Catesby mentions that in North America he has seen death result from the bite of a Rattle Snake in less than two minutes; I have also heard of death taking place very shortly after the bite in Brazil, but I have never actually seen it in less than ten or twelve hours. In those cases where the poison acts so quickly, it must be so strong as to destroy the nervous energy at once. In those in which the patient lingers for one or more days, death generally takes place from inflammation and mortification of the subcutaneous cellular substance. During the course of my journeys in the interior, I met frequently with persons who had recovered from severe snake bites, but almost all of them had broken constitutions, and suffered from ulcerated limbs. From all that I have seen, I candidly confess, that I have no faith in any medicine intended to act as a specific for a snake bite, whether used internally or externally. I do not of course allude to those which are usually applied for the reduction of inflammation and fever, as under any mode of treatment they cannot be withheld. A ligature attached above the wound, and instant incisions into the wound itself, and the application of a cupping-glass, which, in the shape of a wine glass, is always at hand, are more to be depended on than any other external remedial agency.
My first journey of any length into the virgin forest here, was made in company with M. Lomonosof, the Russian minister at the court of Brazil, and Mr. Heath. M. Lomonosof was desirous to witness a Tapir (Anta) hunt, that animal being very common on this range. It is the largest South American quadruped, but is not of greater size in the body than a calf about six months old, and it stands upon much shorter legs. We left the Fazenda about half-past six o’clock in the morning, and entered the forest at about three miles to the north of it. We were accompanied by four negroes, and took provisions with us for two days. We had also our guns and six good dogs. For the first mile and a half we had a tolerable path, leading through a forest of fine trees, with very little underwood except young palms, hundreds of which were cut down by the blacks who were clearing the way for us. In going up the valley we crossed and recrossed a small river, called the Imbuhy, several times, on the banks of which I added largely to my botanical collections. The most difficult part of our path was about half a mile which had to be cut through a thick forest of bamboos. Having accomplished this, we came upon an old track of a tapir. It was about two feet broad, well beaten, and had foot marks of the animal on it, but they were several days old. This path led us through a densely wooded part of the forest, to one which was less so, the larger trees being fewer, but instead, an abundance of shrubs and large herbaceous plants. We here came upon several paths, which we found led to a deep pool in the river, and evidently a place which the tapir repairs to for the purpose of drinking and bathing. While Mr. Heath was endeavouring to get the dogs upon a recent track, I occupied myself in collecting a number of curious plants, which grew on a sloping bank by the side of the stream. It now began to rain, and the dogs not having gone out, we again crossed the river, and proceeded up the valley about a mile further. From thence one of the dogs set off, but returned in about a quarter of an hour without having turned up anything. It was now nearly four o’clock in the afternoon, and the rain was beginning to fall heavily; we therefore sought for a place where we might encamp for the night, as we were ten miles distant from the Fazenda, and M. Lomonosof was too much fatigued to be able to return. The place we selected was under the shade of some large trees, near which grew abundance of the small cabbage palm (Euterpe edulis, Mart.), the terminal bud of which is so much made use of as a vegetable by the Brazilians. A hut was soon erected, and thickly thatched over with the leaves of this palm. At first we were dreadfully annoyed by mosquitoes and a little sand-fly, but the kindling of a large fire in front of our hut soon dispersed them. Palm leaves were spread upon the floor for our bed, and we had a small log of wood for a pillow. It rained heavily all night, but we did not suffer from it. We got up next morning by break of day, and prepared to return home, as it still continued to rain. I was somewhat amused at the vessel in which the blacks cooked their breakfast. It was a pot made from a part of the thick stem of a bamboo, the bottom being formed by the division which occurs at each joint. It is placed upright on the fire, and so long as it contains water will not burn through. Among the many uses to which the bamboo may be put, that is one which I never heard of before nor have seen since. After a slight breakfast we commenced our journey homewards; but before getting out of the forest, M. Lomonosof, little accustomed to a hunter’s life, became so exhausted from fatigue, that it was with difficulty he reached the place where horses had been ordered to be sent to await our return.
