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A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam', Our Home on the Ocean for Eleven Months

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Title: A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam', Our Home on the Ocean for Eleven Months

Author: Annie Brassey


        
Release date: January 31, 2005 [eBook #14836]
                Most recently updated: December 19, 2020

Language: English

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Transcriber's Notes:

   1. The first page of Chapter VIII: the last line of text was
      partially missing, and a best guess was made on a few words.

   2. Page 72: Typograpical error, 'nndertaking' changed to
      'undertaking'.

   3. Page 55, paragraph starting "Santa Anna", corrected 'past'
      to 'part'.





A VOYAGE IN THE 'SUNBEAM'

Our Home on fhe Ocean for Eleven Months

by

MRS. BRASSEY

Illustrated

Chicago:
Belford, Clarke & Co.

1881







[Illustration: CAPE BRASSEY: SMYTHS SOUND]




DEDICATION

To the friends in many climes and countries, of the white and coloured
races, and of every grade in society, who have made our year of travel
a year of happiness, these pages are dedicated by the ever grateful
Author

[Illustration: Portrait of the Author]




PREFACE.


This volume needs no elaborate preface. A general sketch of the voyage
which it describes was published in the 'Times' immediately after our
return to England. That letter is reprinted here as a convenient
summary of the 'Sunbeam's' performances. But these prefatory lines
would indeed be incomplete if they did not contain a well-deserved
tribute to the industry and accuracy of the author. The voyage would
not have been undertaken, and assuredly it would never have been
completed, without the impulse derived from her perseverance and
determination. Still less would any sufficient record of the scenes
and experiences of the long voyage have been preserved had it not been
for her painstaking desire not only to see everything thoroughly, but
to record her impressions faithfully and accurately. The practised
skill of a professional writer cannot reasonably be expected in these
simple pages, but their object will have been attained if they are the
means of enabling more home-keeping friends to share in the keen
enjoyment of the scenes and adventures they describe.

THOMAS BRASSEY

[Illustration]




CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

     I. FAREWELL TO OLD ENGLAND

    II. MADEIRA, TENERIFFE, AND CAPE DE VERDE ISLANDS

   III. PALMA TO RIO DE JANEIRO

    IV. RIO DE JANEIRO

     V. THE RIVER PLATE

    VI. LIFE ON THE PAMPAS

   VII. MORE ABOUT THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

  VIII. RIVER PLATE TO SANDY POINT, STRAITS OF MAGELLAN

    IX. SANDY POINT TO LOTA BAY

     X. CHILI

    XI. SANTIAGO AND VALPARAISO

   XII. VALPARAISO TO TAHITI

  XIII. THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS

   XIV. AT TAHITI

    XV. TAHITI TO SANDWICH ISLANDS--KILAUEA BY DAY AND BY NIGHT

   XVI. HAWAIIAN SPORTS

  XVII. HONOLULU--DEPARTURE FOR JAPAN

 XVIII. HONOLULU TO YOKOHAMA

   XIX. YOKOHAMA

    XX. KIOTO, LATE MIACO

   XXI. THE INLAND SEA

  XXII. TO CANTON UP THE PEARL RIVER

 XXIII. FROM MACAO TO SINGAPORE

  XXIV. SINGAPORE

   XXV. CEYLON

  XXVI. TO ADEN

 XXVII. VIA SUEZ CANAL

XXVIII. 'HOME'

APPENDIX




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

WOODCUTS IN TEXT.

CAPE BRASSEY: SMYTH'S SOUND

PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR

SUNSET ON SOUTHAMPTON WATER

NEARLY OVERBOARD

THE DERELICT 'CAROLINA' LADEN WITH PORT WINE

OUR FIRST VIEW OF MADEIRA

MADEIRA FISH-CARRIER

A COZY CORNER

A PALM-TREE IN A GARDEN, OROTAVA, TENERIFFE

TARAFAL BAY, ST. ANTONIO

FATHER NEPTUNE

HIS DOCTOR (CROSSING THE LINE)

LULU AND HER PUPPIES

VESPERS

BOTAFOGO BAY

THE SLAVE VILLAGE, FAZENDA, SANTA ANNA

THE THREE NAVIGATORS

PRAIRIE DOGS AND OWLS

DEVIL'S HORNS

LA CALERA

INDIANS AT AZUL

LASSOING HORSES

'MONKSHAVEN' ON FIRE

SHIPWRECKED CREW COMING ON BOARD

FUEGIAN WEAPONS

FUEGIAN BOW AND ARROWS

PIN FOR FASTENING CLOAK, MADE FROM A DOLLAR BEATEN OUT

FUEGIAN BOAT AND OARS

BARTERING WITH FUEGIANS

THORNTON PEAKS

GLACIERS, SNOWY SOUND

UNFIT BAY

TWO-PEAKED MOUNTAIN

INDIAN REACH

CATCHING CAPE-PIGEONS IN THE GULF OF PEÑAS

CHILIANS WAITING FOR THE TRAIN

A FELLOW PASSENGER

BATHS OF CAUQUENES

UP THE VALLEY TOWARDS THE ANDES

CACTI OF THE CORDILLERA

HUASSO HUTS

HUASSO OF CHILI

MORNING MASS AT SANTIAGO

WHAT MAKES HORSES GO IN CHILI

JUVENILE SCRUBBERS

CONVERSATION AT SEA

INSCRIPTION FROM EASTER ISLAND

TATAKOTOROA OR CLARKE ISLAND

GOING UP THE MAST IN A CHAIR

CHILDREN LOOKING UP

OUR FIRST LANDING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, HAO OR BOW ISLAND

MAITEA

MAITEAN BOATMAN

QUARANTINE ISLAND, PAPEETE

UNDER THE TREES, PAPEETE

CHÆTODON TRICOLOR

CHÆTODON PLAGMANCE

WATERFALL AT FAATAUA

A TAHITIAN LADY

TROPIC FEATHERS

CHÆTODON BESANTII

TATTOO IN THE TROPICS

FEATHER NECKLACE

WAR NECKLACE

ANCIENT WAR MASKS AND COSTUMES FROM THE MUSEUM AT HONOLULU

CHALCEDON IMPERATOR

FEATHERED CLOAK AND HELMETS

THE PALI-OAHU

ZEUS CILIARIS

AMATEUR NAVIGATION

LITTLE REDCAP

JAPANESE BOATS

FUJIYAMA, JAPAN

A DRAG ACROSS THE SAND IN A JINRIKISHA

INOSHIMA BY A JAPANESE ARTIST

JAPANESE BOATMAN

FACSIMILE OF OUR LUNCHEON BILL

A FAMILY GROUP

WAYSIDE TRAVELLERS

ARRIMA. THE VILLAGE OF BAMBOO BASKET WORK

YOKEN SAN OR SACRED MOUNTAIN, INLAND SEA

HURUSIMA, INLAND SEA

HOW WE WERE BOARDED BY CHINESE AND DISPERSED THEM

CHINESE VISITING CARDS

PEARL RIVER

BOGUE FORTS

CHINESE PAGODA AND BOATS

THE FRENCH CONSULATE, CANTON

CHINESE FOOT AND BOOT

MAHARAJAH OF JOHORE'S HOUSE

THE PET MANIS

MALACCA

HOW THE JOURNAL WAS WRITTEN

PEACOCK MOUNTAIN, CEYLON

SOUMALI INDIAN, ADEN

STRAITS OF BAB-EL-MANDEB

BEATING UP THE RED SEA

HOMEWARD BOUND

FALDETTA, MALTA

ARMOURY IN THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE, VALETTA

TANGIER

VASCO DA GAMA

BELEM CLOISTER GARDENS

OUR WELCOME BACK OFF HASTINGS

HOME AT LAST




NOTE.

I have to thank Mr. W. Simpson, author of 'Meeting the Sun,' for the
passages given on pages 341 to 343 referring to the Japanese temples
and their priesthood.

The vessel which has carried us so rapidly and safely round the globe
claims a brief description. She was designed by Mr. St. Clare Byrne,
of Liverpool and may be technically defined as a screw composite
three-masted topsail-yard schooner. The engines, by Messrs. Laird, are
of 70 nominal or 350 indicated horse-power, and developed a speed of
10.13 knots at the measured mile. The bunkers contain 80 tons of coal.
The average daily consumption is 4 tons, and the speed 8 knots in fine
weather. The principal dimensions of the hull are--length for tonnage,
157 ft.; beam extreme, 27 ft. 6 in.; displacement tonnage, 531 tons;
area of midship section, 202 sq. ft.

A. B.

[Illustration: Sunset on Southampton Water.]




A VOYAGE IN THE 'SUNBEAM'.




CHAPTER I.

FAREWELL TO OLD ENGLAND.


    _Masts, spires, and strand receding on the right,_
    _The glorious main expanding on the bow._

At noon on July 1st, 1876, we said good-bye to the friends who had
come to Chatham to see us off, and began the first stage of our voyage
by steaming down to Sheerness, saluting our old friend the 'Duncan,'
Admiral Chads's flagship, and passing through a perfect fleet of craft
of all kinds. There was a fresh contrary wind, and the Channel was as
disagreeable as usual under the circumstances. Next afternoon we were
off Hastings, where we had intended to stop and dine and meet some
friends; but, unfortunately the weather was not sufficiently
favourable for us to land; so we made a long tack out to sea, and, in
the evening, found ourselves once more near the land, off Beachy Head.
While becalmed off Brighton, we all--children included--availed
ourselves of the opportunity to go overboard and have our first swim,
which we thoroughly enjoyed. We had steam up before ten, and again
proceeded on our course. It was very hot, and sitting under the awning
turned out to be the pleasantest occupation. The contrast between the
weather of the two following days was very great, and afforded a
forcible illustration of the uncertainties, perhaps the fascinations,
of yachting. We steamed quietly on, past the 'Owers' lightship, and
the crowds of yachts at Ryde, and dropped anchor off Cowes at six
o'clock.

