[CHAPTER XXIV.]
RETURN TO THE CAPITAL.—INTRUDO SPORTS.—MUSEUM AT RIO.—MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES.—THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.—ASCENDING THE RIVER PLATE.
AT HOME WITH THE SUGAR-CANE.
Our friends remained several days among the coffee and sugar planters to whom they had letters of introduction, and then returned to Rio. They found the planters exceedingly hospitable, and it was no easy matter to bring their visit to an end. They were pressed to remain indefinitely, and Frank and Fred were half inclined to accept the invitation, and become growers of Brazilian staples, but when they reflected what a life of isolation they would be compelled to lead they abandoned the idea, and were ready to depart at the appointed time.
"It is no wonder," said Fred, when they left the house of Señor J——, "that he urged us to stay longer. I know we must make allowances for Spanish and Portuguese politeness, but in this case it was not altogether politeness, but a genuine desire for society. Think what it must be to be cooped up in this plantation with no one but your family and the servants for weeks together. If I were he I should hail with delight the arrival of an intelligent visitor, and would shed genuine tears when he announced his intention to move on."
Frank shared the opinion of his cousin, and the youths resolved that they would not entertain the thought of becoming Brazilian planters.