One of the greatest compliments that can be paid a lady, is to tell her that she is becoming daily fatter and more beautiful (mais gorda e mais bonita), indeed the greater portion of them soon-acquire a tendency to become so, from the sedentary life they all lead.
After
remaining about a fortnight I made preparations to leave led, as I
wished as soon as possible to get up to Crato, another town about one
hundred and twenty miles to the S.W., situated at the foot of the
mountains which divide the provinces of Ceara and Piauhy, where I was
assured I should meet with abundance to reward my researches, as the
general temperature was much cooler, and the country well watered with
small streams from the mountains. I purchased two additional horses,
engaged an experienced guide, and procured whatever was necessary for
the journey, when the following incident occurred to prevent my
departure. The day before that fixed for our journey, one of my new
horses disappeared from the pasture in which it was feeding, if,
indeed, a little dried up grass could be so called; as horsestealing
is a very frequent crime in Brazil, I strongly suspected that some one
had made free with my animal, but I was assured it had only strayed
into a neighbouring Catinga and would soon be found. I
immediately despatched Pedro and another man well acquainted with the
country, in quest of it, but after two days' search they could bring me
no satisfactory tidings. Having lost all hopes of regaining it, I was
about to purchase another, when a man, who had been searching for two
of his own stray animals, told Pedro he had seen one answering the
description of mine on the Serra de Pereira, about three leagues
distant; upon this Pedro and his companion were again despatched in
that direction, when they returned in the evening bringing it with
them; they found it on an elevated table land feeding along with an
immense number of the American Ostrich (Rhea Americana). This
was the first of a series of annoyances I met with during my future
travels, from my horses either straying or having been stolen; an
animal is frequently taken away by some one who wishes to make a short
journey, so that after a day or two it will be found in the place
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