On the morning of the 6th a light breeze sprang up, and enabled us to
go through the Needles with sails up and funnel down, a performance of
which all on board felt very proud, as many yachtsmen had pronounced
it to be an impossibility for our vessel to beat out in so light a
breeze.

We were forty-three on board, all told, as will be seen by reference
to the list I have given. We had with us, besides, two dogs, three
birds, and a charming Persian kitten belonging to the baby. The kitten
soon disappeared, and it was feared she must have gone overboard down
the hawse pipe. There was a faint hope, however, that she might have
been packed away with the new sails, which had been stowed in a great
hurry the day before. Unhappily she was never found again, and the
children were inconsolable until they discovered, at Torquay, an
effective substitute for 'Lily.'

The Channel was tolerably smooth outside the Isle of Wight, and during
the afternoon we were able to hold on our course direct for Ushant.
After midnight, however, the wind worked gradually round to the
W.S.W., and blew directly in our teeth. A terribly heavy sea got up;
and, as we were making little or no progress, it was decided to put
in to Torquay or Dartmouth, and there await a change. We anchored in
Torbay, about half a mile from the pier, at 8.30 a.m., and soon
afterwards went ashore to bathe. We found, however, that the high
rocks which surround the snug little bathing cove made the water as
cold as ice.

Nothing more having been heard of our poor little kitten, we can only
conclude that she has gone overboard. Just as we were leaving the
railway-station, however, we saw a small white kitten with a blue
ribbon round its neck; and all the children at once exclaimed,
'There's our Lily!' We made inquiries, and found that it belonged to
the young woman at the refreshment room, who, after some demur,
allowed us to take it away with us, in compliance with Muriel's
anxious wish, expressed on her face.

About ten o'clock we got under way, but lay-to for breakfast. We then
had a regular beat of it down Channel--everybody being ill. We formed
a melancholy-looking little row down the lee side of the ship, though
I must say that we were quite as cheery as might have been expected
under the circumstances. It was bright and sunny overhead, which made
things more bearable.

_Sunday, July 9th_.--A calm at 2 a.m. Orders were given to get up
steam; but the new coals from Chatham were slow to light, though good
to keep up steam when once fairly kindled. For four long hours,
therefore, we lolloped about in the trough of a heavy sea, the sails
flapping as the vessel rolled. By the time the steam was up so was the
breeze--a contrary one, of course. We accordingly steamed and sailed
all day, taking more water on board, though not really in any great
quantity, than I had ever seen the good ship do before. She carries a
larger supply of coal and other stores than usual, and no doubt the
square yards on the foremast make her pitch more heavily. We were all
very sorry for ourselves, and 'church,' postponed from eleven until
four o'clock, brought together but a small congregation.

On the 8th we were fairly away from Old England, and on the next day
off Ushant, which we rounded at about 4.30 p.m., at the distance of a
mile and a half; the sea was tremendous, the waves breaking in columns
of spray against the sharp needle-like rocks that form the point of
the island. The only excitement during the day was afforded by the
visit of a pilot-boat (without any fish on board), whose owner was
very anxious to take us into Brest, 'safe from the coming storm,'
which he predicted. In addition to our other discomforts, it now
rained hard; and by half-past six I think nearly all our party had
made up their minds that bed would be the most comfortable place.

Two days later we sailed into lovely, bright, warm, sunny weather,
with a strong north-easterly breeze, a following sea, and an
occasional long roll from the westward. But as the sun rose, the wind
increased, and we got rather knocked about by the sea. A good deal of
water came on board, and it was impossible to sit anywhere in comfort,
unless lashed or firmly wedged in. We were, however, going ten knots
through the water, on our course, under our new square head canvas;
and this fact made up for a good deal of discomfort.

The thirty extra tons of spare sails, spars, and provisions, the
fifteen tons of water, and the eighty-four tons of coal, made a great
difference in our buoyancy, and the sea came popping in and out at the
most unexpected places; much to the delight of the children, who, with
bare feet and legs, and armed with mops and sponges, waged mimic war
against the intruder and each other, singing and dancing to their
hearts' content. This amusement was occasionally interrupted by a
heavier roll than usual, sending them all into the lee scuppers,
sousing them from head to foot, and necessitating a thorough change of
clothing, despite their urgent protest that sea-water never hurt
anybody.

After our five o'clock dinner, however, we very nearly met with a
most serious accident. We were all sitting or standing about the stern
of the vessel, admiring the magnificent dark blue billows following
us, with their curling white crests, mountains high. Each wave, as it
approached, appeared as if it must overwhelm us, instead of which, it
rushed grandly by, rolling and shaking us from stem to stern, and
sending fountains of spray on board.

[Illustration: Nearly Overboard.]

Tom was looking at the stern compass, Allnutt being close to him. Mr.
Bingham and Mr. Freer were smoking, half-way between the quarter-deck
and the after-companion, where Captain Brown, Dr. Potter, Muriel, and
I, were standing. Captain Lecky, seated on a large coil of rope,
placed on the box of the rudder, was spinning Mabelle a yarn. A new
hand was steering, and just at the moment when an unusually big wave
overtook us, he unfortunately allowed the vessel to broach-to a
little. In a second the sea came pouring over the stern, above
Allnutt's head. The boy was nearly washed overboard, but he managed to
catch hold of the rail, and, with great presence of mind, stuck his
knees into the bulwarks. Kindred, our boatswain, seeing his danger,
rushed forward to save him, but was knocked down by the return wave,
from which he emerged gasping. The coil of rope, on which Captain
Lecky and Mabelle were seated, was completely floated by the sea.
Providentially, however, he had taken a double turn round his wrist
with a reefing point, and, throwing his other arm round Mabelle, held
on like grim death; otherwise nothing could have saved them. She was
perfectly self-possessed, and only said quietly, 'Hold on, Captain
Lecky, hold on!' to which he replied, 'All right.' I asked her
afterwards if she thought she was going overboard, and she answered,
'I did not _think_ at all, mamma, but felt sure we were gone.' Captain
Lecky, being accustomed to very large ships, had not in the least
realised how near we were to the water in our little vessel, and was
proportionately taken by surprise. All the rest of the party were
drenched, with the exception of Muriel, whom Captain Brown held high
above the water in his arms, and who lost no time in remarking, in the
midst of the general confusion, 'I'm not at all wet, I'm not.'
Happily, the children don't know what fear is. The maids, however,
were very frightened, as some of the sea had got down into the
nursery, and the skylights had to be screwed down. Our studding-sail
boom, too, broke with a loud crack when the ship broached-to, and the
jaws of the fore-boom gave way.

Soon after this adventure we all went to bed, full of thankfulness
that it had ended as well as it did; but, alas, not, so far as I was
concerned, to rest in peace. In about two hours I was awakened by a
tremendous weight of water suddenly descending upon me and flooding
the bed. I immediately sprang out, only to find myself in another pool
on the floor. It was pitch dark, and I could not think what had
happened; so I rushed on deck, and found that, the weather having
moderated a little, some kind sailor, knowing my love of fresh air,
had opened the skylight rather too soon; and one of the angry waves
had popped on board, deluging the cabin.

I got a light, and proceeded to mop up, as best I could, and then
endeavoured to find a dry place to sleep in. This, however, was no
easy task, for my own bed was drenched, and every other berth
occupied. The deck, too, was ankle-deep in water, as I found when I
tried to get across to the deck-house sofa. At last I lay down on the
floor, wrapped up in my ulster, and wedged between the foot stanchion
of our swing bed and the wardrobe athwart-ship; so that as the yacht
rolled heavily, my feet were often higher than my head. Consequently,
what sleep I snatched turned into nightmare, of which the fixed idea
was a broken head from the three hundredweight of lead at the bottom
of our bed, swinging wildly from side to side and up and down, as the
vessel rolled and pitched, suggesting all manner of accidents. When
morning came at last, the weather cleared a good deal, though the
breeze continued. All hands were soon busily employed in repairing
damages; and very picturesque the deck and rigging of the 'Sunbeam'
looked, with the various groups of men, occupied upon the ropes,
spars, and sails. Towards evening the wind fell light, and we had to
get up steam. The night was the first really warm one we had enjoyed,
and the stars shone out brightly. The sea, which had been of a lovely
blue colour during the day, showed a slight phosphorescence after
dark.

_Thursday, July 13th_.--When I went on deck, at half-past six, I found
a grey, steamy, calm morning, promising a very hot day, without wind.

About 10.30 a.m., the cry of 'Sail on the port beam!' caused general
excitement, and in a few minutes every telescope and glass in the ship
had been brought to bear upon the object which attracted our
attention, and which was soon pronounced to be a wreck. Orders were
given to starboard the helm, and to steer direct for the vessel; and
many were the conjectures hazarded, and the questions asked of the
fortunate holders of glasses. 'What is she?' 'Is there any one on
board?' 'Where does she come from?' 'Can you read her name?' 'Does she
look as if she had been long abandoned?' Soon we were near enough to
send a boat's crew on board, whilst we watched their movements
anxiously from the bridge. We could now read her name--the
'Carolina'--surmounted by a gorgeous yellow decoration on her stern.
She was of between two and three hundred tons burden, and was painted
a light blue, with a red streak. Beneath her white bowsprit the gaudy
image of a woman served as a figure-head. The two masts had been
snapped short off about three feet from the deck, and the bulwarks
were gone, only the covering board and stanchions remaining, so that
each wave washed over and through her. The roof and supports of the
deck-house and the companions were still left standing, but the sides
had disappeared, and the ship's deck was burst up in such a manner as
to remind one of a quail's back.

We saw the men on board poking about, apparently very pleased with
what they had found; and soon our boat returned to the yacht for some
breakers,[1] as the 'Carolina' had been laden with port wine and cork,
and the men wished to bring some of the former on board. I changed my
dress, and, putting on my sea boots, started for the wreck.

