Two days after crossing the line we sighted the island of Fernando
Noronha, which, with several outlying islets, is a very picturesque
spot. It belongs to the empire of the Brazils, and is used as a penal
settlement. As Captain Frankland wished to touch at every place not out
of his way, we dropped anchor in Citadel Bay, opposite a fort on which
the Brazilian colours were flying. A boat was lowered, and though some
heavy rollers were setting into the bay, we managed to get on shore on
the top of one of them without getting wet--that is to say, the captain,
Gerard, and I. It was really a pretty sight. We pulled on steadily,
with the head of the boat directed on shore; then a high, heaving,
glassy wave came gliding in, and the boat was on its summit; now the men
pulled away with all their might, and on we flew till the boat's keel
touched the beach. Quickly the waters receded. The instant they did so
we all jumped out, and hauling the boat up before another roller came
in, she was high and dry out of harm's way. A guard of blacks received
us; and hearing that the town was only about a mile and a half distant,
we set off to walk there. We passed through a pretty valley, and some
woods of tropical shrubs, with the blue sea visible beneath their broad,
fan-like leaves, and by many huts and cottages, inhabited mostly by
blacks, who seemed very much astonished at our appearance. At last we
reached the town, which has an open space in the centre, and a church
and the governor's house at one end, and a strong fort above it. Here
nearly all the soldiers and free men are blacks, while the whites are
mostly slaves, made so by their crimes. It must be rather a
satisfactory state of things to the feelings of the blacks. The
governor of this place--of a hundred houses or so--received us very
civilly, and gave the captain all the information he required; and,
besides that, a good supply of vegetables, which the island produces in
abundance.
On leaving Fernando Noronha we steered for Pernambuco--perhaps, next to
Rio, the port of the greatest importance in the Brazils. On going into
the harbour with a strong breeze blowing, the pilot from gross
carelessness gave the _Triton_ so hard a blow against a rook that an
ugly hole was knocked in her bottom. It seemed for a moment that the
masts would have gone by the board; but the ship, bounding off the rock,
glided on as if nothing had happened. It was a great trial for the
temper of Captain Frankland; but he uttered scarcely a word of reproof
to the pilot, and as to an oath, I never heard an expression even
approaching one pass from his lips all the time I was with him. The
crew were all at their stations, and none stirred from them till the
captain ordered the carpenter to sound the well. He quickly reported
that there were three feet of water in the well, and that it was rushing
in at a great rate. All hands on board not absolutely required to
shorten sail were ordered to man the pumps, and the _Triton_ was carried
in as close to the town as possible, so that she might immediately be
put on shore should there be danger of her sinking. On a further
examination of the damage the ship had received, it was found that it
would be absolutely necessary to land part of her cargo and to put her
on shore before it could be repaired. It was late in the day before
this was determined on, so that nothing could be done that afternoon.
All night long the sound of the pumps going continuously kept me awake
till towards morning, when I still heard them in my sleep. A gang of
negroes had been brought off to work them in relays, so that the crew
were saved the fatigue which they would otherwise have undergone. I was
very glad the next morning when I found the ship hauled close in-shore
to a place where, if she did sink, she could not go far, or drown those
on board. Captain Frankland found that it would take a considerable
time to get the damage repaired, as it was even of a more serious nature
than at first supposed. He bore the annoyance with his usual calm
temper. I have often thought what a valuable possession is a calm
temper, and how worthy of being cultivated.
The ship was consigned to an English firm--Messrs. Gleg and Robarts--who
rendered us every assistance in their power. Mr Robarts was on the
point of starting in a fast-sailing schooner on a trip along the coast
to the northward and west, as far as the mouth of the mighty river
Amazon. He invited Gerard and me, with Mr McRitchie, to accompany
him--not the last excursion of the sort we were destined to make. As he
undertook to be back before the ship could be ready for sea, the
captain, glad that we should see as much of the country as possible,
allowed us to go. I was amused at hearing the doctor charge the crew
not to fall sick, or tumble down and break their arms or legs, till his
return, at the risk of his high displeasure. The schooner--the
_Andorinha_--was built and manned by Portuguese, or rather Brazilians
and blacks. She was a very pretty little vessel, and a first-rate
sea-boat; indeed, the Portuguese models of vessels often used to put to
shame the crafts of the same class built in England. However, of late
years we have made a great stride in that respect. I speak of the
Portuguese, because the Brazils, it must be remembered, was colonised
from Portugal, and the greater part of the white inhabitants--if they
can be called white by courtesy--are of that nation originally. I am
sorry to say that I lost my notes made on this trip, so that I am unable
to describe it with the minuteness of the rest of my narrative.
