halted
during the middle of the day at the only house on the road, the fazenda
de Pindobal, and started early again, so as to reach the Rio da Palma
in good time to cross it. The country we found to be nearly flat,
consisting of large open campos, which were better stocked with cattle
than any we had hitherto passed through in this province. When about
half way to the river, we unfortunately went off the proper path, and
got upon a cattle track, which in those thinly-inhabited countries
often lead the traveller astray, the highway having quite the same
appearance ; it was some time before we discovered our error, but
knowing the direction in which the river ran, we made direct for it,
and in less than half an hour were so fortunate as to come upon the
right road again, which now lay through a thin forest, consisting
principally of Qualea parviflora, Mart. In consequence of the delay thus occasioned, it was nearly sunset before we arrived at the ferry.
We
found the river much swollen, although it had not rained here for more
than a week, but we concluded that much rain had fallen recently
further up the country. Owing to this circumstance, and to the
lateness of the hour, we had some difficulty in prevailing on the
ferryman to carry us over to the other side. The Bio da Palma is
considerably broader than that of Manoel Alvez, and flows with much
greater force. In this, as in the former river, the canoe is maintained
at the expence of government, but it was here on so small a scale that
only one horse could be taken over at a time j in this tedious manner
the transit was repeated no less than twelve times before all could be
passed over, which occupied more than three hours. This place is called
Fazenda da Barra, and contains several houses on both sides of the
river; that to which we were directed to find accommodation was so
small, that as the night promised to be fine, we preferred taking up
our quarters under some trees that grew in front of it.
On
the following morning, after we had travelled about two leagues and a
half, we were obliged to stop in consequence of two of the horses
becoming very much fatigued, caused most probably by the great exertion
of crossing the river the night before. We