[Footnote 1: Small casks, used for carrying water in boats, frequently
spelt _barricos_, evidently from the time of the old Spanish
navigators.]

[Illustration: The Derelict 'Carolina' laden with Port Wine]

We found the men rather excited over their discovery. The wine must
have been _very_ new and _very_ strong, for the smell from it, as it
slopped about all over the deck, was almost enough to intoxicate
anybody. One pipe had already been emptied into the breakers and
barrels, and great efforts were made to get some of the casks out
whole; but this was found to be impossible, without devoting more time
to the operation than we chose to spare. The men managed to remove
three half-empty casks with their heads stove in, which they threw
overboard, but the full ones would have required special appliances to
raise them through the hatches. It proved exceedingly difficult to get
at the wine, which was stowed underneath the cork, and there was also
a quantity of cabin bulkheads and fittings floating about, under the
influence of the long swell of the Atlantic. It was a curious sight,
standing on the roof of the deck-house, to look into the hold, full of
floating bales of cork, barrels, and pieces of wood, and to watch the
sea surging up in every direction, through and over the deck, which
was level with the water's edge. I saw an excellent modern iron
cooking-stove washing about from side to side; but almost every other
moveable article, including spars and ropes, had apparently been
removed by previous boarders.

It would have delayed us too long to tow the vessel into the nearest
port, 375 miles distant, or we might have claimed the salvage money,
estimated by the experts at 1,500_l_. She was too low in the water for
it to be possible for us, with our limited appliances, to blow her up;
so we were obliged to leave her floating about as a derelict, a
fertile source of danger to all ships crossing her track. With her
buoyant cargo, and with the trade winds slowly wafting her to smoother
seas, it may probably be some years before she breaks up. I only hope
that no good ship may run full speed on to her, some dark night, for
the 'Carolina' would prove almost as formidable an obstacle as a
sunken rock.

Tom was now signalling for us to go on board again, and for a few
minutes I was rather afraid we should have had a little trouble in
getting the men off, as their excitement had not decreased; but after
a trifling delay and some rather rough play amongst themselves, they
became steady again, and we returned to the yacht with our various
prizes.

A 'Mother Carey's chicken' hovered round the wreck while we were on
board, and followed us to the 'Sunbeam;' and although a flat calm and
a heavy swell prevailed at the time, we all looked upon our visitor as
the harbinger of a breeze. In this instance, at least, the well-known
sailor's superstition was justified; for, before the evening, the wind
sprang up, and 'fires out and sails up' was the order of the day. We
were soon bowling merrily along at the rate of seven knots an hour,
while a clear starlight night and a heavy dew gave promise of a fine
morrow.

_Friday, July 14th_.--We still have a light wind, right aft,
accompanied by a heavy roll from the westward, which makes it
impossible to sit anywhere with comfort, and difficult even to read.
By 6 a.m. the sun had become very powerful, though its heat was
tempered by the breeze, which gradually increased throughout the day,
until, having set all our fore-and-aft canvas, as well as our square
sails, we glided steadily along, in delightful contrast to the uneasy
motion of the morning, and of the past few days. Under the
awning--with the most heavenly blue sky above, and the still darker
clear blue sea beneath, stretching away in gentle ripples as far as
the eye could reach--it was simply perfect.

Our little party get on extremely well together, though a week ago
they were strangers to each other. We are all so busy that we do not
see much of one another except at meals, and then we have plenty to
talk about. Captain Lecky imparts to us some of his valuable
information about scientific navigation and the law of storms, and he
and Tom and Captain Brown work hard at these subjects. Mr. Freer
follows in the same path; Mr. Bingham draws and reads; Dr. Potter
helps me to teach the children, who, I am happy to say, are as well as
possible. I read and write a great deal, and learn Spanish, so that
the days are all too short for what we have to do. The servants are
settling down well into their places, and the commissariat department
does great credit to the cooks and stewards. The maids get on
satisfactorily, but are a little nervous on rough nights. We hope not
to have many more just at present, for we are now approaching calmer
latitudes.

In the course of the day, whilst Tom and I were sitting in the stern,
the man at the wheel suddenly exclaimed, 'There's land on the port
bow.' We knew, from the distance we had run, that this could not be
the case, and after looking at it through the glasses, Tom pronounced
the supposed land to be a thick wall of fog, advancing towards us
_against_ the wind. Captain Brown and Captain Lecky came from below,
and hastened to get in the studding-sails, in anticipation of the
coming squall. In a few minutes we had lost our fair breeze and
brilliant sunshine, all our sails were taken flat aback, and we found
ourselves enveloped in a dense fog, which made it impossible for us to
see the length of the vessel. It was an extraordinary phenomenon.
Captain Lecky, who, in the course of his many voyages, has passed
within a few miles of this exact spot more than a hundred and fifty
times, had never seen anything in the least like it. As night came on
the fog increased, and the boats were prepared ready for lowering. Two
men went to the wheel, and two to the bows to look out, while an
officer was stationed on the bridge with steam-whistle and bell ready
for an emergency; so that, in case we ran into anything, or anything
ran into us, we should at least have the satisfaction of knowing that,
so far as we were concerned, it had all been done strictly according
to Act of Parliament.

_Saturday, July 15th_.--Between midnight and 4 a.m. the fog
disappeared, as suddenly as it had come on. We must have passed
through a wide belt of it. At 5.30 a.m., when Tom called me to see a
steamer go by, it was quite clear. The vessel was the 'Roman,' and she
passed so close to us that we made our number, and exchanged
salutations with the officers on the bridge.

Towards the afternoon a nice breeze sprang up, and we were able to
bank fires and sail.




CHAPTER II.

MADEIRA, TENERIFFE, AND CAPE DE VERDE ISLANDS.

    _Full many a green isle needs must be
    In this wide sea of misery,
    Or the mariner worn and wan
    Never thus could voyage on._

[Illustration: Our First View of Madeira]


_Sunday, July 16th_.--Porto Santo being visible on the port bow, a
quarter of a mile ahead, by 3.55 a.m. this morning, our three
navigators congratulated themselves and each other on the good
land-fall they had made.

It looks a curious little island, and is situated about thirty-five
miles north-east of Madeira, with a high peak in the centre, of which
we could only see the extreme point, appearing above the clouds.

It is interesting to know that it was from his observation of the
drift-wood and débris washed on to the eastern shore that Columbus,
who had married the daughter of the Governor of Porto Santo, derived
his first impressions of the existence of the New World. Here it was
that he first realised there might possibly be a large and unknown
country to the westward; here it was that he first conceived the
project of exploring the hitherto unknown ocean and of discovering
what new countries might bound its western shores.

An hour later we saw Fora and its light, at the extreme east of
Madeira, and could soon distinguish the mountains in the centre of the
latter island. As we rapidly approached the land, the beauty of the
scenery became more fully apparent. A mass of dark purple volcanic
rocks, clothed on the top with the richest vegetation, with patches of
all sorts of colour on their sides, rises boldly from the sea. There
are several small detached rocks, and one curious pointed little
island, with an arch right through the middle of it, rather like the
Percé Rock on the coast of Nova Scotia. We steamed slowly along the
east coast, passing many pretty hamlets, nestled in bays or perched on
the side of the hills, and observing how every possible nook and
corner seemed to be terraced and cultivated. Sugar-canes, Indian corn,
vines, and many varieties of tropical and semi-tropical plants, grow
luxuriantly in this lovely climate. Nearly all the cottages in the
island are inhabited by a simple people, many of whom have never left
their native villages, even to look at the magnificent view from the
top of the surrounding mountains, or to gaze on the sea, by which they
are encompassed.

We dropped our anchor in the bay of Funchal at about twelve o'clock,
and before breakfast was over found ourselves surrounded by a perfect
flotilla of boats, though none of them dared approach very near until
the health-officer had come alongside and pronounced us free from
infection. At this moment all are complaining much of the heat, which
since yesterday has been very great, and is caused by the wind called
'Este,' blowing direct from the African deserts. It was 79° in the
coolest place on board, and 84° on shore in the shade, in the middle
of the day.

The African mail steamer, 'Ethiopia,' last from Bonny, West Coast of
Africa, whence she arrived the day before yesterday, was lying in the
bay, and the children went on board with some of our party to see her
cargo of monkeys, parrots, and pineapples. The result was an
importation of five parrots on board the 'Sunbeam;' but the monkeys
were too big for us. Captain Dane, who paid us a return visit, said
that the temperature here appeared quite cool to him, as for the last
few weeks his thermometer had varied from 82° to 96° in the shade.

We had service at 4 p.m., and at 5 p.m. went ashore in a native boat,
furnished with bilge pieces, to keep her straight when beached, and to
avoid the surf, for it was too rough for our own boats. At the water's
edge a curious sort of double sleigh, drawn by two oxen, was waiting.
Into this we stepped, setting off with considerable rapidity up the
steep shingly beach, under a beautiful row of trees, to the 'Praça,'
where the greater portion of the population were walking up and down,
or sitting under the shade of the magnolias. These plants here attain
the size of forest-trees, and their large white wax-like flowers shed
a most delightful fragrance on the evening air. There were graceful
pepper vines too, and a great variety of trees only known to us in
England in the form of small shrubs. This being a festival day, the
streets were crowded with people from town and country, in their
holiday attire. The door-posts and balconies of the houses were
wreathed with flowers, the designs in many cases being very pretty.
One arcade in particular was quite lovely, with arches made of double
red geranium, mixed with the feathery-looking pepper leaves, while the
uprights were covered with amaryllis and white arum lilies. The
streets were strewn with roses and branches of myrtle, which, bruised
by the feet of the passers-by and the runners of the bullock sleigh,
emitted a delicious aromatic odour.