Mr Robarts was a very merry, kind person, and we spent a very pleasant
life on board the little _Andorinha_. We put into several of the large
rivers, as the object of Mr Robarts was to collect some of the wildest
productions of the country from the natives inhabiting their banks.
When, we entered the Amazon, I could scarcely believe that we were in a
river, so wide and grand is the stream. The colour of the water,
however, showed us that it was really a river we were in. We had gone
up for some considerable distance, a strong breeze enabling us to battle
with the current, when at length we came to an anchor near the shore.
About a hundred and fifty miles up is the Brazilian town of Para--a
complete sea-port, though not equal in size to Pernambuco. We, however,
having a favourable breeze, went much further up the main stream, and
then turned into one of the numerous rivers which fall into it. Here
Mr Robarts expected to remain some little time to trade with the
natives. I had been below, when, on returning on deck, I heard Gerard
laughing heartily, and pointing to a boat which was proceeding up the
stream. In the fore-part was a thatched shed, on either side of which
sat four natives paddling. In the after-part was another shed of bamboo
and grass, under which sat the passengers. On the top of all was the
helmsman--a naked savage, lying his full length, and steering with his
feet, under a sun which would quickly have cooked a beef-steak exposed
to it. Mr Robarts told us that the boat or canoe was called an
egaritea, and that it was the canoe usually employed for the conveyance
of travellers on the Amazon. Again we laughed at the helmsman, who
seemed perfectly unconcerned, as, holding on to the bamboo roof with one
hand, he rested his black head on the other, just high enough to let him
look about in every direction. Mr Robarts could not leave the
schooner; but as Mr McRitchie and we were very anxious to see as much
of the interior of this wonderful country as possible, we arranged to go
up in an egaritea as far as time would allow. Mr Robarts allowed us to
take a half-caste native, who had served on board a British ship and
spoke a little English, as our interpreter. He was called Pedro, but he
had a much longer Indian name, which I do not remember. Away we
started, in high glee, with blankets, a supply of provisions, and a few
cooking utensils, with plates, cups, knives, and forks. We could not
help laughing whenever we thought of our araies, or chief boatman, lying
at his length above us, steering with his feet. This mode of travelling
we found very comfortable--almost too luxurious for our tastes--and
tolerably expeditious. I should say that we all had our guns, and that
McRitchie had, besides, his sketch-book, and boxes and cases for
collecting subjects of natural history. The difficulty in this region
was to know what to select. The water abounded with all sorts of
strange fish, and turtles and alligators innumerable. I must say, when
I first saw one of these hideous monsters, I felt an awe creeping over
me, though the natives did not seem to care a bit about them. We had
got to the end of our voyage in the egaritea, and arranged to hire a
light open canoe, with two men as rowers, in which we could proceed up
some of the smaller rivers. Nothing could surpass the luxuriance of the
foliage, which not only lined their banks, but extended a long way
inland, strange birds of all sizes, from the diminutive humming-bird to
others of immense bulk, of the most gorgeous plumage, flew about among
the trees; while, as we paddled along, we heard the most curious
chatterings, and now and then, if we remained quiet for a few minutes,
we could see hundreds of little black and brown and yellow faces, with
bright eyes peering at us from among the boughs. The slightest movement
or noise made by us would send them scampering off along the branches,
or rather swinging themselves by hands and tails from bough to bough, or
from creeper to creeper, that being their favourite mode of locomotion.
They were clean, nice, respectable-looking little fellows, quite unlike
monkeys cooped up in menageries, or even in the Zoological Gardens, and
seemed to lead very happy and joyous lives. Gerard declared that if he
was not a human being really, the next best state of existence he should
desire would be that of a monkey on the banks of the Amazon. We were
not aware at the time of certain facts, which afterwards came to our
knowledge, which might detract somewhat from the desirability of the
existence; among others, that the natives shoot and eat the poor little
fellows with as little compunction as we should young pigs or fowls.