The animals which inhabit the vast forests of the Organ mountains are, perhaps, no less various than the forms of the vegetable creation. Formerly the Ounce, or Jaguar (Felis Onca), used to be common, but now it is only occasionally that its roar is heard at night, or that cattle or sheep suffer from its depredations. The black variety, to which the Brazilians give the name of Tiger, is still more rare. The woods, however, abound with a very pretty species of wild cat (Felis pardalis). Monkeys are very numerous. In the morning the forests resound with the unearthly howling of the Barbado (Mycetes barbatus), which is as large as an ordinary dog; they live in bands of many together. There are several others quite as large, but they are seldom to be seen. The grey Marmoset, which is so common in the forests of the northern provinces, is not to be met with here, but another, and perhaps a still more beautiful species is occasionally found. It is the Jaccus auritus. It is easily distinguished from all the other species by its nearly uniform dark colour, and the pencils of long white hairs which come out from its ears. The Sloth (Acheus Ai) is also occasionally found feeding on the leaves of the Cecropia peltata, which form his favourite food. One which I had for some time in captivity, was of a timid and fretful disposition. Like most other animals in which the brain is small in proportion to the development of the nervous system, it is very tenacious of life. Although more tardy in its movements than most quadrupeds of its size, it passes with considerable rapidity from branch to branch, from which in its progress it always hangs by the legs and feet. It owes much to Waterton, for being the first to remove the stigma which Buffon and others put upon its character. In the river which flows through the valley, the Brazilian Otter (Lutra Brasiliensis), and the Capybara (Hydrochærus capybara), are still occasionally to be met with. A pretty little deer (Cervus nemorivagus) frequently attracts the sportsman to the woods, as do also the two species of Pecari (Dicotyles labiatus and torquatus), which are so common all over the intertropical parts of South America. A kind of Opossum (Didelphis Azaræ) is as much the pest of the fowl-house as the fox is in Europe. It is very tenacious of life, getting up and running away when every bone in its body appears to be broken by the blows which have been inflicted on it. In the woods an Armadillo (Tatusia peba) is not uncommon, the stewed flesh of which makes excellent food; and in the forests a prehensile-tailed kind of Porcupine (Sphigurus spinosus) is also often met with; they both burrow in the ground. The great Ant-bear (Myrmecophaga tamandua) is rarely, though occasionally, to be met with. Along with the monkeys, a little brown squirrel is often to be seen sporting among the branches of the trees.
Besides the numerous fly-catchers and other small birds, the wild pigeons, the flocks of parroquets and parrots, the hawks, owls, and the various species of Toucans, remarkable for their brilliant colours, and the great size of their bills, there are several large birds which are much sought after by the sportsman. These are the Jacú, Jacutinga, Jacubemba, Jacuassú, all gallinaceous birds, belonging to the genus Penelope; two species of Quail, the Macúcu (Tinamus macaco), and the Nhambú (Pezus niamba); and, lastly, a Partridge (Perdix Guianensis), the Capoeira of the Brazilians. Of reptiles there are numerous snakes, many of which are beautifully coloured, a vast variety of lizards, and innumerable hordes of frogs and toads of all sizes, from the small tree kind not more than an inch long, to those marsh ones which are nearly large enough to fill a hat. Till one gets accustomed to the sounds which they produce, particularly previous to rain, they are almost deafening. During the day the air is full of beautiful butterflies of all colours, now flying from flower to flower, and now alighting on the moist sandy banks of pools and small streams in countless numbers. The large nests of wasps hang from the boughs of the trees, and smaller ones are often hidden among the leaves and small branches of shrubs, the inhabitants of which, when disturbed, rush out and inflict summary punishment on the unhappy transgressors. In open places the leaves and flowers of bushes and other plants, abound with Diamond and other beetles; while at night the air is lighted up with fire-flies of various sizes, which, from their brilliancy, give the idea that part of the stars have fallen from the firmament, and are floating about without a resting place.