The trellises in the gardens seem overgrown with stephanotis, mauve
and purple passion-flowers, and all kinds of rare creepers, the purple
and white hibiscus shoots up some fourteen to sixteen feet in height;
bananas, full of fruit and flower, strelitzias, heliotrope, geraniums,
and pelargoniums, bloom all around in large shrubs, mixed with palms
and mimosas of every variety; and the whole formed such an enchanting
picture that we were loth to tear ourselves away.

A ride of about twenty minutes in the bullock sleigh, up a steep hill,
by the side of a rocky torrent, whose banks were overgrown with
caladiums and vines, brought us to our destination, Til, whence we had
a splendid view of the town and bay stretching beneath us. During the
ascent we passed several cottages, whose inhabitants stood airing
themselves on the threshold after the great heat of the day, and
through the open doorways we occasionally got a peep into the gardens
beyond, full of bright flowers and luxuriant with vines, fig-trees,
and bananas. As we sat in the terrace garden at Til we enjoyed the
sweet scent of the flowers we could no longer see, and listened to the
cool splash of the water in the fountain below; whilst Allnutt, with
unceasing energy, searched amongst the bushes for moths, of which he
found a large number.

We jogged down the hill a great deal faster than we had come up,
stopping only for a short time in the now more than ever crowded
'Praça,' to listen to one or two airs played by the Portuguese band,
before we got back to the yacht at about half-past ten.

Next morning we were off to the fish-market by seven o'clock, but it
was not a good time for our visit, as there had been no moon on the
previous night; and, though there were fish of various kinds, saw
nothing specially worthy of notice. The picturesque costumes of the
people were, however, interesting. We afterwards went to the
fruit-market, though it was not specially worth seeing, for most of
the fruit and vegetables are brought in boats from villages on the
sea-shore; and, as it is necessary to wait until the sea-breeze
springs up, they do not arrive until midday. After our walk the
children and I went down to the beach and bathed, taking care not to
go too far out on account of the sharks, of which we had been warned.
We undressed and dressed in tents, not unlike clothes-horses, with a
bit of matting thrown over them, in which the heat was intense. The
beach is very steep; and as one gets out of one's depth immediately,
indifferent swimmers put on a couple of bladders--which stick out
behind their backs and produce a strange effect--or else take a
bathing-man into the water with them. I preferred the latter course;
and we all had a pleasant bathe.

[Illustration: Fish Carrier]

The natives seem almost amphibious in their habits, and the yacht is
surrounded all day by boats full of small boys, who will dive to any
depth for sixpence, a dozen of them spluttering and fighting for the
coin in the water at the same time. They will go down on one side of
the yacht too, and bob up on the other, almost before you have time to
run across the deck to witness their reappearance.

The Loo Rock, with its old fortress, close to our anchorage, forms a
picturesque object; and the scene from the yacht, enlivened by the
presence of numerous market-boats, laden with fruit and vegetables, is
very pretty. We lie about 150 yards from the shore, just under Mr.
Danero's quinta. The cliff just here is overhung with bougainvillæas,
geraniums, fuchsias, aloes, prickly pears, and other flowers, which
grow luxuriantly quite down to the water's edge, wherever they can
contrive to find a root-hold.

After five o'clock tea we rode up the Mount and through the woods on
horseback, along a road gay with masses of wild geranium, hydrangea,
amaryllis, and fuchsia. We dismounted at a lovely place, which
contains a large number of rare trees and plants, brought from all
parts of the world. Here were enormous camellias, as well as purple,
red, and white azaleas, Guernsey lilies, all growing in the greatest
profusion.

Our descent of the Mount, by means of a form of conveyance commonly
used on the island, was very amusing. At the summit we found
basket-work sleighs, each constructed to hold two people, and attended
by a couple of men, lashed together. Into these we stepped, and were
immediately pushed down the hill at a tremendous pace. The gliding
motion is delightful, and was altogether a novelty to us. The men
manage the sleighs with great skill, steering them in the most
wonderful manner round the sharp angles in the zigzag road, and making
use of their bare feet as brakes when necessary. The turns were
occasionally so abrupt, that it seemed almost impossible that we could
avoid being upset; but we reached the bottom quite safely. The
children were especially delighted with the trip, and indeed we all
enjoyed it immensely. The only danger is the risk of fire from the
friction of the steel runners against the gravel road.

After paying a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Blandy, whose house is
beautifully situated, we dined at the hotel, and afterwards sat in
the lovely semi-tropical garden until it was time to go on board to
bed.

_Tuesday, July 18th_.--We were called at 4.30 a.m., and went ashore
soon after six to meet some friends, with whom we had arranged to ride
up to the Gran Corral, and to breakfast there, 5,000 feet above the
level of the sea.

It soon became evident that the time we had selected for landing was
the fashionable bathing hour. In fact, it required some skill on our
part to keep the boat clear of the crowds of people of both sexes and
all ages, who were taking their morning dip. It was most absurd to see
entire families, from the bald-headed and spectacled grandfather to
the baby who could scarcely walk, all disporting themselves in the
water together, many of them supported by the very inelegant-looking
bladders I have mentioned. There was a little delay in mounting our
horses, under the shade of the fig-trees; but when we were once off, a
party of eleven, the cavalcade became quite formidable. As we
clattered up the paved streets, between vineyard and garden walls,
'curiosity opened her lattice,' on more than one occasion, to
ascertain the cause of the unwonted commotion. The views on our way,
as we sometimes climbed a steep ascent or descended a deep ravine,
were very varied, but always beautiful. About half-way up we stopped
to rest under a delightful trellis of vines, by the side of a rushing
mountain stream, bordered with ferns; then, leaving the vineyards and
gardens behind us, we passed through forests of shady Spanish chestnut
trees, beneath which stretched the luxurious greensward.

At ten o'clock we quitted this grateful shade, and arrived at the neck
of the pass, facing the Gran Corral, where we had to make our choice
of ascending a conical hill, on our left, or the Torrinhas Peak, on
our right. The latter was chosen, as promising the better view,
although it was rather farther off, so we were accordingly seized
upon by some of the crowd of peasants who surrounded us, and who at
once proceeded to push and pull us up a steep slippery grass slope,
interspersed with large boulders. The view from the top, looking down
a sheer precipice of some 1,500 feet in depth into the valley below,
was lovely. Quite at the bottom, amid the numerous ravines and small
spurs of rocks by which the valley is intersected, we could
distinguish some small patches of cultivated ground. Above our heads
towered the jagged crests of the highest peaks, Pico Ruivo and others,
which we had already seen from the yacht, when we first sighted the
island.

A pleasant walk over some grassy slopes, and two more hard scrambles,
took us to the summit of the Torrinhas Peak; but the charming and
extensive view towards Camara de Lobos, and the bay and town of
Funchal, was an ample reward for all our trouble. It did not take us
long to get back to the welcome shade of the chestnut trees, for we
were all ravenously hungry, it being now eleven o'clock. But, alas!
breakfast had not arrived: so we had no resource but to mount our
horses again and ride down to meet it. Mr. Miles, of the hotel, had
not kept his word; he had promised that our provisions should be sent
up to us by nine o'clock, and it was midday before we met the men
carrying the hampers on their heads. There was now nothing for it but
to organise a picnic on the terrace of Mr. Veitch's deserted villa,
beneath the shade of camellia, fuchsia, myrtle, magnolia, and
pepper-trees, from whence we could also enjoy the fine view of the
fertile valley beneath us and the blue sea sparkling beyond.

_Wednesday, July 19th_.--We were so tired after our exertions of
yesterday, that it was nine o'clock before we all mustered for our
morning swim, which I think we enjoyed the more from the fact of our
having previously been prevented by the sharks, or rather by the
rumour of sharks.

We were engaged to lunch at Mr. and Mrs. Blandy's, but I was so weary
that I did not go ashore until about six o'clock in the evening, and
then I went first to the English cemetery, which is very prettily laid
out and well kept. The various paths are shaded by pepper-trees,
entwined with bougainvillæa, while in many places the railings are
completely covered by long trailing masses of stephanotis in full
bloom. Some of the inscriptions on the tombs are extremely touching,
and it is sad to see, as is almost always the case in places much
resorted to by invalids, how large a proportion of those who lie
buried here have been cut off in the very flower of their youth.
Indeed, the residents at Madeira complain that it is a melancholy
drawback to the charms of this beautiful island, that the friendship
frequently formed between them and people who come hither in search of
health, is in so many cases brought to an early and sad termination.
Having seen and admired Mrs. Foljambe's charming garden by daylight,
we returned on board to receive some friends. Unfortunately they were
not very good sailors, and, out of our party of twenty, one lady had
to go ashore at once, and another before dinner was over.

They all admired the yacht very much, particularly the various cozy
corners in the deck-house. It was a lovely night; and after the
departure of our guests, at about ten o'clock, we steamed out of the
bay, where we found a nice light breeze, which enabled us to sail.

[Illustration: A Cozy Corner.]

_Thursday, July 20th_.--All to-day has been taken up in arranging our
photographs, journals, &c. &c., and in preparing for our visit to
Teneriffe. About twelve o'clock the wind fell light and we tried
fishing, but without success, though several bonitos or flying-fish
were seen. It was very hot, and it seemed quite a relief when, at
eight o'clock in the evening, we began steaming, thus creating a
breeze for ourselves.

_Friday, July 21st_.--We all rose early, and were full of excitement
to catch the first glimpse of the famous Peak of Teneriffe. There was
a nice breeze from the north-east, the true trade wind, we hope, which
ought to carry us down nearly to the Line. The morning being rather
hazy, it was quite ten o'clock before we saw the Peak, towering above
the clouds, right ahead, about fifty-nine miles off. As we approached,
it appeared less perpendicular than we had expected, or than it is
generally represented in pictures. The other mountains too, in the
centre of the island, from the midst of which it rises, are so very
lofty that, in spite of its conical sugar-loaf top, it is difficult at
first to realise that the Peak is 12,180 feet high.