We were paddling along, admiring the wonderful foliage--one forest
seeming, as it were, to rise up out of the top of another, the lowest
being higher and thicker than any forest in northern regions--when
suddenly a huge black monster was seen swimming rapidly towards us.
"An alligator!" exclaimed McRitchie. "He'll make mince-meat of us in a
moment. My gun--quick, quick!"
I was handing him his gun when one of our native boatmen, laughing at
our fright, made signs that there was no danger, and seizing a piece of
drift-wood floating by, adroitly threw it across its mouth. The vast
jaw of the monster came crashing down on it. There they stuck, and the
native assured us, through Pedro, that he was now quite harmless.
McRitchie took a steady aim at the creature's eye, while a native stood
ready with a coil of ropes to throw over it directly it was killed, or
it would have sunk, I fancy, out of sight in an instant. McRitchie's
bullet took immediate effect, and we soon had the creature hauled up on
the nearest bank, where our medico had the opportunity of anatomically
examining him at his leisure. While he was thus employed, Gerard and I
agreed that it would be a good opportunity to prepare dinner, assisted
by Pedro. The natives preferred sleeping in their canoe. While we were
engaged over our fish, I on a sudden looked up, and saw a huge animal of
the tiger species stealing catlike towards the doctor, attracted
probably by the carcass of the alligator. The creature seemed at that
moment about to make its fatal spring. I had my gun providentially by
my side. I shrieked out to the doctor to be on his guard, and at the
same moment raised my weapon to my shoulder to fire. He had the large
knife with which he had been cutting up the alligator in his hand.
Resting on my knee, I fired, and though I did not flatter myself that I
was a good shot, happily hit the animal on the head. He fell backwards,
stunned but not dead; and the doctor, rushing forward with his knife,
deprived the creature of existence, thanking me in the same breath for
the service I had rendered him.
"Come, we are meeting with adventures now, I do think, indeed!"
exclaimed Jerry, as we sat round our repast, after the enthusiastic
doctor had cut up the tiger. "Hurrah! it's great fun."
Soon after embarking to proceed on our voyage, we looked into a curious
little nook under the trees, where, in the centre of the stream, lay a
canoe with two people, a man and his wife, in it. They were not
over-encumbered with garments, but the man had some curious feather
ornaments on his arms. At first they seemed inclined to paddle away,
but a shout from one of our canoemen brought them alongside, and from
the affectionate greeting which was exchanged between the parties we
found that they were relations, or at all events great friends. Pedro
informed us that they invited us to their dwelling. We were delighted
to accept the invitation, as we particularly wished to see the way of
life of the aborigines. We paddled on some little distance, when our
new friends, leading the way pushed in among the tall reeds till we
found ourselves close to some long poles with a platform on the top and
a ladder leading to it. We followed them up the ladder, when we found
ourselves in a sort of hut, thickly thatched over with palm-leaves.
Looking out, we saw several similar habitations. It seemed something
like living up in trees. We concluded that the object the natives had
in view in placing their habitations in such positions was to avoid the
floods, as also snakes and crawling creatures, and the noxious air which
floats close to the surface. All the natives' houses are not built in
this way, for when we went further inland we met with several standing
only a short distance from the ground--on some more elevated spot. The
natives are not very pleasant companions, as they anoint their bodies
all over with oil, which gives anything but a notion that they indulge
in cleanliness. Jerry, however, observed that it was probably nothing
when people got accustomed to it, and that as oil was a clean thing,
they might be more cleanly than people who wear dirty clothes and never
wash. Even these people do wash their children; and we were highly
amused in the morning on seeing a mother giving her little black-headed
papoose a bath. The bath was a big tub made out of the hollowed
seed-lobe of a species of palm. The fat little creature splashed about
and seemed to enjoy the bath amazingly. After this we agreed that the
natives had a good reason for anointing their bodies with oil, and that
they were not naturally a dirty people. With Pedro, who carried the
doctor's cases, and one of the natives as a guide, we made from thence a
long excursion inland. We were all together when Pedro stopped us.
