The Arraial de Conceição contains a population of about one hundred persons; but there are many houses in the village, belonging to fazendeiros, who only occupy them at the time of the principal church festivals; blacks and mulattos form the greater portion of the residents, and during the four days we remained here, we saw very few white people. This village is situated in a hollow between two small hills, but the country around in general is level; the houses stand principally in two long streets, and one of the two churches it contains is now in ruins. The water with which the Arraial is supplied, is obtained from a small rivulet; it is very bad and of a brackish taste; it seems to have some connection with the production of goître, so prevalent along the western side of the Serra Geral, which, as far as I have traced it, is bounded by limestone similar to that which exists at Natividade. The streams which flow over these rocks are all more or less saline, and wherever these waters are drunk by the inhabitants, there goître is found to exist. Along the eastern side of the Serra, on the contrary, this disease is scarcely to be met with, and there, at least in those parts which I visited, no limestone was to be seen, nor were any of the rivulets impregnated with saline matter.
The soil for nearly a league round the village, has evidently been well turned over in search of gold, and from all accounts a considerable quantity was found in former times; the little met with at present scarcely repays the labour of searching for it. The soil in which it is found is of a clayey, gravelly nature, being evidently the débris of primitive rocks, the gold appearing either in very minute particles, or in grains of all sizes, some of which are said to weigh several ounces. Rich veins are also supposed to exist in the solid rock, which consists mostly of quartz, but these they cannot explore to any depth, as they do not possess the means of getting rid of the water which accumulates. I was informed by the Vigario, who perhaps exaggerated the fact, that at a short distance from the village there exists a mine so rich, that a small bucket of soil yields nearly a quarter of an ounce of gold: he said it was not above, twenty feet deep, but in consequence of the influx of a spring, it had been abandoned for a long time. The only method they employed to get rid of the water, was by a number of men stationed at different heights, who handed it to one another in buckets; when I enquired why they did not make use of pumps, he said they had only heard of such things, but had never seen them, the mechanics of the place being so ignorant that they did not know how to construct so simple an instrument! From the Vigario I received a great deal of kindness during my stay: he was a man of very benevolent disposition, and much respected by the people; although advanced in years, he was of a very active temperament, far more so indeed than the generality, not only of his class, but of his countrymen. He was the only person in those parts who was a subscriber for a newspaper from Rio de Janeiro, but from the irregularity of the posts, long intervals often elapsed in their delivery. He kindly gave me a letter of introduction to one of the most influential persons in the neighbourhood of the Villa de Arrayas, who was his intimate friend.
Within the last twenty years, two slight earthquakes have been felt both at Natividade and Conceição; the first occurred in the year 1826, and the other in 1834; the movement of the earth was very perceptibly felt in both places, although they were each of short duration. These were the only places in Brazil where I could learn such phenomena had been observed.
We left Conceição on the morning of the 17th of Feb., when a journey of four long leagues brought us, late in the afternoon, to the banks of the Rio da Palma. About half a league from the Arraial, the road winds round the end of a somewhat lofty ridge of rocky hills, not far from the foot of which we passed some gold workings. The slaves employed in this occupation do not give all they find to their masters, for they are obliged to maintain and clothe themselves, and pay to their employers a certain fixed sum of money, somewhere about six shillings per week. Many of them have been fortunate enough to purchase their freedom, but the greater number of them become indolent and dissipated. A short time before our arrival, a slave found a piece of pure gold weighing upwards of ten ounces, which was more than sufficient to procure him his freedom. The fields about here were gay with a fine terrestrial Orchideous plant, an Epistephium, about two feet high, bearing a spike of large rose-coloured flowers. We 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 Rio 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; 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 halted at a place near the foot of the Serra da Santa Brida, where only a few small trees grew, which were barely sufficient to shelter us from a powerful sun. This Serra is a branch of the same range as that on which the Villa de Arrayas is situated, and runs in a north-west direction to within about two leagues of the Rio da Palma; at its highest part it is not more than a thousand feet above the level of the surrounding country. In the afternoon we again made a short stage of about a league and a half, and encamped for the night under some small trees, by the side of a clear rivulet that flows from the Serra. On this journey we met with some showers of rain, and when we arrived at the place of our encampment, a heavy thunder-storm came rolling along the Serra towards us from the south-east, which made us regret that we were under the necessity of sleeping in the woods; fortunately, however, as it approached near to us, it turned off suddenly towards the north, after which we had the advantage of a beautiful night. Our route on this journey was through a large flat open valley, bounded on the north and east by the Serra de Santa Brida, and on the south and east by another range called the Serra de Buriti. This valley consists of large open campos abounding in tree-lilies, and is but thinly wooded except on the margins of small streams that flow from the mountains. Next morning we made a journey of two leagues through a similar country, and arrived early in the forenoon at the fazenda de Santa Brida, which belongs to a person for whom I brought letters from the Vigario of the Arraial de Conceição. He does not, however, reside here, and the only house we found was one belonging to the vaqueiro who has charge of the cattle. As the pasture was good, we remained here till the following day, in order to give the horses a little rest.