We dropped anchor under its shadow in the harbour of Orotava in
preference to the capital, Santa Cruz, both on account of its being a
healthier place, and also in order to be nearer to the Peak, which we
wished to ascend.

The heat having made the rest of our party rather lazy, Captain Lecky
and I volunteered to go on shore to see the Vice-Consul, Mr. Goodall,
and try to make arrangements for our expedition. It was only 2 p.m.,
and very hot work, walking through the deserted streets, but luckily
we had not far to go, and the house was nice and cool when we got
there. Mr. Goodall sent off at once for a carriage, despatching a
messenger also to the mountains for horses and guides, which there was
some difficulty in obtaining at such short notice.

Having organised the expedition we re-embarked to dine on board the
yacht, and I went to bed at seven, to be called again, however, at
half-past ten o'clock. After a light supper, we landed and went to the
Vice-Consul's arriving there exactly at midnight. But no horses were
forthcoming, so we lay down on our rugs in the patio, and endeavoured
to sleep, as we knew we should require all our strength for the
expedition before us.

There were sundry false alarms of a start, as the horses arrived by
ones and twos from the neighbouring villages, accompanied by their
respective owners. By two o'clock all our steeds, twelve in number,
had assembled, and in another quarter of an hour we were leaving the
town by a steep stony path, bordered by low walls. There was no moon,
and for the first two hours it was very dark. At the end of that time
we could see the first glimmer of dawn, and were shortly afterwards
able to distinguish each other and to observe the beautiful view which
lay below us as we wended our way up and up between small patches of
cultivation. Soon we climbed above the clouds, which presented a most
curious appearance as we looked down upon them. The strata through
which we had passed was so dense and so white, that it looked exactly
like an enormous glacier, covered with fresh fallen snow, extending
for miles and miles; while the projecting tops of the other Canary
Islands appeared only like great solitary rocks.

The sun had already become very oppressive, and at half-past seven we
stopped to breakfast and to water the horses. Half-past eight found us
in the saddle again, and we commenced to traverse a dreary plain of
yellowish white pumice-stone, interspersed with huge blocks of
obsidian, thrown from the mouth of the volcano. At first the monotony
of the scene was relieved by large bushes of yellow broom in full
flower, and still larger bushes of the beautiful _Retama blanca_,
quite covered with lovely white bloom, scenting the air with its
delicious fragrance, and resembling huge tufts of feathers, eight or
nine feet high. As we proceeded, however, we left all traces of
vegetation behind us. It was like the Great Sahara. On every side a
vast expanse of yellow pumice-stone sand spread around us, an
occasional block of rock sticking up here and there, and looking as if
it had indeed been fused in a mighty furnace. By half-past ten we had
reached the 'Estancia de los Ingleses,' 9,639 feet above the level of
the sea, where the baggage and some of the horses had to be left
behind, the saddles being transferred to mules for the very steep
climb before us. After a drink of water all round, we started again,
and commenced the ascent of the almost perpendicular stream of lava
and stone, which forms the only practicable route to the top. Our poor
beasts were only able to go a few paces at a time without stopping to
regain their breath. The loose ashes and lava fortunately gave them a
good foothold, or it would have been quite impossible for them to get
along at all. One was only encouraged to proceed by the sight of one's
friends above, looking like flies clinging to the face of a wall. The
road, if such it can be called, ran in zigzags, each of which was
about the length of two horses, so that we were in turns one above
another. There were a few slips and slides and tumbles, but no
important casualties; and in about an hour and a half we had reached
the 'Alta Vista,' a tiny plateau, where the horses were to be left.

The expedition so far had been such a fatiguing one, and the heat was
so great, that the children and I decided to remain here, and to let
the gentlemen proceed alone to the summit of the Peak. We tried to
find some shade, but the sun was so immediately above us that this was
almost an impossibility. However, we managed to squeeze ourselves
under some slightly overhanging rocks, and I took some photographs
while the children slept. The guides soon returned with water-barrels
full of ice, procured from a cavern above, where there is a stream of
water constantly running; and nothing could have been more grateful
and refreshing.

It was more than three hours before Tom and Captain Lecky reappeared,
to be soon followed by the rest of the party. Whilst they rested and
refreshed themselves with ice, they described the ascent as fatiguing
in the extreme, in fact, almost an impossibility for a lady. First
they had scrambled over huge blocks of rough lava to the tiny plain of
the Rambleta, 11,466 feet above the level of the sea, after which they
had to climb up the cone itself, 530 feet in height, and sloping at an
angle of 44 degrees. It is composed of ashes and calcined chalk, into
which their feet sank, while, for every two steps they made forwards
and upwards, they slipped one backwards. But those who reached the top
were rewarded for their exertions by a glorious view, and by the
wonderful appearance of the summit of the Peak. The ground beneath
their feet was hot, while sulphurous vapours and smoke issued from
various small fissures around them, though there has been no actual
eruption from this crater of the volcano since 1704. They brought down
with them a beautiful piece of calcined chalk, covered with crystals
of sulphur and arsenic, and some other specimens. Parched and dry as
the ground looked where I was resting, a few grains of barley, dropped
by mules on the occasion of a previous visit, had taken root and had
grown up into ear; and there were also a few roots of a sort of
dog-violet, showing its delicate lavender-coloured flowers 11,000 feet
above the sea, and far beyond the level of any other vegetation.

It was impossible to ride down to the spot where we had left the
baggage animals, and the descent was consequently very fatiguing, and
even painful. At every step our feet sank into a mass of loose scoriæ
and ashes; and so we went slipping, sliding, and stumbling along,
sometimes running against a rock, and sometimes nearly pitching
forward on our faces. All this too beneath a blazing sun, with the
thermometer at 78°, and not a vestige of shade. At last Tom and I
reached the bottom, where, after partaking of luncheon and draughts of
quinine, we lay down under the shadow of a great rock to recruit our
weary frames.

Refreshed by our meal, we started at six o'clock on our return
journey, and went down a good deal faster than we came up. Before the
end of the pumice-stone or Retama plains had been reached, it was
nearly dark. Sundry small accidents occurring to stirrup-leathers,
bridles, and girths--for the saddlery was not of the best
description--delayed us slightly, and as Tom, Dr. Potter, Allnutt, and
the guide had got on ahead, we soon lost sight of them. After an
interval of uncertainty, the other guides confessed that they did not
know the way back in the dark. This was not pleasant, for the roads
were terrible, and during the whole of our journey up, from the port
to the Peak, we had met only four people in all--two goatherds with
their flocks, and two 'neveros,' bringing down ice to the town. There
was therefore not much chance of gaining information from any one on
our way down. We wandered about among low bushes, down watercourses,
and over rocks for a long time. Horns were blown, and other means of
attracting attention were tried; first one and then another of the
party meanwhile coming more or less to grief. My good little horse
fell down three times, though we did not part company, and once he
went up a steep bank by mistake, instead of going down a very nasty
watercourse, which I do not wonder at his objecting to. I managed to
jump off in time, and so no harm was done; but it was rather anxious
work.

About ten o'clock we saw a light in the distance, and with much
shouting woke up the inhabitants of the cottage whence it proceeded,
promising to reward them liberally if they would only show us our way
back. Three of them consented to do this, and provided themselves
accordingly with pine-torches, wrapped round with bracken and leaves.
One, a very fine man, dressed in white, with his arm extended above
his head, bearing the light, led the way; another walked in front of
my horse, while the third brought up the rear. They conducted us down
the most frightfully steep paths until we had descended beneath the
clouds, when the light from our torches threw our shadows in gigantic
form upon the mists above, reminding us of the legend of the 'Spectre
of the Brocken.' At last the torches began to go out, one by one, and
just as the last light was expiring we arrived at a small village,
where we of course found that everybody was asleep. After some delay,
during which Mabelle and I were so tired that we lay down in the
street to rest, more torches were procured and a fresh guide, who led
us into the comparatively good path towards Puerto Orotava. Finally,
half an hour after midnight, we arrived at the house of the
Vice-Consul, who had provided refreshments for us, and whose nephew
was still very kindly sitting up awaiting our return. But we were too
tired to do anything but go straight on board the yacht, where, after
some supper and champagne, we were indeed glad to retire to our
berths. This was at 3.30 a.m., exactly twenty-nine hours since we had
been called on Friday night.

It is certainly too long an expedition to be performed in one day.
Tents should be taken, and arrangements made for camping out for one,
if not two, nights; but, in the case of such a large party as ours,
this would have been a great business, as everything must be carried
to so great a height, up such steep places, and over such bad roads.
Still, there are so many objects and places of interest, not only on,
but around, the Peak, that it is a pity to see them only when hurried
and fatigued.

_Sunday, July 23rd_.--Orders had been given not to call us nor to wash
decks, and it was consequently half-past ten before any one awoke, and
midday before the first of our party put in an appearance on deck.

Long before this, the 'Sunbeam' had been inundated with visitors from
the shore. We had given a general invitation to the friends of the
Vice-Consul to come and see the yacht; and they accordingly arrived in
due course, accompanied in many cases by a large circle of
acquaintances. Those who came first were conducted below and all over
the vessel, but the number ultimately became so great that, in
self-defence, we were obliged to limit their wanderings to the deck,
opening the skylights wide, however, to enable them to see as much as
possible of the saloon and cabins.

From breakfast-time until prayers, at three o'clock, when the yacht
was closed for an hour, there was a constant stream of visitors from
the shore. It was a great nuisance; but still it seemed unkind to
refuse to allow them to see what they had never seen before, and might
possibly never have an opportunity of seeing again. All steamers and
sailing-ships, as a rule, go to Santa Cruz; and the fame of our vessel
having been spread abroad by our visitors of Friday, many of the poor
people had come from villages far away over the mountains. We could
not help feeling a certain respect for the determined way in which
physical infirmity was mastered by curiosity for, though many
experienced very serious inconvenience from the motion of the vessel,
they still persevered in their examination.