"There is something curious up in the trees," he observed. We peered
through the branches, and a little way off saw two men--negroes they
seemed--seated at some distance from each other on the boughs of
different trees, perfectly motionless. Each of them had a tube at his
mouth about twelve feet long, and very slender. The mouthpiece was
thick--a short cylinder apparently--as the doctor told us, a receptacle
for wind. The weapon or instrument, he said, was a sarbacan. Numerous
beautiful birds were flying about in the neighbourhood, some of them the
most diminutive humming-birds. Soon as we looked down fell one, then
another and another. They were shot with little darts of hard wood
pointed at one end, and twisted round with wadding at the other to
prevent the wind escaping. Jerry said that at school he had often made
similar weapons on a small scale, and had killed insects with them.
After the sportsmen had shot off all their arrows they came down from
their perches to collect their game. We found that they were employed
by some naturalists at Para, and that the birds were wanted either for
stuffing or for the sake of their feathers. We saw several snakes as we
continued our walk, and I must own that I felt very uncomfortable when
they appeared hanging from the boughs of the trees or crawling along
among the thick grass. Many of them were perfectly harmless, but
others, we were told, were fearfully venomous. Once we very narrowly
escaped a rattlesnake which appeared close to us, but Providence has
ordered it that most of these creatures should be more afraid of man
than man need be of them, and they make off rapidly at his approach.
If, however, they are trodden on, or are disturbed waiting for their
prey, they become savage, and revenge themselves on the intruders. In
most instances, the only chance of saving the life of a person bitten is
at once to suck the wound.
At length it was time for us to go back to the egaritea, that we might
return to the schooner. We found, on rejoining the passenger canoe,
that she would not be ready to start till the next morning. We were
doubting what to do with ourselves in the meantime, when Pedro informed
us that he had heard of some amusing sport to take place that night, and
that he could obtain leave for us to join in it if we wished. A party
of natives were going a little way down the river to a sandbank on which
turtles wore accustomed, at this season of the year, to come on shore in
order to deposit their eggs. The natives hide themselves near the spot,
and as soon as the unsuspecting turtles have performed the operation,
they rush out and turn as many as they can catch on their backs. There
they lie helpless till they are dispatched by the hungry aborigines. We
started in our own canoe, in company with twenty or thirty others, late
in the evening. On reaching the neighbourhood of the sandbank all the
canoes put to shore, and were drawn up on the beach. The natives, one
acting as a leader, whom we followed close after, proceeded along in
single file till a number of bushes and trees close to the bank was
reached. Behind these the party were soon concealed. It was a great
trial of patience waiting for the turtle. I thought at last that they
would not appear, and regretted having lost our night's rest for
nothing. At last, however, a low whistle from our leader aroused the
attention of the whole party, and a number of black objects were seen
moving over the white sands, till the bank seemed literally covered with
them. They remained for some time scraping holes in the sand, and, as I
supposed, depositing their eggs in them; then, at a sign from our
copper-coloured leader, out rushed all the savages, and getting between
the water and the turtle began turning them over with wonderful
rapidity. Jerry and I tried our hands at the sport, but while we turned
one turtle a native would turn a dozen, and would rush into the water
after those that had escaped, and frequently bring them back. At length
all the turtle had escaped or been killed, or had rather been turned on
their backs, where they lay utterly unable to move. The natives now
selected five or six, and carrying them to an open place inland where
the squaws had already lighted a fire, hero they cut the flesh out of
the shell and immediately began cooking it in a variety of ways, and as
soon as it was cooked tossing it down their throats. They all ate till
they were gorged, and then went fast asleep round their fires, forgetful
of tigers or rattlesnakes or other wild creatures. I should think a
tiger must occasionally carry some of them off when they are in that
state, unless the wild beasts prefer the turtles, which I rather fancy
they do. We selected four turtle, and filled a basket with a quantity
of the round soft eggs, and then paddled back to our egaritea.
Soon after it was daylight we started on our passage down the river,
which, as we had a strong current in our favour, was very quickly
performed. The _Andorinha_ was just ready to sail, and as we had a fair
breeze, we did not stop at Para, but proceeded at once to sea.