We left early in the morning, and at a short distance from the fazenda, crossed a small river which was well wooded along its banks with large trees, particularly the Jatobá (Hymenæa). In this river, as in all those within this province, the electric eel (Gymnolus electricus) is very common; they are of all sizes, from a foot to six feet in length, and are frequently caught on the lines which are set for other fishes; they are sometimes eaten, but not generally, although their flesh is said to be very good. Horses as well as men, by coming in contact with them in the water, are not unfrequently thrown down by the shock which they impart; they are called by the inhabitants Treme-treme. In rainy weather, those who fish in these rivers often receive a shock, which is communicated along the moisture upon the rod and line, when one of them happens to seize the hook. I saw one in a state of captivity, about six feet long, which was so tame that it would allow any one to put his hand upon it, and even slide for its whole length through the fingers, but if irritated in the smallest degree, by pinching it a little, however slightly, it instantly communicated a smart shock. A fatiguing journey of upwards of four leagues, under a burning sun, and through a rather open country, brought us to the fazenda of Sapê, the residence of the owner of the fazenda of Santa Brida, Lieut. João Gomez Lagoeira. On our arrival I was informed that he had gone to visit a plantation a little way off, but was expected home immediately. In an hour’s time he made his appearance, and on reading the letter I brought from his friend the Vigario, he gave me a most hearty welcome. It was my intention to have proceeded to the Villa de Arrayas, which is four leagues distant, on the following morning, but this our kind host would not listen to, and it was only after the expiration of five days, that he consented to our departure. In order that we might not reach the Villa short of provisions, he sent to one of his cattle farms for a fat ox, which was killed and dried for our use, and he also obliged me to accept a load of farinha.
The fazenda of Sapê is situated at the foot of the Serra de Santa Brida, near the entrance of a small valley, which is enclosed on both sides by the surrounding hills; the grounds belonging to it being well watered, and the soil rich, they are well adapted for the cultivation of the sugar cane, of which there are several large plantations. The greater part of the cane is converted into rum, for which there exists a greater demand than for sugar; rice and mandiocca also yield abundant crops. The whole of the property which Lieut. Lagoeira possesses, covers an area of about sixty-four square miles: it is divided into several fazendas for the rearing of cattle, which amount to about fourteen thousand head, the produce of which are principally sold to drovers, who take them down to Bahia. He was originally a drover, but becoming a great favourite of the former owner of the estate, he obtained his daughter in marriage; and the father dying soon after, the entire management of the fazenda fell into his hands. Being a man of a mild and benevolent disposition, and having received a good education, he is looked up to and respected by the inhabitants of all the surrounding country. During our residence at this fazenda, and the several times I visited it during my residence at Arrayas, I made several excursions in its neighbourhood. On these occasions I was always accompanied by Senhor Lagoeira, who was a keen sportsman; sometimes we went to an upland grassy plain, thinly covered with Vellozia and Diplusodon, the latter, a beautiful little shrub, bearing a profusion of small rose-coloured flowers. On these dry plains are found plenty of a kind of quail, called Perdiz, which is a species of the genus Tinamus, very little smaller than the partridge of Europe. Senhor Lagoeira possessed several pointers, one of which always accompanied us, but not being well trained, many of the birds escaped. Sometimes we visited the valley behind the house, which in several places is swampy, and abounds in a large species of palm, called Cabeçudo,[12] the fruit of which forms the principal food of the large blue Maccaw, which is very common in this district. In the marshes of this valley the Boa Constrictor is often met with of considerable size; it is not uncommon throughout the whole province, particularly by the wooded margins of lakes, marshes, and streams. Sometimes they attain the enormous length of forty feet: the largest I ever saw was at this place, but it was not alive. Some weeks before our arrival at Sapê, the favourite riding horse of Senhor Lagoeira, which had been put out to pasture not far from the house, could not be found, although strict search was made for it all over the fazenda. Shortly