The Fazenda de Saco do Tanque 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 Melastomaceæ which are so abundant in the gold and diamond districts; while on the more elevated sandy tracts I found immense quantities of a kind of nutmeg (Myristica), which does not grow more than three feet high. The trees on the Chapada itself consisted chiefly of the Cashew, Piki, Jatobá, Mangába, Sicupíra, Gomphia hexasperma, and an arboreous Bignonia; but intermingled with these, there were many beautiful trees and shrubs, which I had not before met with.
After crossing the Chapada which is three leagues in breadth, the descent is very gradual, and ultimately merges into a marshy plain abounding in Buriti palms. The whole country here bore a very different aspect from that which we had left behind us, the vegetation being fresh and verdant, which was a great relief to the eye, after having been so long accustomed to leafless trees, and a bare soil of red clay. The woods were all evergreen, and between the clusters of noble Buriti palms and the wooded parts of the country, there were large open marshy Campos covered with grass, and other herbaceous vegetation common to marshy tracts.
We were now in a country much infested by the incursions of wild Indians, and many of the more solitary habitations had, some time before our arrival, been abandoned by their possessors on that account. After riding about half a mile along the side of the first open tract we came to, we reached one of these deserted dwellings, and a little beyond it, we put up in another also uninhabited. At Saco do Tanque, we were informed that these houses had been abandoned in consequence of an attack which the Indians had made on another, a few months before, a league or two to the westward, when all the inhabitants were put to death. As I had many of my recent collections to put in order, and as this appeared a favourable spot for botanizing, I remained here a day. There was also good pasture for the horses, and they, as well as ourselves, had need of rest. I was not disappointed in the few short rambles which I took in the neighbourhood, as I met with several remarkable plants, quite different from any I had before seen; among these were an Eryngium, a Jussiæa, which formed a small tree about twenty feet high, a tree-fern, the only one I had seen since I left Crato, and a few curious Eriocaulons from the marshes. In the deserted house in which we took up our quarters, we were dreadfully annoyed both by musquitos and chigoes (Bich de Pé).
Leaving Batalha, the name of the place at which we were encamped, 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 chance of any mistake occurring. In this, however, I was deceived, for although I traced them to the lower part of the upper lake, where the ground was very soft, and much trodden by the cattle and horses that came there to drink; beyond this muddy tract, which was of considerable size, I could not trace the foot-marks of my troop, although I spent a long time in trying to do so. It is well understood among travellers in these desert parts of Brazil, that if one of the party should by any chance remain behind, and be unable to find the track of his companions, he is to remain in the neighbourhood of the spot where he first lost it, so that he may the more readily be found by those who return to look for him. Acting upon this, and feeling certain that before night some one of my party would be sent in search of me, I returned to the foot of the Serra, and, under some shady trees by the road-side, dismounted, and tying the fore-legs of my horse with the bridle, so that he might feed, and not stray, I sat down under one of the trees to study attentively the plants which I had collected during my morning’s ride. My only fear was lest any of the wandering tribes of Indians, who were known to be in the neighbouring woods, should happen to come across me, for in consequence of the persecution they have received from the Brazilians, they consider every white man they encounter lawful game to shoot at and destroy. It was not till late in the afternoon that Mr. Walker, finding I did not make my appearance, sent one of the men to look for me; and when we returned to the place where I had been unable to follow the track, I found they had passed over to the other side of the lake by a very narrow path, which was completely covered over with long grass.
Finding the proprietor of the fazenda of Santa Rosa, Senhor Antonio Jozé de Guimerãens, very civil and obliging, I determined to remain there for some days, to make the necessary arrangements for entering upon a journey of upwards of forty leagues through an entirely uninhabited country. My collections made between Parnaguá and Santa Rosa, were to be arranged and packed up, and it was with considerable difficulty that I could find an additional horse to purchase. Our host had not one to part with that would answer my purpose, but he kindly accompanied Mr. Walker to a fazenda about five leagues distant, and assisted him in procuring one. Our provision boxes also required to be replenished, and for this purpose an ox was purchased, and its flesh prepared by drying in the sun. No farinha was to be had at Santa Rosa, but our host went himself to another fazenda about four leagues to the eastward, and bought me a load. We could not, however, purchase the hide boxes which were necessary for carrying my collections; these we were obliged to make ourselves, under the superintendence of Mr. Walker, who was very expert in all that related to the equipment of the troop. During the twelve days that we found it necessary to remain at this place, I lost no opportunity of adding to my collections, by excursions in the neighbourhood, but particularly to the Serras which form the boundaries of the valley. One of the finest trees I ever remember to have seen standing alone, grew by the side of, a small brook which flowed at a little distance from the house; it was a species of Qualea, with a clean straight stem about one hundred feet in height, on which it supported a wide-spreading top of branches; as it came into flower shortly after our arrival, and as there was no other way of obtaining specimens than by cutting the tree down, Senhor Guimerãens himself proposed to do so, as soon as he knew I wished to possess a few specimens. After about two hours’ labour on the part of himself and two of my men, this fine tree, which I was sorry to see destroyed, came to the ground with a tremendous crash.