I have narrated the chief incidents of our expedition. By-the-by, the
doctor took a capital sketch of one of the tree habitations, literally
perched among the branches. He had to climb a tree to take it, an easy
matter in those parts, considering the immense number of tendrils to
assist a person in the operation. A big monkey was sitting on a
neighbouring bough, and did not observe us, as we were hid by the thick
foliage. I have introduced the sketch at the end of the chapter.
We had a favourable voyage back to Pernambuco, where we found the
repairs of the _Triton_ just completed. Captain Frankland was of course
very anxious not to lose a day after this was done, so as soon as the
cargo could be restowed we bade farewell to Mr Robarts and our other
kind friends, and with a light wind stood out of the harbour. Our
destination was Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the Brazils. I shall not
forget the magnificent sight which met my eyes, as one bright afternoon
we glided through a narrow entrance into its superb harbour. We
appeared to be sailing up a large lake, extending as far inland as the
eye could reach, and surrounded with lofty mountains of many different
and picturesque shapes. On either side were walls of granite, rising
sheer out of the water to a height of nearly 2000 feet, while behind
them rose the vast Sugar-loaf Mountain, and a number of other lofty and
barren peaks towering up clear and defined against the blue sky. Like
mighty giants they surround the harbour, the ground at their bases
sloping towards the water, and sprinkled with pretty villages, and
quintas, and orange-groves, and covered with the most luxuriant
vegetation. A picturesque fort guards the entrance to the bay. Passing
it, after sailing about four miles, we dropped our anchor among a crowd
of vessels carrying the ensigns of nearly all the civilised nations of
the world, before the city of Rio, which, built on a flat extending two
miles from the hills, appeared on our left hand. As our stay was to be
short, the captain allowed Gerard and me to accompany the doctor on
shore at once. He himself went with us, and introduced us to a
merchant, who kindly undertook to show us about the place.
"There, go and see all you can, and give me an account of what you have
seen when you return on board," were his parting words.
Rio, with its superb harbour, as seen from the heights above it, is a
picturesque city, as I think the drawing I brought home and now give
will prove. It is built upon piles--that is, the lower part--and as the
drainage is bad, it is at times very unhealthy. On landing, we found
ourselves on a large open space with a palace before us, and a fountain
in front of it. Before the palace stood two negro soldiers as a guard.
The army, our friend told us, is composed chiefly of negroes, who make
very good soldiers; and the navy is manned by them. Acting with
Englishmen, many of whom are in the Brazilian navy, they are as bravo
and trustworthy as any men to be found. Off the square branched a
number of narrow streets. As the climate is so hot, all the streets are
made narrow, that they may be kept as much as possible in shade. The
houses are mostly of good size, and the walls are very thick; they thus
keep out the heat of the sun. The churches are also substantially
built, and decorated in a very florid style--the interiors being tawdry
in the extreme, calculated only to please the uncultivated taste of the
negroes and of the lower order of whites. Railways have been formed in
the Brazils, and one runs to Petropolis, a summer resort of the
principal inhabitants. Omnibuses, too, have made their appearance. The
streets are paved with fine blocks of stone, and the city is lighted
with gas; indeed, as our friend observed, "under the liberal government
of the present constitutional emperor the country has made great
material progress. When her literally unbounded resources are
developed, the Brazils cannot fail, unless her constitution is
overthrown, of becoming a wealthy and happy nation. At present, her
wretched parody of the pure religion of Christians, and her lazy,
profligate, and ignorant priests, tend more than anything else to retard
her progress. Vile as they are, they have been unable to prevent the
free circulation of the Scriptures and the toleration of Protestant
opinions."
We were struck by the immense number of negroes who crowd the streets.
Those born in Africa are known by the distinguishing marks of their
tribes on their foreheads. Many of them are free. A negro in Rio may
demand his valuation from a magistrate, and when he can make up the
fixed sum he can purchase his freedom. Slaves are generally treated
kindly by their masters, and as their price is high, on account of the
impediments thrown in the way of the slave trade, their health is
carefully looked after. The porters are all slaves. They pay their
owners so much a day, and keep the rest of what they gain for
themselves. They carry everything on their heads. We sometimes met a
dozen grunting or singing in time, as they stooped under some huge
machine borne aloft above them. They lie about the streets with their
baskets, ready for anybody's call. We thought the Brazilians a very
quiet and most polite people. They were continually bowing to each
other, and there was none of that bustling roughness so often seen in
England. We met the emperor on horseback in plain clothes, though his
attendants were in handsome uniforms. He was a fine intelligent-looking
young man, and is much liked. The Brazilian government is liberal.