About five o'clock we went ashore ourselves, and drove up to Villa
Orotava. The wide road is macadamised and marked with kilometre
stones, and is planted on either side with pepper-trees, plane-trees,
and the _Eucalyptus globulus_, which has grown 35 metres, or 115 feet,
in seven years. The hedges are formed of blue plumbago, scarlet
geranium, yellow acacia, lavender-coloured heliotrope, white jasmine,
and pink and white roses.

After driving a few miles, we turned down an old paved road towards
the sea, and, by dint of a considerable amount of shaking, arrived at
the celebrated Botanical Gardens, mentioned by Humboldt and others. We
passed through a small house, with a fine dragon-tree on either side,
and entered the gardens, where we found a valuable collection of trees
and shrubs of almost every known species. The kind and courteous
Curator, Don Hermann Wildgaret, accompanied us, and explained the
peculiarities of the many interesting plants, from Europe, Asia,
Africa, America, Australia, New Zealand, and the various islands of
the North and South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The climate of
Teneriffe is so equable, that the island forms a true garden of
acclimatisation for the vegetable productions of the various countries
of the world; by the judicious expenditure of a little more money,
this establishment might be made an important means of introducing to
Europe many new and valuable plants. At present the annual income is
5,000 francs, the salary of the Curator being 1,000 francs.

A rough drive over paved roads, commanding extensive views of sea and
rocks, and of some palm-trees on a promontory in the distance, brought
us, at about seven o'clock, to the boat, which was waiting our return.
We arrived in due course on board the 'Sunbeam,' laden with bouquets
of the choicest flowers, and soon after dinner we all retired to bed,
not having yet recovered from the fatigues of yesterday.

_Monday, July 24th_.--What one gains in the beauty and abundance of
vegetable life here, one loses in its rapid and premature decay. Fruit
gathered in the morning is scarcely fit to eat at night, and the
flowers brought on board yesterday evening were dead to-day at 4.30
a.m.; whilst some of the roses we brought from Cowes lasted until we
reached Madeira, though it must be owned so many fell to pieces that
my cabin used to be daily swept with rose-leaves instead of
tea-leaves.

We went ashore soon after six, and drove straight to the garden of the
Marquis de Sonzal, where there is a beautiful palm-tree, 101 feet
high, the remains of an enormous dragon-tree, old even in the
fifteenth century, besides hedges of myrtle, jasmine, and clematis,
and flowers of every description in full bloom. The dragon-tree is a
species of dracæna, and looks rather like a gigantic candelabra,
composed of a number of yuccas, perched on the top of a gnarled and
somewhat deformed stem, half palm half cactus. Another beautiful
garden was next visited, belonging to the Marquis de la Candia, who
received us and showed us his coffee and plantains in full growth, as
well as a magnificent Spanish chestnut-tree, coëval with the
dragon-tree. Out of one of its almost decayed branches a so-called
young tree was growing, but it would have been thought very
respectable and middle-aged in any other locality.

Every one here, as in Madeira, has been more or less ruined by the
failure of the vines. Most of the large landed proprietors have left
their estates to take care of themselves; and the peasants, for the
last few years, have been emigrating by hundreds to Caraccas, in
Venezuela. Things are, however, beginning to look up a little now. The
cultivation of cochineal appears to succeed, though the price is low;
coffee answers well; and permission has been obtained from the Spanish
Government to grow tobacco, accompanied by a promise to purchase, at
a certain fixed rate, all that can be produced. Still, people talk of
the Island of Teneriffe as something very different now from what it
was twenty-five or thirty years ago, both as regards the number of its
inhabitants and the activity of its commerce, and mourn over 'the good
old times;'--a custom I have remarked in many other places!

[Illustration: A Palm-tree in a Garden, Orotava, Teneriffe.]

The Marquis de la Candia and Don Hermann Wildgaret returned on board
with us to breakfast. The anchor had been weighed, and the 'Sunbeam'
was slowly steaming up and down, waiting for us. The stream of
visitors had been as great and as constant as ever during our absence,
in spite of the heavy roll of the sea, and the deck seemed quite
covered with baskets of flowers and fruit, kindly sent on board by the
people who had been over the yacht the day before. Amongst the latest
arrivals were some very handsome Spanish ladies, beautifully dressed
in black, with mantillas, each of whom was accompanied by a young man
carrying a basin. It must, I fear, be confessed that this was rather a
trial to the gravity of all on board. It certainly was an instance of
the pursuit of knowledge, or the gratification of curiosity, under
considerable difficulties.

Immediately after breakfast, our friends bade us adieu, and went
ashore in the shore-boat, while we steamed along the north side of the
island, past the splendid cliffs of Buenavista, rising 2,000 feet
sheer from the sea, to Cape Teno, the extreme western point of
Teneriffe. In the distance we could see the Great Canary, Palma, and
Hierro, and soon passed close to the rocky island of Gomera. Here,
too, the dark cliffs, of volcanic form and origin, are magnificent,
and as we were almost becalmed by the high land whilst we sailed along
the north shore of the island, we had ample opportunities of admiring
its rugged beauty. During the night we approached Palma, another large
island of the Canary group, containing one of the most remarkable
_calderas_, or large basins, formed by volcanic action in the world.




CHAPTER III.


PALMA TO RIO DE JANEIRO.

    _A wet sheet and a flowing sea,_
    _A wind that follows fast_
    _And fills the white and rustling sail_
    _And bends the gallant mast._

_Tuesday, July 25th_.--There was not much wind during the night, and
Palma was consequently still visible when I came on deck at daybreak.
We had a light fair wind in the morning, accompanied by a heavy swell,
which caused us to roll so much that I found it very difficult to do
anything. Several shoals of flying fish skimmed past us along the
surface of the water, occasionally rising to a considerable height
above it. Their beautiful wings, glittering in the bright sunlight,
looked like delicate silver filigree-work. In the night one flew on
board, only to be preserved in spirits by Dr. Potter.

_Saturday, July 29th_.--For the last three days we have been going on
quietly with fair, warm weather, but a nice fresh breeze sprang up
to-day. At midday the sun was so exactly vertical over our heads, that
it was literally possible to stand under the shadow of one's own
hatbrim, and be sheltered all round. Our navigators experienced
considerable difficulty in taking their noon-tide observations, as the
sun appeared to dodge about in every direction.

About two o'clock we made the high land of St. Antonio, one of the
Cape de Verde Islands, and, soon afterwards, the lower land of St
Vincent. Some doubt existing as to the prevalence of fever at the
latter place, Tom decided not to stop there, for fear of having to
undergo quarantine at Rio de Janeiro. We therefore shortened sail, and
passed slowly between the islands to the anchorage beyond the Bird
Rock. This is a very small island, of perfectly conical form, covered
with thousands of sea-fowl, who live here undisturbed by any other
inhabitants. The town of Porto Grande, with its rows of white houses
on the sea-shore, at the base of the rocky crags, looked clean and
comfortable in the evening light. During the day, however, it must be
a hot and glaring place, for there are no trees to afford shade, nor,
indeed, any kind of vegetation. The water, too, is bad, and all
supplies for passing steamers are brought from the other islands, at
very uncertain intervals. It is still a great coaling-station, though
not so much used as it was formerly, before the opening of the Suez
Canal. The ships come out with coal, and go away in ballast (there is
nothing else to be had here), procured from a point near the town, to
Rio or elsewhere, where they pick up their homeward cargo of fruit,
&c.

The absence of twilight in these latitudes, both at dawn and sunset,
is certainly very remarkable. This morning, at four o'clock, the stars
were shining brightly; ten minutes later the day had commenced to
break; and at half-past four the sun had risen above the horizon, and
was gilding the surrounding mountain tops.

_Sunday, July 30th_.--About 10 a.m. we were off Tarafal Bay--a most
hopeless-looking place for supplies. High rocky mountains, sandy
slopes, and black volcanic beach, composed a scene of arid desolation,
in the midst of which was situated one small white house, with four
windows and a thatched roof, surrounded by a little green patch of
sugar-canes and cocoa-nut palms.

But the result proved the sageness of the advice contained in the old
proverb, not to trust to appearances only; for, whilst we were at
breakfast, Mr. Martinez, the son of the owner of the one whitewashed
cottage to be seen, came on board. To our surprise, he spoke English
extremely well, and promised us all sorts of supplies, if we could
wait until three o'clock in the afternoon. Having agreed to do this,
we shortly afterwards went ashore in his boat, with a crew of more
than half-naked negroes, and a hot row of about three miles brought us
to the shore, where, after some little difficulty, we succeeded in
effecting a landing. Our feet immediately sank into the hot black
sand, composed entirely of volcanic deposits and small pieces, or
rather grains, of amber, through which we had a fatiguing walk until
we reached some palm-trees, shading a little pool of water. Here we
left some of the men, with instructions to fill the breakers they had
brought with them, while we walked on along the beach, past the
remains of an English schooner that caught fire not far from this
island, and was run ashore by her captain, thirty years ago. Her iron
anchor, chain, and wheel still remained, together with two queer
little iron cannon, which I should have much liked to carry off as a
memorial of our visit. We then turned up a narrow shadeless path,
bordered by stone walls, leading away from the sea, past a sugar-mill
and a ruin. A few almond, castor-oil, and fig trees were growing
amongst the sugar-canes, and as we mounted the hill we could see some
thirty round straw huts, like beehives, on the sandy slopes beside the
little stream. An abrupt turn in the mountains, amid which, at a
distance of three leagues, this tiny river takes its rise, hides it
from the sea, so that the narrow valley which it fertilises looks like
a small oasis in the desert of rocks and sand.