after this, one of his vaqueiros, in going through the wood by the side of a small river, saw an enormous boa, suspended in the fork of a tree which hung over the water; it was dead, but had evidently been floated down alive by a recent flood, and being in an inert state, it had not been able to extricate itself from the fork before the waters fell. It was dragged out to the open country by two horses, and was found to measure thirty-seven feet in length; on opening it, the bones of a horse, in a somewhat broken condition, and the flesh in a half digested state, were found within it, the bones of the head were uninjured; from these circumstances we concluded that the boa had devoured the horse entire. In all kinds of snakes, the capacity for swallowing is prodigious. I have often seen one not thicker than my thumb, swallow a frog nearly as large as my fist; and I once killed a rattle-snake, about four feet long, and of no great thickness, which had swallowed not less than three large frogs, one of which swelled out its sides to nearly twice the thickness of the other parts; it was still alive, and hopped away after it was liberated. I have also seen a very slender snake that frequents the roofs of houses, swallow an entire bat three times its own thickness. If such be the case with these smaller kinds, it is not to be wondered at that one thirty-seven feet long should be able to swallow a horse, particularly when it is known that, previously to doing so, it breaks the bones of the animal by coiling itself round it, and afterwards lubricates it with a slimy matter which it has the power of secreting in its mouth.
At other times we went into the forest that skirts the base of the Serra, in which the larger trees consist of a kind of Mimosa called Angica. On their branches were to be seen numbers of a beautiful little Marmoset monkey, attracted thither by a gum which this tree secretes, and of which they are very fond. Among the trees of these forests were also seen some of the large howling monkeys (Mycetes barbatus, Spix), which are known in Brazil by the names of Barbudo and Guariba; they possess immense muscular power in their long prehensile tails, and even after being shot, and quite dead, they hang suspended by them from the branches. They generally appear in bands, making a disagreeable howling noise, particularly at an early hour in the morning. A little ring-tailed monkey (Ateles paniscus) is still more abundant, and is more persecuted by the fazendeiro, on account of the depredations it commits in his plantations. The cane and Indian corn-fields are those which they most frequently visit, whence they always carry off their plunder to the woods. An old negro assured me he had often seen one of these animals carry with it not less than three spikes of Indian corn, one in its mouth, another secured by one of its arms, and a third held by its prehensile tail; I confess, however, that before placing implicit faith in this tale, I must be a witness to the fact. The moist and marshy campos produce various kinds of palm trees, which bear large clusters of small nuts, greatly resembling miniature cocoa-nuts. When ripe, these are covered externally with a fibrous oily substance, which has a sweetish taste, and constitutes the favourite food of these little monkeys, who are no less fond of the internal part of the nut, which contains a substance similar to that found in cocoa-nuts. In several parts of the interior I had been told, that to get at the kernel, the shell being too hard to break with their teeth, the monkeys carry the nuts to a rocky place, and then break them with a stone, and I even met with persons who assured me that they had watched them in such places through the bushes, and actually seen them engaged in this operation. This account, like that of the carrying away of Indian corn, I always considered to be fabulous till I arrived at Sapê. In an excursion we made over the Serra, immediately behind the fazenda, where it is composed of nearly bare, rugged limestone peaks, in several almost inaccessible places we came upon large heaps of the broken shells of nuts, generally on a bare open part of the rock, and along with them a number of roundish pieces of stone, larger than the fist, which had evidently been employed in breaking the shells. These Senhor Lagoeira told me were the places resorted to by the monkeys for the purpose of breaking the nuts collected in the low grounds; and that in his shooting excursions over the mountains, he has frequently seen them take flight on his approach. That they both can, and really do make use of a stone in order to break that which is too hard for their teeth, I have frequently witnessed in a little pet monkey that accompanied me on my journey: I obtained it in Piauhy, and it was the only one of the many tame