Both Houses of Parliament are elected by the people; and if there is a
majority of three-fourths in favour of a measure in the Lower House, the
measure is virtually carried, whatever the vote of the Upper. If the
Senate, or Upper House, do not agree, the two meet in convention; and as
the number of the Senate is small compared to that of the Lower House,
it can thus always be outvoted. The vote of the emperor can suspend a
law for a year; but if, at the end of that time, it be again passed by
the Legislature, it takes effect. In reality, the government is a
republic, the emperor being the executive, though deprived of
legislative power.
We passed in our walk a house out of which a funeral procession was
coming. It was that of a young lad of our own age, we were told. That
and the neighbouring houses were hung with blue cloth. The hearse and
liveries of the servants, and the trappings of the horses, were of the
same colour. His hands were crossed before him with a cup in them. The
decorations at the funerals of young children are red, those only of
grown-up people are black. If boys are named after any of the saints,
they are dressed in appropriate costumes. If after Saint John, a pen is
placed in one hand and a book in the other. If after Saint Francis or
Saint Anthony, he has a monk's gown and cowl. Sometimes a boy is called
after the archangel Michael, and then he wears a gilt pasteboard helmet,
a tunic with a belt round the waist, tight red boots, and his hand
resting on a sword. Poor little girls, with rouge and false locks, are
made to represent Madonnas and female saints. Jerry and I agreed that
we should not like to be rigged out in that guise after we were dead.
Rio is supplied with water by an aqueduct which comes from far up among
the mountains, its chief source being a romantic and forest-surrounded
spot, called the "Mother of Waters." The actual channel which conveys
sufficient water to supply so large a city as Rio is only nine inches
wide and nine and a half deep. The precious fluid, however, comes
rushing down with great rapidity, and thus quickly fills all the
reservoirs below. It is conveyed from its mountain-source sometimes
across valleys on high massive arches, sometimes in the interior of a
thick wall-like structure, and sometimes underground. The channel has
for its whole length an arch above it of sufficient height and width to
enable a man to walk upright along it. Altogether, we agreed that Rio
if it were not for the slaves and the monks, and the want of drains,
would be a very civilised city. Never did sight-seers get over the
ground faster than we did, or make better use of their eyes. I ought to
have mentioned that steamers ply in various directions in the harbour of
Rio. Our friend proposed a trip up the country, which would last during
the few days we had to spare. We started in one of the smallest of the
steamers, and went up the River Macacu. One thing struck us--a boat
laden with slaves, which had been landed on the opposite shore, and were
being smuggled into the city. We went on shore at the small town of
Porto Sampaio, and thence on mule back about fifteen miles, to the
country-house of a Brazilian gentleman, our friend's friend. We four
had a room to ourselves--a large, roughly built apartment. Scarcely
were we all in bed, and the light out, when, just as I had dropped
asleep, down came something on my nose. I started up, and there
appeared to be a tremendous clattering and pattering about the room.
"I say, Harry, what are you heaving at me?" sung out Jerry, springing up
also.
"Rather, what are you throwing at me?" I retorted.
"Hillo! what's the matter?" cried the doctor; "I felt something soft
slip through my fingers--animals of some sort--what can they be?"
"Only rats!" said our friend, awoke by our exclamations. "I know they
are somewhat numerous in this house."
We all sat up, and began shouting and striking right and left; but the
rats did not mind us a bit. At last the doctor lighted a lucifer match,
and away scampered at least a hundred rats into the holes from whence
they had come out. We thought that we were to have rest, but as soon as
darkness and silence were restored, out they all came again, and made as
much hubbub as before. Jerry and I kept knocking about us to little
purpose, till we both fell back asleep; and all night long I dreamed
that I was fighting with a host of black men on the coast of Africa.
