nearly
half a league along the side of the lake, not one was to be seen : we
saw, however, plenty of alligators, and a very large one, which was
floating like an old log on the surface of the water, at but a little
distance from the shore, was too tempting a shot to be passed by ; I
fired at his head, my gun being loaded with large shot, when making a
spring for the deep water, it turned upon its back and floated,
apparently dead. Believing it to be so, I sent in Manoel, my Indian
servant to bring it out: he waded up to his chin in the water, and
attempted to seize the animal by the tail, when it turned suddenly
round and disappeared. I know not which of the two was most frightened,
for Manoel gave a loud roar, and lost no time in getting to terra
firma: the animal had evidently only been stunned by the shot.
In this lake I found some curious aquatic plants, such as a new species of Cabomba (C. Piauhgensis, Gardn.), a fine yellow-flowered Jussicea (J. sedoides, Humb.),
first found by Humboldt in lakes in New Granada; it floats on the
water, and the leaves which are small, all reach the surface, and form
round the axis of the plant a dense circle, which at a distance appears
like a large entire floating leaf. Specimens of a Chara and a Potamogeton were also collected; both interesting, from belonging to genera common to South America and Great Britain.
On
the 31st, we left Algodoes early in the morning, and after a ride of
about three leagues, over a dry flat Chapada, we arrived at Golfes, a
single house situated on a hill near a small marsh, in which grows a
great number of Buriti palms; we halted by the side of this marsh,
unc\er a large Cashew tree. In the afternoon, another journey of two
leagues and a half, brought us to a small uninhabited house, at a place
called Retiro Alegre, situated in a beautiful valley, skirted by high
hills, and abounding in Buriti palms, the leaves of which afforded
shelter to vast numbers of the orange-breasted Maccaw (Caninde). At
this place I found a little black fellow, waiting my arrival to act as
guide to the next fa-zenda (Genipapo), which was five leagues and a
half distant. He was sent by Captain Valentim Pereira da Silva, whom I
met at Algodoes, on his way to visit his son, to whom the country
through
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