from
Samambaia the country still continues very flat till within a short
distance of Retiro, when it becomes more undulating, exhibiting
several ridges of lime-stone, nearly bare of vegetation, or of a fine
red sandstone, which lies beneath the limestone, full of nodules of
iron-stone, which from the wearing away of the rock are thickly strewn
over the surface; they are of all sizes, from very minute particles to
rounded blocks as large as two fists; they are of a black, or very dark
brown colour, assume a variety of shapes, and, judging from their
weight, are rich in iron.
The
fazenda of Retiro stands on a rising ground on the banks of the Rio das
Guaribas, which was one of the largest we had yet encountered, but from
the recent dry weather, the water was so low, that on the following
morning we crossed it without difficulty; its banks exhibited signs of
having but a short time before been very much flooded. A journey of two
leagues brought us to a fazenda called Buquerao, where in consequence
of rain we remained till the following morning, when continuing our
route through a generally flat country, but full of isolated rocky
hills, containing few trees, and a very scanty herbaceous vegetation,
we arrived at the fazenda of Canabrava, after travelling about four
leagues. This estate belongs to Colonel Martins, the father of the two
gentlemen whom we met at Boa Esperanca, and brother to the Barao de
Parnahiba, the President of the Province of Piauhy. As I carried
letters of introduction to him from Padre Marcos, I was received with
the greatest politeness and hospitality ; here we remained for the
night, and the following morning were not allowed to leave till we had
partaken of a breakfast of coffee, which the Colonel told us was an
excellent preventive for ague, which is very common at this season, in
the country we were now about to enter. The old man was in deep grief
at the loss of one of his sons, who but a short time before had died
suddenly at his fazenda, about twenty-four leagues distant. As several
roads led off in various directions a little beyond the house, he
kindly sent a black boy to put us in the right path. A journey of about
five leagues and a half, through a beautiful grassy country abounding
in herds of fine cattle, brought us to a plantation called Canavieira,
belonging
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