When the morning broke, they scampered away like so many evil spirits,
leaving their marks, however, behind them. They had committed no little
mischief also. They had gnawed through our friend's shoes and the
doctor's leather cigar-case; they had carried off Jerry's leather
braces--the remains of which were found near one of the holes--and the
front strap of my cap. We all had suffered, but, as Jerry remarked, as
they had left us our noses and toes it did not much signify. They
infest the country in all directions, we were told.
The estate we were on produced chiefly sugar. The milk by which the
canes are crushed consisted of three vertical wooden rollers worked by
mules. The most interesting subject connected with our trip was the
cultivation and preparation of the mandioca. The chief produce is
called farinha: the slaves are fed almost entirely on it. A field of
mandioca, when ripe, looks something like a nursery of young plants.
Each plant grows by itself, with a few palmated leaves only at the top.
The stem is about an inch in diameter at the base, and six or seven feet
long. A bud appears at nearly every inch of the otherwise smooth stem.
These plants give forth tubers of irregular shape, in substance like a
parsnip, about six inches long and four thick. The tubers, after being
scraped and rinsed, are ground, or rather grated against a wheel with a
brass grater as a tire. One slave turns the wheel, and another presses
the root against it. The pulp is then put into bags and pressed. The
matter, which resembles cheese-cake in consistence, is then rubbed
through a wire sieve and thrown into shallow copper pans moderately
heated. After being stirred up, it quickly dries, and the produce is
not unlike oatmeal. The juice pressed out is very poisonous by itself.
It is, however, collected in pans, when a beautifully white substance is
precipitated to the bottom. This substance is tapioca, so largely used
in puddings at home. To plant a field of mandioca, the stems of the old
plants are cut into bits about four inches long, and stuck in the
ground. They quickly take root, and, sending forth shoots from the
buds, are in two years fit again to dig up. The mandioca is called
cassava in some countries. The press used by the Indians is a simple
and most ingenious contrivance. It is made by the Indians wherever the
plant is grown. It is a basket made of fine split cane loosely plaited;
in shape, a tube five feet long and five inches in diameter at the
mouth, and narrowing somewhat at the bottom. A strong loop is left at
each end. To use it, first it is wetted, and then a man holding the
mouth presses the other end against the ground till it is half its
former height. A long smooth stick is now inserted down the middle, and
the pulp is packed tightly round it till the basket is full. It is then
hung to a beam or branch of a tree by a loop at the mouth, while a heavy
weight is attached to one at the bottom, till the basket has assumed its
original tube-like form and length, and the whole of the liquid has been
pressed out of the mass of mandioca.
One of the most curious features in a Brazilian forest is the vegetable
cordage, or _sipos_, which hang down from every branch, like slack ropes
from the rigging of a ship. Jerry and I several times could not resist
having a good swing on them, while the doctor was hunting about for his
specimens. Their roots are in the ground. They climb up a tree, then
hang over a branch and descend, and often twist upward again by their
own stem, to descend more than once again to the ground. We were shown
the nests of some diminutive bees. The nests are not so large as a
turkey's egg, while the bodies of the bees are but little thicker than
the bodies of mosquitoes. The comb is of a dark brown colour, and the
construction of the nest is somewhat like that of ants. The only
entrance is a small hole, at the mouth of which they construct a tube
turning upwards. This is regularly closed up at night, so that no damp
can enter, and it is never opened till the sun has been some time up.
The bees have no stings, but they are very brave, and will drive away
the ordinary bee from their hives. A sketch which the doctor took, and
finished up afterwards on board, will afford a better idea of the
vegetation of a Brazilian forest than any verbal account I can give.
I might go on indeed for hours describing all the wonders we saw during
our short trip. Our last excursion was to the Corcovado Mountains,
whence we looked down on the blue waters of the superb harbour of Rio,
surrounded by sandy beaches and numerous snow-white buildings, peeping
from amid the delicate green foliage which covers the bases of the
neighbouring mountains, and creeps up almost to their summits; while the
mountains are on every side broken into craggy and castellated peaks of
every varied shape; the whole forming a not easily forgotten panorama.
Once more we were on board and under weigh. The bay, as we sailed out,
was full of vessels; but the flag of Old England was not, as I should
have supposed, among the most numerous. With a fair wind we passed out
of the harbour, and stood along the coast to the southward.