they
never came near enough to be seen. The night we remained at Eiacho
d'Area, we were prevented from sleeping during the early part of it, by
the loud roaring of one of these animals, which was so distinct and
audible that it appeared to be within a short distance; but the
fazendeiro, who was more accustomed to the sound, assured me it was at
least half a league distant, and from its noise he supposed it to be a
very large male; its roar was more like the growl of an angry dog,
which generally continued for a quarter of an hour at a time, when it
terminated by a sound, two or three times repeated, not unlike the
smothered bark of a large mastiff. The dogs belonging to the fazenda
were on the alert and barking, but none of them offered to leave the
house. My horses which were feeding at a little distance, came closer
to us, when they heard the almost unearthly sounds produced by the
fierce inhabitant of the forests; even those I had brought from
the coast, and which I am certain had never been exposed to the attacks
of these animals, followed the example of the others.
The
Fazenda de Saco do Tancme is situated immediately on the boundary line
between the province of Piauhy, and the south-west portion of that of
Pernambuco, which is known by the name of the district of the Rio
Preto. Shortly after entering this district, we reached an elevated
table-land called the Serra da Batalha, which it was necessary to
cross; it is about the height of the Serra de Araripe at Crato, and
like it, is covered with an ever-verdant vegetation. The ascent is a
very rugged one, consisting of large blocks of coarse white sandstone,
of which the Serra appeared to be composed. At the foot of this Serra,
and on the ascent itself, I made one of the finest collections of
plants I had met with since leaving Oeiras. In moist sandy places at
its foot grow some of those beautiful large-flowered small-leaved Melasto-macece, which
are so abundant in the gold and diamond districts; while on the more
elevated sandy tracts I found immense cpianti-ties of a kind of nutmeg (Myristica), which
does not grow more than three feet high. The treees on the Chapada
itself consisted chiefly of the Cashew, Piki, Jatoba, Mangaba,
Sicupira, Gomphia
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