Mr. Martinez's house, where we sat for some time, and beneath the
windows of which the one stream of the island runs, was comparatively
cool. Outside, the negro washerwomen were busy washing clothes in large
turtle-shell tubs, assisted, or hindered, by the 'washerwoman-bird,'
a kind of white crane, who appeared quite tame, playing about just
like a kitten, pecking at the clothes or the women's feet, and
then running away and hiding behind a tree. The stream was full of
water-cresses, while the burnt-up little garden contained an abundance
of beautiful flowers. There were scarlet and yellow mimosas, of many
kinds, combining every shade of exquisite green velvety foliage,
alpinias, with pink, waxy flowers and crimson and gold centres,
oleanders, begonias, hibiscus, allamandas, and arum and other lilies.

[Illustration: Tarafal Bay, St. Antonio.]

Mr. Bingham sketched, I took some photographs, Dr. Potter and the
children caught butterflies, and the rest of our party wandered about.
Every five minutes a negro arrived with a portion of our supplies. One
brought a sheep, another a milch-goat for baby, while the rest
contributed, severally, a couple of cocoa-nuts, a papaya, three
mangoes, a few water-cresses, a sack of sweet potatoes, a bottle of
milk, three or four quinces, a bunch of bananas, a little honey,
half-a-dozen cabbages, some veal and pork, and so on; until it
appeared as if every little garden on either side of the three leagues
of stream must have yielded up its entire produce, and we had
accumulated sacks full of cocoa-nuts and potatoes, hundreds of eggs,
and dozens of chickens and ducks. It was very amusing to see the
things arrive. They were brought in by people varying in colour from
dark yellow to the blackest ebony, and ranging in size from fine
stalwart men, over six feet in height, to tiny little blackies of
about three feet six, with curly hair, snowy teeth, and mischievous,
beady eyes. The arrival of the provision boat and the transfer of its
miscellaneous cargo to the 'Sunbeam' was quite an amusing sight. The
pretty black goat and the sheep bleated, the fowls cackled, and the
ducks quacked, while the negroes chatted and laughed as they handed
and hauled on board fish of all shapes and sizes, bunches of bananas,
piles of cocoa-nuts, sacks of potatoes, and many other things,
finishing up with a tiny black boy, about three years old, whom I
think they would rather have liked to leave behind with us, if we
would only have taken him. The fish proved excellent, though some of
them really seemed almost too pretty to eat. A brilliant gold fish,
weighing about three pounds, and something like a grey mullet in
flavour, was perhaps the best. The prices were very curious. Chickens
a shilling each, ducks five shillings, goats thirty shillings, and
sheep ten shillings. Vegetables, fruit, and flowers were extremely
cheap; but the charge for water, fetched from the spring in our own
breakers by our own crew, with but little assistance from four or five
negroes, was 3_l_. 18_s_. However, as ours is the only yacht, with one
exception, that has ever visited this island, there was nothing for it
except to pay the bill without demur.

I never in my life felt so warm as I did to-day on shore, though the
inhabitants say it will not be _really_ hot for two months yet; I
never before saw cocoa-nut palms growing; and I never tasted a mango
until this morning; so I have experienced three new sensations in one
day.

The night was fearfully close, muggy, and thundery, the temperature in
the cabins being 89°, in spite of open sky-lights and port-holes.
Generally speaking, it has not hitherto been as hot as we expected,
especially on board the yacht itself. On deck there is almost always a
nice breeze, but below it is certainly warm.

_Tuesday, August 1st_.--Yesterday we were still under sail, but to-day
it has been necessary to steam, for the wind has fallen too light.
There was a heavy roll from the south, and the weather continued hot
and oppressive. In the cabins the thermometer stood at 89° during the
whole of the night, in spite of all our efforts to improve the
temperature. We therefore put three of the children in the deck-house
to sleep, opening the doors and windows; and some of the rest of our
party slept on deck in hammocks. In anticipation of the heavy
equatorial rains, which Captain Lecky had predicted might commence
to-day, we had had the awnings put up; a fortunate piece of foresight,
for, before midnight, the rain came down in torrents.

_Wednesday, August 2nd_.--At daybreak the sky was covered with heavy
black clouds, and the atmosphere was as hot and muggy as ever. We had
a great deal of rain during the day, and took advantage of the
opportunity to fill every available tub, bucket, and basin, to say
nothing of the awnings. It came down in such sheets that mackintoshes
were comparatively useless, and we had soon filled our seventeen
breakers, the cistern, and the boats, from which we had removed the
covers, with very good, though somewhat dirty, washing water.

_Friday, August 4th_.--We were only 289 miles off Sierra Leone in the
morning, and at noon therefore Tom decided to put about. Having done
so, we found that we went along much more easily and quite as fast on
the other tack. We maintained a good rate of speed on our new course,
which was now nearly due west, passing a large barque with every
stitch of canvas set, hand over hand.

We are still in the Guinea current, and the temperature of the water
is 82°, even in the early morning; but the heat of the sun does not
seem to have much effect upon it, as it does not vary to any great
extent during the day.

[Illustration: Father Neptune.]

In the evening we saw the Southern Cross for the first time, and were
much disappointed in its appearance. The fourth star is of smaller
magnitude than the others, and the whole group is only for a very
short time in a really upright position, inclining almost always
either to one side or the other, as it rises and sets.

_Tuesday, August 8th_.--We crossed the line at daylight.

This event caused much fun and excitement, both in cabin and
forecastle. The conventional hair was put across the field of the
telescope for the unsophisticated 'really to see the line,' and many
firmly believed they did see it, and discussed its appearance at some
length. Jim Allen, one of our tallest sailors, and coxswain of the
gig, dressed in blue, with long oakum wig and beard, gilt paper crown,
and trident and fish impaled in one hand, was seated on a
gun-carriage, and made a capital Father Neptune. Our somewhat portly
engineer, Mr. Rowbotham, with fur-trimmed dressing gown and cap, and
bent form, leaning on a stick, his face partially concealed by a long
grey beard, and a large band-box of pills on one arm, made an equally
good doctor to his Marine Majesty, while the part of Mrs. Trident was
ably filled by one of the youngest sailors, dressed in some of the
maids' clothes; but the accompanying pictures will give a better idea
than any description of mine.

[Illustration: His Doctor (Crossing the Line)]

Soon afterwards we saw an enormous shoal of grampuses, large black
fish, about 25 feet in length, something between a dolphin and a
whale, with the very ugliest jaws, or rather snouts, imaginable. They
are of a predatory and ferocious disposition, attacking not only
sharks, dolphins, and porpoises, but even whales, more than twice
their own size. We also passed through enormous quantities of
flying-fish, no doubt driven to the surface by dolphins and bonitos.
They were much larger and stronger in the wing than any we have
hitherto seen.

Lulu's puppies, born yesterday, have been respectively named Butterfly
(who survived her birth only an hour), Poseidon, Aphrodite,
Amphitrite, and Thetis--names suggested by their birth-place on the
ocean close to his Marine Majesty's supposed equatorial palace.

[Illustration: Lulu and her Puppies]

At noon we were 250 miles off St. Paul's Rocks.

_Thursday, August 10th_.--A very hot, showery day. Saw two large ships
in the distance. In the morning we were almost becalmed for a time,
but the breeze returned during the afternoon, and we were able to
proceed on our course. I think this has been the most lovely of the
many exquisite days we have enjoyed since we left England. It
commenced with a magnificent sunrise, and ended with an equally
gorgeous sunset, only to be succeeded by a beautiful moonlight night,
so clear and bright that we could see to read ordinary print on deck.

_Saturday, August 12th_.--At noon we were 300 miles off Bahia, a place
we have made up our minds not to visit, as it would lengthen our
voyage considerably, and there is not much to see there. We have
therefore decided to proceed direct to Rio, where we are looking
forward to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday next.

The night was showery, with a good deal of wind and sea.

_Sunday, August 13th_.--Sailing in the tropics is really very
delightful! When going to the westward, there is almost always, at
this season of the year, a favourable breeze, and the weather is
generally either quite fair or moderately so.

    Whispered to it, westward, westward,
    And with speed it darted forward.

We had service at 11.15 a.m., and again at 5.30 p.m. The choir has
considerably improved; one of our new men plays the violin very well,
and frequently accompanies the children and the nurse in their songs.
On a clear calm night, beneath a tropical sky, when the members of
this little group assemble on deck, and, by the light of a lantern,
sing some of their simple songs, the effect produced is both melodious
and picturesque.

The wind dropped at about 10 p.m., and we had an unpleasant amount of
roll during the night, sails flapping, spars creaking, and booms
swinging as if they would pull the masts out of the vessel.

[Illustration: Vespers.]

_Monday, August 14th_.--This morning we saw a small schooner ahead,
and thinking from her manoeuvres that she wished to speak us, we made
our number and ran towards her. We soon found out, however, that she
was a whaler, in chase of two large grampuses. She had two men on the
look-out in the cross-trees, in a sort of iron cage; and though she
was of much smaller tonnage than the 'Sunbeam,' she carried five big
boats, one of which, full of men, was ready to be lowered into the
water, the instant they had approached sufficiently near to the whale
or grampus. These seas used formerly to abound with whalers, but they
are now much less numerous, the seasons having been bad of late.

To-night the stars were especially brilliant, and we spent some hours
in trying to make out their names. Vega, our polar star for some time
to come, shone conspicuously bright, and the Southern Cross could be
seen to great advantage.

_Wednesday, August 16th_.--We had a fine fair breeze all day, and at 5
p.m. there was a cry from the mast-head of 'Land ahead!' Great
excitement immediately prevailed on board, and Tom and Captain Brown
rushed, for about the twelfth time, to the foretop to see if the
report was true. They were soon able to announce that Cape Frio was
visible on the port bow, about thirty-five miles distant. After even a
fortnight at sea, an indescribable sensation is produced by this cry,
and by the subsequent sight of the land itself. When we came up on
deck this evening, after dinner, we all gazed on the lighthouse on the
still distant shore as if we had never beheld such a thing in our
lives before. The colour and temperature of the water had perceptibly
changed, the former from a beautiful, clear, dark ultramarine to a
muddy green; innumerable small birds, moths, locusts, and grasshoppers
came on board; and, having given special orders that we were to be
called early the next morning, we went to bed in the fond hope that we
should be able to enter Rio harbour at daybreak.

