camped,
a journey of three long leagues brought us to the fazenda of Santa
Rosa. We had not gone far when we had to ascend another Serra, but
lower than that of Batalha, the top of which forms a Chapada about a
league broad. Having crossed this, a very slight ascent brought us to
the top of a third elevated plane, called the Serra do Mato Grosso,
from the dense forest with which it is covered. These three Serras may
more correctly be considered as one great one, than as distinct
ranges, since we found the descent from the last about equal in height
to the ascent of the first, and both much greater than the intermediate
ones; the south side also, like the north, was covered with large
blocks of sandstone. We now entered the valley of Santa Rosa, which
tends southward for about a league and a half; in the middle of this
runs a small stream of the most limpid water I have ever seen, and on
each side of it grows a strip of tall and beautiful Buriti palms,
affording food and shelter to vast numbers of the three kinds of Maccaw
already described. Near the top of the valley there is a large lake,
and another about the middle of it, fed by the small stream, partly
surrounded by the Buriti, and partly by a much smaller palm, which very
much resembles it, but its stem is thickly covered by long sharp spines; this,
which I afterwards found to be very common in the marshy Campos of the
province of Goyaz, is called Buritizana. This beautiful valley is
about a league broad at its widest part, where the fazenda of the same
name is situated, and is bounded on the north-west side by the Serra do
Livramento, about equal in height with the Serra do Mato Grosso, which
bounds it on the north-east side.
Shortly
before we reached the descent of the Serra, the great variety of new
plants which I found growing there, caused me to linger far behind the
troop, but as this was very frequently the case, the men took no notice
of it. I did not often keep one of them with me, as my eye, from long
practice, had become well acquainted with the track of the troop, from
the appearance of the horses' and the men's foot-marks; and here,
moreover, the road had been so long free from travellers, that there
seemed no
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