, also sometimes being
covered halfway up the first story with glittering tiles of various
hues. At nearly every turn one comes upon the moss-grown, crumbling
facade of some old church, about the corners of which there is often a
grossly filthy receptacle, the vile odor from which permeates the
surrounding atmosphere. This was found to be almost insupportable with
the thermometer standing at 90 deg. Fahr. in the shade, forming so obvious a
means for propagating malarial fever and sickness generally as to be
absolutely exasperating. Notwithstanding all appearances, the American
consul assured us that Pernambuco is one of the healthiest cities on the
east coast of South America. The yellow fever, however, does not by any
means forget to visit the place annually. Experience showed us that the
residents along the coast were accustomed to give their own city
precedence in the matter of hygienic conditions, and to admit, with
serious faces, that the other capitals, north and south, were sadly
afflicted by epidemics at nearly all seasons.
Pernambuco has several quite small but well-arranged public squares,
decorated with fountains, trees, and flowers of many species. Two of
these plazas have handsome pagodas, from which outdoor concerts are
often given by military bands. The city is a thriving and progressive
place, has extensive gas works, an admirable system of water supply,
tramways, good public schools, and one college or high school. We must
not forget to add to this list a very _flourishing_ foundling asylum,
where any number of poor little waifs are constantly being received, and
no questions asked. A revolving box or cradle is placed in a wall of the
hospital, next to the street, in which any person can deposit an infant,
ring the bell, and the cradle will revolve, leaving the child on the
inside of the establishment, where the little deserted object will be
duly cared for. Connected with the hospital are several outlying
buildings, where children are placed at various stages of growth. We
were told that about forty per cent. of such children live to grow up to
maturity, and leave the care of the government fairly well fitted to
take their place in the world, and to fight the battle of life so very
inauspiciously begun. It has been strongly argued that such an
establishment offers a premium upon illegitimacy and immorality; but one
thing is to be considered, it prevents the terrible crime of
infanticide, which is said to have prevailed here to an alarming extent
before this hospital was founded.
There is a passably good system of drainage, which was certainly very
much needed, and since its completion the general health of the place is
said to have considerably improved. This is not all that is required,
however. There should be a decided reform in the habits of the people as
regards cleanliness. At present they are positively revolting. The
inhabitants are the very reverse of neat in their domestic associations,
and home arrangements for natural conveniences are inexcusably
objectionable; such, indeed, as would in a North American city, or even
small town, call for the prompt interference of the local board of
health. These remarks do not apply to isolated cases; the trouble is
universal. Families living otherwise in comparative affluence utterly
disregard neatness and decency in the matter to which we allude.
The districts neighboring to Pernambuco form extensive plains, well
adapted to the raising of sugar, coffee, and cotton, as well as all
sorts of tropical fruits and vegetables. There are many flourishing
plantations representing these several interests, more especially that
of sugar. The storehouses on the wharves and in the business sections of
the city, the oxcarts passing through the streets, drawn each by a
single animal, and even the very atmosphere, seem to be full of sugar.
It is, in fact, the great sugar mart of South America. The annual amount
of the article which is exported averages some twelve hundred thousand
tons. Sugar is certainly king at Pernambuco. People not only drink, but
they talk sugar. It is the one great interest about which all other
business revolves. The article is mostly of the lower grade, and
requires to be refined before it is suitable for the market. The
refining process is being generally adopted at the plantations. American
machinery is introduced for the purpose with entire success. The export
of the crude article will, it is believed, be much less every year for
the future, until it ceases altogether. It was a singular sight to
observe the naked negroes carrying canvas bags of crude sugar upon their
heads through the streets, each bag weighing a hundred pounds or more.
The intense heat caused the canvas to exude quantities of syrup or
molasses, which covered their dark, glossy bodies with small streams of
fluid. They trotted along in single file, and at a quick pace, towards
their destination, unheeding the sticky condition of their woolly heads
and naked bodies.
Not far inland there are extensive meadows, where large herds of horned
cattle are raised, together with a breed of half-wild horses, the
breaking and domesticating of which, as here practiced, is a most cruel
process. A certain set of men devote themselves to this business; rough
riders, we should call them, very rough. Good horses are to be had at
extraordinarily low prices. In the back country there are some grand and
extensive forests, which produce fine cabinet woods and superior dye
woods.