animals I carried with me, that reached Rio de Janeiro alive; it was a female of the species we are now speaking of, and ultimately became very gentle. Jerry was the favourite with all, and indeed in all respects fared like ourselves; it became so fond of tea, which it drank every morning and evening, that it would not go to sleep without its usual allowance. Its favourite food was farinha, boiled rice, and bananas, but scarcely anything came amiss to it; a raw egg was a choice morsel, and on being given to it, it broke one end by gently knocking it on the floor, and completed the hole by picking off the broken bits of shell, and putting in the point of its long slender finger; throwing back its head, and holding the egg erect between its two hands, it soon contrived to suck out the whole contents. Whenever anything was given to it that was too hard to break with its teeth, it always looked about for a stone, and lifting it with one hand, by repeated blows would attempt to crack it; if unsuccessful by these means, it would try to find a larger stone, which it would hold in both its hands, and, rising erect on its legs, would let it fall, leaping backwards at the same time to avoid any injury to its toes. I have often watched the means it employed to obtain any small object that happened to be a little beyond its reach; if it could lay its hands upon a little switch, or slender twig of any sort, it would stretch itself out as far as its cord would allow, and continue working at the object till it got it within its reach. These operations were certainly often very awkwardly performed, but they were always interesting from the amount of reasoning power which the little animal exhibited, and the perseverance with which its object was attained. Jerry almost always rode on the back of a large mastiff dog that accompanied us, and in this manner performed a journey of several thousand miles. These two animals were greatly attached to each other, and it was often an amusing sight to see them gamboling together. Before starting, the dog used to go every morning to the place where the little monkey was tied, and wait till it was put upon its back, and its cord made fast to his collar. In travelling it was not at all particular as to whether its face was towards the head or tail of the charger, except in going down hill, when its face was turned forwards, and to prevent itself from slipping over the dog’s head, it made use of its long prehensile tail as a crupper, by coiling the extremity round the root of that of the dog. I had determined to bring Jerry with me to England, but in taking it with me to the Organ Mountains, after my arrival at Rio de Janeiro, much to my grief, it disappeared one night, and was never afterwards heard of; it was stolen, I have no doubt, by one of the slaves, and sold somewhere for a mere trifle.
A few days before we arrived at Sapê, one of the slaves caught a young male monkey of this species. A number of these little animals had come to pay a visit to a plantation of Indian corn, several of them were females that carried their young on their backs, which they seldom quit till they are able to provide for themselves; being pursued by some slaves, in the heat of the retreat, this one was thrown from its mother’s back, and made prisoner, and was presented to me by Senhor Lagoeira as a companion for Jerry. I little expected it would pay any attention to the young one, but no sooner were they put beside each other than the little one, fancying no doubt it had found its mother, crept up and secured itself on Jerry’s back, and apparently seemed quite happy. Jerry instead of being ill pleased with this intrusion, became so much attached to it, that she would not allow any one to touch the young one; and seemed to have all the affection for it as if it had been her own. Several times I observed that when it came off her back to amuse itself on the ground, and was about to get out of her reach, she would catch it by the tail and draw it back. During the first few days they were together, her breasts became inflamed by the attempt the young one made to obtain milk from them; it seldom left her back, remaining there both day and night. It was amusing to see her cleaning it of fleas by laying it down on the ground, turning over its long hair, layer by layer, and catching between her fore-finger and thumb the insects as they made their appearance and then eating them; when they were difficult to take in this manner, she would catch them between her teeth at once. During this operation the little one would lie as quiet as if it had been sleeping. It only lived a few weeks after we reached Arrayas, and I was surprised that although so much attachment was shown to it by the old one while it was alive, not the least symptom of grief was exhibited at its death.