It was on the morning of the 21st of September that we left Santa Rosa, and a journey of nearly three leagues brought us to the north bank of the Rio Preto, a stream which gives origin to the name of the district, and which takes its rise on the eastern side of the Serra do Duro, and falls into the Rio de San Francisco, a little above Villa da Barra. Following the course of this river downwards for about a quarter of a mile, we arrived at the ferry which leads to the fazenda of Santa Maria, which stands on the opposite side. At this place the river is about thirty yards broad, is very deep and the current is very rapid; at a distance, the water appears black as ink, and from this circumstance it takes its name, but when close to it the water is so clear, that the bottom can be seen at a great depth; we could also see that it was inhabited by numbers of fine fish. Our luggage was taken over by an old Indian in a canoe, which was so small that only one horse-load could be transported at a time. We took up our mid-day quarters under the wide-spreading branches of a large Cashew tree, but the shade which this kind of tree yields, does not shelter well from the rays of the sun, as it is never very thickly covered with leaves. We all bathed in the waters of the beautiful stream, and rejoiced that for several days to come, we should still have this enjoyment, as our route to the westward lay along its margin. There is nothing so refreshing to the traveller in a tropical climate, as frequent ablution in cold water. We were not far from the house on which the outrage I have before mentioned was committed by the Indians; the attack was made during the day, while the men were absent in the fields, and after burning the house, and killing three women, they carried off two children. The people at Santa Maria informed me they lived in constant dread of the Indians, and that they had serious intentions of removing to a more populous district. These Indians live generally at a considerable distance to the north-west, only extending their excursions into this neighbourhood when in pursuit of game, and are known by the name of Cherentes. It is supposed this attack originated in consequence of one of the Indians having been fired at, and wounded by mistake, who in revenge had, with the assistance of some of his countrymen, committed the outrage above mentioned.
The desolate tract of country, upwards of forty leagues in breadth, which we were now about to cross, in order to reach the province of Goyaz, is called by the people of the country Os Geräes. It is seldom traversed except by drovers, who take cattle from the north of Goyaz to Bahia. There is, however, a path through it, and the mulatto I engaged at Parnaguá, having once traversed it, was to act as our guide. From him I learned that there was only one habitation to be met with, a small hut, occasionally occupied by an old man, half Indian, half Portuguese; but this was of no importance to me, as I had laid in a sufficient stock of provisions for our journey. The stories he told of the Indians, alarmed my party very much; and I was in consequence obliged to get all my arms put in order, so as to make as formidable an appearance as possible. I carried a small brace of pocket pistols besides those in my holsters, and had a large sword-knife in my belt. Mr. Walker, besides the usual dagger-knife of the Brazilians, carried a small sword; and the men were each armed with a gun; happily we had no occasion to make use of our weapons. The country people have all a great dread of this wild and uninhabited tract, and before entering it I was often asked if I was not afraid to do so with so few attendants. Their own fear is, I believe, greatly owing to their cowardice, a very common feeling in all parts of the country I have visited. My mind was too much occupied with the anticipations of the rich harvest of novelties I expected to meet with, to think much of these dangers; the whole country I had gone over since I had left the coast at Aracaty was virgin ground to the naturalist, with the exception of Oeiras, which was passed through by Spix and Martius on their journey from Bahia to Maranham.
We entered the Geräes on the afternoon of the same day we arrived at Santa Maria, but the first part of our journey was far from auspicious. Our route was westward along the banks of the Rio Preto, which was lined with Buriti and Buritizana palms, and numerous flowering shrubs. After we had gone about two leagues, the sky to the westward became very black, and shortly afterwards distant thunder was heard. We halted by the side of the river under some large trees, but before we could get a shelter arranged the storm reached us. The lightning was very vivid, the thunder loud, and the rain came pouring down in torrents; by fixing up two large hides to the branches above us, they afforded a tolerable shelter. As soon as the storm passed over we enlarged our house, so as to have a place of refuge in case it should return, and it was well we did so, for having slung our hammocks as usual between the trees, we were aroused about midnight by a loud peal of thunder which broke right over our heads, and as the rain fell heavily we were obliged to take refuge in our house of hides. I thought there was something more awful in this storm than in any I had ever experienced, but this feeling was perhaps augmented by the solitude in which we found ourselves. It may be asked why I did not take a tent with me? I might have done so, but in travelling, I made it a rule to conform to the habits of the country, and in the north of Brazil no one ever thinks of carrying a tent. Long journeys are always avoided in the rainy season, and as the dry season generally lasts more than seven months, that period is always selected for this purpose. These thunder storms are invariably the precursors to the setting in of the heavy continual rains, but we hoped before that time to reach some town in the north of the province of Goyaz, where we might halt till the proper season for travelling would again come round.
On the second day we made a journey of about six leagues; sometimes our route led through dense forests by the side of the river, at other times through open grassy meadows in which grew clusters of the Buriti palms, and at intervals over slightly elevated flat tracts, covered with low bushes, and abundance of a large grotesque-looking tree Lily (Vellozia) on which I vainly looked for flowers, as they are only produced in the dry season. We halted during the middle of the day, but only for a short time, at a rude hut of palm leaves, which had been erected by some previous traveller, by the wooded margin of a beautiful grassy meadow about a quarter of a mile square. Late in the afternoon the sky to the westward began to assume a lowering aspect, and shortly presented all the appearance of an approaching thunder storm. We pushed on as quickly as the nature of the road would allow, as our guide assured us we were not far distant from the habitation of an old Indian. The lightning soon commenced, and the rolling of thunder was heard in the distance; gradually it came nearer to us, and the western sky from the horizon to the zenith was from time to time filled with one sheet of bluish flame, which, while it lasted, rendered the close of the twilight almost as bright as day. Thanks to our good fortune, the storm did not then reach us, having been diverted to the northward: passing over a high Serra which lay in that direction, it again altered its course, and followed fast upon our heels. It was quite dark when we arrived at the solitary dwelling, and when I rode to the little gate in front of it, the owner came out with a gun in his hand. He immediately granted us permission to take shelter for the night in an open shed, and as soon as the luggage had been arranged in it, and a few large skins had been hung up on the weather side, the storm broke over the hut in all its fury, accompanied by a gale of wind which quickly extinguished our lights, and we had reason to be thankful that the whole building was not carried away before it: uncomfortable as the place was, we rejoiced in having even such shelter as it afforded.