By consulting a map of the western hemisphere, it will be seen that
Pernambuco is situated on the great eastern shoulder of South America,
where it pushes farthest into the Atlantic Ocean, fifteen hundred miles
south of Para, and about five hundred north of Bahia. On the long coral
reef which separates the harbor from the open sea is a picturesque
lighthouse, also a quaint old watch tower which dates from the time of
the Dutch dominion here. It is proposed to build additional layers of
heavy granite blocks upon the reef, so as to raise it about six or eight
feet higher and make it of a uniform elevation along the entire city
front, and thus afford almost complete protection for the inner
anchorage. It will be only possible to make any real improvement of the
harbor by adopting a thorough system of dredging and deepening. There
was evidence of such a purpose being already in progress on our second
visit, two large steam dredging machines being anchored at the southerly
end of the harbor.
The people of this hot region know the great value of shade trees,
consequently they abound, half hiding from view the numerous handsome
villas which form the attractive suburbs of the city. Everywhere one
sees tall cocoanut palms, clusters of feathery bamboos, widespread
mangoes, prolific bananas, guavas, and plantains growing among other
graceful tropical trees, rich in the green texture of their foliage, and
thrice rich in their luscious and abundant fruits. Among the vine
products we must not forget to mention a rich, high flavored grape,
which is native here, and which all people praise after once tasting.
The water, which is brought into the city by a system of double iron
pipes, comes from a neighboring lake, and is a pure and wholesome drink,
a most incomparable blessing in equatorial regions, which no person who
has not suffered for the want of it can duly appreciate.
The International Hotel is the favorite resort of strangers, and is
situated a couple of miles from the harbor. It is surrounded by
beautiful trees and flowers, the golden oranges weighing down the
branches nearly to the ground by their size and abundance, while the
young blossoms fill the air with their delicate perfume,--fruit and
blossoms on the tree at the same time. The garden is thronged by
household pets, and contains a spacious aviary. The monkey tribe is
fully represented; gaudy winged parrots dazzle the eye with impossible
colors. One partakes here, in the open air, of the refreshing viands
amid the songs of birds, the occasional scream of the cockatoo, the
cooing of turtle-doves, and the fragrance of a profusion of tropical
flowers. The native servants are well-trained, and there is a French
chef. We were told that this attractive place had once belonged to a
very wealthy Brazilian, a planter, who had come to grief financially,
and as the house was offered for sale, it had been purchased for one
fifth of its original cost and adapted to hotel purposes. While enjoying
our fruit at dessert, a somewhat similar experience was recalled as
having taken place at Christiania, in Norway, where visitors enjoy the
meals in a sort of outdoor museum and garden, surrounded by curious
preserved birds mingled with living ones, the latter so tame as to
alight fearlessly upon the table and await any choice bit guests may
offer them.
We shall not soon forget the very appetizing dinner of which we partook,
amid such attractive surroundings, in the gardens of the International
Hotel at Pernambuco. One fruit which was served to us is known by the
name of the loquat. It is round, dark yellow, and about the size of a
Tangerine orange,--a great favorite with the natives, though it is
mostly stone and skin, and tastes like turpentine.
This city is often called the Venice of Brazil, but why, it is difficult
for one to understand. It is only poetical license, for there is not the
first actual resemblance between the two cities. True, there are several
watercourses, and half a dozen bridges, intersecting this Brazilian
capital. One would be equally justified in calling the frail catamarans
which are used by the fishermen in these waters, gondolas. This singular
craft, by the way, consists of four or five logs of the cork-palm tree,
confined together by a series of strong lashings, no nails being used,
thus securing a necessary degree of elasticity. One end of the logs is
hewn down to a smaller size or width than the other, thus forming stem
and stern, while a single thick plank serves as a keel. There are no
bulwarks to this crazy craft,--for it can hardly be called anything
else,--the whole being freely washed by the sea; but yet, with a rude
mast carrying a triangular sail, and with a couple of oars, two or three
fishermen venture far away from the shore; indeed, we encountered them
out of sight of land. A couple of upright stakes are driven into the
logs, to hold on by when occasion requires. It is really wonderful to
see how weatherly such a frail affair can be, and how literally safe in
a rough seaway. The boatmen who navigate these catamarans (they are
called here _janguardas_) manage to keep the market of Pernambuco
abundantly supplied with the strange, fantastic fish which so prevail
along the Atlantic coast in equatorial regions.