While I resided at Mr. March’s I frequently paid a visit to a Brazilian, Joaquim Paulo by name, who has a small estate about ten miles distant. My first visit was made along with Mr. Heath, and as we arrived shortly before dinner, we were invited to partake of that meal. This I was not displeased at, as it gave me an opportunity of witnessing the internal economy of a Brazilian country-house, never having been in one before. The dinner was substantial and clean, but every dish was, according to the custom of the country, highly seasoned with garlic. The table was covered with a clean cloth, on one end of which was laid a heap of ground cassava root (Farinha de Mandiocca), and on the other a heap of ground Indian corn (Farinha de Milho). On one of these heaps was placed a large dish of boiled black French beans (Feijoens), with a large piece of fat pork (Toucinho) in the midst of them; while on the other was laid a dish of stewed fowl. We had also roast pork and blood sausages. From these dishes and heaps every one helped himself. As a vegetable we had a dish of cabbage-palm (Euterpe edulis), which is very tender and delicious, tasting not unlike asparagus. During dinner we were each furnished with a cup of Lisbon wine; and after it we had various kinds of sweet-meats. Besides ourselves, there were only our host and two of his sons. Indeed, his wife and daughters I did not see till I had been several times at the house. The two girls were rather pretty, but they could neither read nor write. The father would not allow them to learn either, from fear that they would take to the reading of novels, and the writing of love-letters. He was himself a most inveterate huntsman, being almost always in the woods in pursuit of game. He was a capital shot, and had killed more tapirs with his own hand than any one in the vicinity.
I also visited occasionally a coffee plantation called Constantia, about fifteen miles distant from Mr. March’s, belonging to M. De Luze, a Swiss, who had been many years in the country. It is situated in a flat valley surrounded by sloping hills, and is one of the most lovely spots I have ever seen. In the neighbourhood of it there are two other coffee plantations belonging to Germans, but they have all ascertained that the elevation is too great for the successful cultivation of coffee. Since then M. De Luze has sold his estate to Mr. March, and bought a larger one, in a fine coffee country on the banks of the Rio Parahiba. In the latitude of Rio, coffee does not succeed at a much greater elevation than 2,000 feet. At Mr. March’s the bush grows well, but it never ripens its fruit properly.
The most distant journey I made, was to an estate about twenty miles north of Mr. March’s Fazenda. About the middle of April, Mr. Heath received a note from the lady to whom it belongs, Dona Rita Thereza da Roza, asking him as a great favour to ride over and take me along with him to see her little daughter, who a few days before had been attacked with apoplexy and paralysis. On the following day it was our intention to have gone, but heavy rains, which came on and flooded the rivers, prevented us from starting till the succeeding day. Mr. March’s house being at the south end of his estate, we had to pass along the whole length of it, a distance of about eight miles. After leaving it our road led over a very high hill; it was steep, and the soil being a kind of red clay, was so slippery in consequence of the heavy rains which had lately fallen, that our mules had considerable difficulty in getting up. The declivity on the other side was nearly as bad. From this place the road passed for the most part through large fields of Indian corn, which was then nearly ripe for collecting, and several small patches of rice in the moist flat places. When we arrived at the house of the lady, we learned that the daughter had died the evening before. We were shown the body, which had been put into a coffin, and placed in a neat little chapel belonging to the estate, and in which it was to be buried. The interment was to take place on the arrival of the Padre, who had to be brought from a distance of forty-eight miles, and was hourly expected. The child was only eight years of age, but had been long unwell. We had to remain to dinner, and, as many relations and neighbours were present, the party was a large one. Until dinner was ready, the eldest daughter, a rather plain girl, was amusing herself by swinging to and fro in a hammock, which was slung in one corner of the dining-room. As an instance of the early age at which women marry in Brazil, I may mention that we were informed by the lady herself, that she was married at ten years of age, and was a mother before she had completed her eleventh year. She was then forty-five years old, and had had no less than twenty-five births, ten of which were miscarriages. We were received with much kindness, and she expressed herself very grateful for my visit.