We have seen a craft very similar to these catamarans in use off the
Coromandel coast, between Madras and the mouth of the Hoogly River,
which leads up to Calcutta. Here the natives manage them in a sea so
rough that an ordinary ship's boat, if exposed, would surely be swamped.
The Madras catamaran consists of three pieces of timber, mere logs
twelve or fourteen feet long, securely bound together with ropes made
from the fibre of the cocoanut palm. Nails are no more available here
than in the former crafts we have named. No nails could withstand the
wrenching which this raft is subjected to. The middle log is a little
longer than the two outside ones, and is given a slight upward turn at
the end which forms the prow. No sail is used, but two fishermen
generally go out with each of these rafts, propelling them with
broad-bladed paddles, used alternately on either side. Of course the
natives who navigate these crafts are naked, with the exception of a
breech-cloth at the loins. They are very frequently thrown off by the
sea, but regain their places with remarkable agility. They manage also,
somehow, to secure their fishing gear, and generally to bring in a
remunerative fare from their excursions. Strange as the catamaran is, it
must yet be described as breezy, watery, and safe--for amphibious
creatures. There is one enemy these fishermen have to look out for,
namely the shark, both on the coast of Madras and South America. It is
more common to say when one is lost that the sharks got him, than it is
to say he was drowned.
The reef so often referred to, forming the breakwater opposite
Pernambuco, is about forty feet in width at the surface, and is the
marvelous architecture of that tiny coral builder which works beneath
these southern seas. When it has reared a pyramid reaching from the far
bottom of the ocean to the surface, its mission is performed and it
dies. It lives and works only beneath the surface of the sea;
atmospheric air is fatal to it. The pyramids of Egypt cannot compare
with these submerged structures for height, solidity, or magnitude. One
is the product of a creature of such seeming unimportance as to require
microscopic aid to detect its existence; the other are monuments erected
by ancient kings commanding infinite resources; the former being the
process of nature in carrying out her great and mysterious plan; the
latter, the ambitious work of men whose very identity is now
questionable. If we were to enter into a calculation based upon known
scientific facts, as to how many thousands of years were required for
this minute animal to rear this massive structure, the result would
astonish the average reader.
On approaching Pernambuco from the sea, the first object to attract the
eye is the long line of snow white breakers, caused by the incessant
swell of the sea striking against the firmly planted reef with a
deafening surge, breaking into foam and spray which are thrown forty
feet and more into the air. As we drew near for the first time, the
extended line of breakers was illumined by the early morning sun, making
fancy rainbows and misty pictures in the mingled air and water. We were
escorted by myriads of sea-birds, whose sharp cries came close upon the
ear, as they flew in and about the rigging. Behind the reef lay the
comparatively smooth waters of the harbor, dotted here and there by tiny
white sails, curious-shaped coasting craft, rowboats, and steam tugs,
while the background was formed by a leafless forest of tall ships'
masts which lined the wharves, and partially screened the low-lying
capital from view.
We have remained quite long enough at this city of the reef, and now
turn southward towards the more attractive port of Bahia.
In running down the coast, the Brazilian shore is so near as to be
distinctly visible, with its surf-fringed beach of golden sands
extending mile after mile, beyond which, far inland, rise ranges of
forest-clad hills, and beyond these, sky-reaching alps. It is often
necessary to give the land a wide berth, as at certain points dangerous
sandbars make out from it far to seaward; but whenever near enough to
the coast to make out the character of the vegetation, it was of deepest
green and exuberantly tropical. With the exception of one or two small
towns, and an occasional fisherman's hamlet, the shore presented no
signs of habitation, being mostly a sandy waste adjoining the sea, where
heavy rollers spent their force upon the smooth, water-worn, yellow
beach.