As the Organ Mountains rise to an elevation of about four thousand feet above Mr. March’s house, I had long been desirous to spend a few days among the high peaks, for the purpose of making collections of their vegetable productions. The only botanists who had visited Mr. March’s estate before me were Langsdorff, the celebrated voyager, and at that time Consul-General for Russia in Brazil, Burchell, the African traveller, and a German of the name of Lhotsky. The former explored the vegetation in the neighbourhood of the Fazenda, during a stay of a few weeks, about twelve or thirteen years before my visit; Mr. Burchell remained six weeks, nine or ten years before; and Lhotsky, two or three weeks only, about five years later. None of them botanized higher than the level of Mr. March’s house, and the knowledge of this fact made me the more anxious to explore a field which promised so much novelty. I had fixed on the early part of April for going up, but the whole of that month was so wet, that I was prevented at that time from putting my design into execution. May, however, having set in fine, I started on the morning of the 6th, accompanied by four negroes. One of them, “Pai Felipe,” a creole upwards of sixty years of age, was to act as guide. This old fellow was one of the most active, not only of blacks, but of any individual of his years I have ever seen. From his infancy he had been accustomed to the woods, and was one of the best hunters on the estate. The other three were to carry provisions, and to assist in taking home my collections. We entered the forest at about a mile to the north of Mr. March’s house, and our road for that day was nearly due west. Two years before, an English merchant from Rio ascended, from mere curiosity, to within a few hundred feet of the summit, guided by the same old black who accompanied me. For the first few miles we were able to keep the road which he had made, but from the rapid growth of the bamboos and underwood through which it had been cut, it was as difficult to force our way as if no path had ever been made. Our progress was but slow, it being necessary for one of the blacks to go on before in order to cut a pass. Some of the bamboos were of immense size; I measured several about six inches in diameter, and their height could not be less than eighty or a hundred feet. The internodes are generally filled with water, obviously secreted by the plant itself. Prince Maximilian, in his travels, speaks of this fluid as forming a most delicious beverage to hunters and others in the woods. I have frequently tasted it, but always found it so nauseous that the most urgent thirst alone would compel me to drink it.
Near the entrance of the wood we passed a large species of Copaifera, the lower part of the stem of which had been pierced for the purpose of obtaining the balsam which those trees exude. For miles our route lay nearly parallel with a small river, along the banks of which grew some very large trees; among them I observed a species of Laurus, and another of Pleroma, both in flower. The underwood consisted of a great variety of shrubby Melastomaceæ, Myrtaceæ, Rubiaceæ, and suffruticose species of Begonia. In other places elegant tree-ferns abounded, their stems often covered with little delicate species of the same tribe, or air-plants bearing beautiful flowers. Pretty herbaceous ferns and handsome-flowered Begonias were trodden down at every footstep. The stems of the large trees were covered with Bromelias, Tillandsias, Orchideæ, ferns, and a climbing species of Begonia. Occasionally a large plant of Cactus truncatus was to be seen hanging from rocks or from the stem of some large tree, covered with hundreds of beautiful pink blossoms. In crossing over a hill about five hundred feet high, which stands in the valley we were now passing through, I found the top of it literally covered with various kinds of Orchidaceous plants, but with the exception of the beautiful little Sophronites grandiflora, which was then in flower, all had been previously met with at a lower elevation. It was here, likewise, that I first met with Luxemburgia ciliosa, a fine shrub producing large corymbs of lemon-coloured flowers, and belonging to the violet tribe. On this hill I likewise observed two kinds of bamboo, different from the large kinds in the woods below. One of them had the internodes considerably shorter in proportion to the size of the plant, and was altogether much smaller. The other species was still less, its stem not being more than half an inch in diameter, but continuing of that thickness to a height of fifteen or twenty feet. The getting through these was the most difficult part of our day’s journey.