_Thursday, August 17th_.--'L'homme propose; Dieu dispose.' Steam was
up at midnight, but by that time it was blowing half a gale of wind
from the south-west, with such a steep short sea that the screw was
scarcely ever properly immersed, but went racing round and round in
the air with tremendous velocity, as we pitched and rolled about. Our
progress was therefore at the rate of something rather under a mile
an hour, and at daybreak, instead of entering the harbour of Rio, as
we had hoped to do, we found ourselves close to Cape Frio.

About 8 a.m. matters mended, the wind moderating and changing its
direction slightly; so that, under steam and sail, we were soon going
along the coast at the rate of four or five miles an hour. The surf
was breaking with a loud roar upon the white sandy beach, while the
spray was carried by the force of the wind far inland, over the strip
of flat fertile-looking country, lying between the sea and a chain of
low sugarloaf-shaped mountains, parallel with the shore, and only a
short distance off.

Our course lay between the mainland and the islands of Maya and Payo,
where the groves of bananas and other trees looked very miserable in
the wind. The tall isolated palm-trees, whose elastic stems bowed
readily before the fury of the blast, looked, as they were twisted and
whirled hither and thither, like umbrellas turned inside out. Passing
the false Sugarloaf mountain, as it is called, we next opened out the
true one, the Gavia, and the chain of mountains beyond, the outlines
of which bear an extraordinary resemblance to the figure of a man
lying on his back, the profile of the face being very like that of the
late Duke of Wellington. As the sun sank in gorgeous splendour behind
these hills, I think I never saw a grander or more beautiful sight;
though the sky was so red and stormy-looking that our hopes of a fine
day to-morrow were but faint.

Before entering the harbour, a bar had to be crossed, which is a
dangerous operation all the world over. The skylights and hatches were
fastened down, and those of our party who did not like being shut up
below took their places on the bridge, where, for the first time since
we left England, it felt really quite cold. As we advanced, the
beautiful harbour, with its long rows of glittering gas-lights,
extending for miles on either side of the bay, and illuminating the
city and suburbs, gradually became visible. On our left lay the two
islands, Rodonda and Raza, on the latter of which is situated a
lighthouse. The wind was blowing off the land when we reached the bar,
so that, after all our preparations, there was hardly any sea to
encounter, and the moment we were over, the water on the other side
was perfectly smooth. A gun and a blue light from Fort Santa Cruz,
answered immediately by a similar signal from Fort Santa Lucia,
announced our arrival, and we shortly afterwards dropped our anchor in
the quarantine ground of Rio close to Botafogo Bay, in the noble
harbour of Nictheroy.

After dinner it rained heavily, and continued to do so during the
whole night.

[Illustration: Botafogo Bay]




CHAPTER IV.

RIO DE JANEIRO.

   _The sun is warm, the sky is clear,_
   _The waves are dancing fast and bright,_
   _Blue isles and snowy mountains wear_
   _The purple noon's transparent light._


_Friday, August 18th_.--The clouds still hung heavy on the hills, or
rather mountains, which surround the bay, occasionally descending in
the form of torrents of rain, and hiding everything from our view.

Early in the morning we weighed anchor and steamed up the bay to the
man-of-war anchorage, a much pleasanter situation than the quarantine
harbour, where we had brought up last night. About 9.30 a.m. the
health officers came on board, and half an hour later we had a visit
from the custom-house official, who required Tom to sign and seal a
declaration upon oath that he had no cargo on board, and not more coal
than we absolutely required for our own consumption.

About eleven o'clock we put on our mackintoshes and thick boots, and,
accompanied by an interpreter, who (together with several washerwomen)
had suddenly made his appearance on board, rowed ashore, pushing our
way through crowds of boats laden with fruit and vegetables. The
landing-place was close to the market, at some broken-down steps, and
was crowded with chattering negroes, of every shade of colour. The
quays seemed covered with piles of fruit and vegetables, discharged
from the boats, the principal produce being sugar-cane, bananas, and
oranges. Each side street that we came to was a little river, which
had to be crossed, or rather forded, after paddling through the mud in
the main thoroughfare.

Our first visit was to the post-office--'no letters'--then to the
British Consulate--'no letters'--and finally to the Legation, but
there was nobody at home there; so we set off for the Hôtel des
Etrangers, to breakfast. Our way lay through the straggling suburbs of
the city for about two miles, and as we drove along we could see and
admire, despite the heavy rain, the magnificent groves of palm-trees,
and the brilliancy and beauty of the tropical vegetation in the
various private and public gardens that we passed.

After breakfast we returned to the Legation, where we were most kindly
received, but, much to our regret, no letters were forthcoming. We
next paid a visit to some of the shops in the Rua do Ouvidor, for the
sale of imitations of flowers, made from the undyed feathers of birds,
and a large number of the more expensive varieties of ordinary
artificial flowers, each petal consisting of the entire throat or
breast of a humming-bird, and the leaves are made from the wings of
beetles. They are very rare and beautiful, their manufacture being
quite a _spécialité_ of this city. The prices asked astonished us
greatly; the cost of five sprays, which I had been commissioned to
buy, was 29_l_., and the price of all the others was proportionately
high. But then they wear for ever. I have had some for nine years, and
they are as good now as when they were bought.

_Saturday, August 19th_.--Though far from brilliant, the weather
improved, and we were able to enjoy occasional glimpses of the
beautiful scenery around us.

Mr. Gough and Mr. O'Conor breakfasted with us on board, and we
afterwards proceeded in a 'bond' to the Botanical Gardens, about seven
miles out of the city. These 'bonds,' which are a great institution
here, are large carriages, either open or closed, drawn sometimes by
one, sometimes by two, sometimes by three mules. They go at a great
pace, and run very smoothly. Ordinary carriages are dear; and as
tramways have been laid down in almost every street and road, driving
is a rather difficult affair. On our road we passed several
delightful-looking private gardens. The railings were completely
covered, some with white stephanotis and scarlet lapageria, others
with a beautiful orange-coloured creeper and lilac bougainvillæa, or
passion-flowers of many colours and variety. Inside we could see large
trees with green and yellow stripes, croton-oil plants, spotted and
veined caladiums, and dracænas, the whole being shaded by
orange-trees.

Along the edge of Botafogo Bay there is a delightful drive, beneath a
splendid avenue of imperial palms, extending to the gates of the
Botanical Gardens. Each specimen rises straight up like the column of
an Egyptian temple, and is crowned with a feathery tuft of large shiny
dark green leaves, some thirty feet in length. The clumps of bamboos,
too, were very fine, and nearly all the trees seemed to be full of
curious orchids and parasites of every sort and kind.

We had an agreeable drive back in the cool evening to dinner at the
Hôtel de l'Europe. The food was excellent, and included some delicious
tiny queer-shaped oysters, which are found on the mangrove-trees,
overhanging the water higher up the bay. We afterwards went to a
pleasant little reception, where we enjoyed the splendid singing of
some young Brazilian ladies, and the subsequent row off to the yacht,
in the moonlight, was not the least delightful part of the programme.

_Sunday, August 20th_.--At last a really fine day. We could now, for
the first time, thoroughly appreciate the beauties of the noble bay of
Nictheroy, though the distant Organ mountains were still hidden from
our view. In the morning, we went to church on board H.M.S. 'Volage,'
afterwards rowing across the bay to Icaraky, where we took the tramway
to Santa Rosa. On our way we again passed many charming villas and
gardens, similar to those we had admired yesterday, while the glorious
and ever-attractive tropical vegetation abounded everywhere. In spite
of the great heat, the children seemed untiring in the pursuit of
butterflies, of which they succeeded in catching many beautiful
specimens.

_Monday, August 21st_.--After an early breakfast, we started off to
have a look at the market. The greatest bustle and animation
prevailed, and there were people and things to see and observe in
endless variety. The fish-market was full of finny monsters of the
deep, all new and strange to us, whose odd Brazilian names would
convey to a stranger but little idea of the fish themselves. There was
an enormous rockfish, weighing about 300 pounds, with hideous face and
shiny back and fins; there were large ray, and skate, and
cuttle-fish--the _pieuvre_ of Victor Hugo's 'Travailleurs de la
Mer'--besides baskets full of the large prawns for which the coast is
famous, eight or ten inches long, and with antennæ of twelve or
fourteen inches in length. They make up in size for want of quality,
for they are insipid and tasteless, though, being tender, they make
excellent curry. The oysters, on the other hand, are particularly
small, but of the most delicious flavour. They are brought from a
park, higher up the bay, where, as I have said, they grow on posts and
the branches of the mangrove-tree, which hang down into the water. We
also saw a large quantity of fine mackerel, a good many turtle and
porpoises, and a few hammer-headed sharks. The latter are very curious
creatures, not unlike an ordinary shark, but with a remarkable
hammer-shaped projection on either side of their noses for which it is
difficult to imagine a use.

In the fruit-market were many familiar bright-coloured fruits; for it
is now the depth of winter at Rio, and the various kinds that we saw
were all such as would bear transport to England. Fat, jet-black
negresses, wearing turbans on their heads, strings of coloured beads
on their necks and arms, and single long white garments, which
appeared to be continually slipping off their shoulders, here presided
over brilliant-looking heaps of oranges, bananas, pineapples,
passion-fruit, tomatoes, apples, pears, capsicums and peppers,
sugar-cane, cabbage-palms, cherimoyas, and bread-fruit.

In another part of the market all sorts of live birds were for sale,
with a few live beasts, such as deer, monkeys, pigs, guinea-pigs in
profusion, rats, cats, dogs, marmosets, and a dear little lion-monkey,
very small and rather red, with a beautiful head and mane, who roared
exactly like a real lion in miniature. We saw also cages full of small
flamingoes, snipe of various kinds, and a great many birds of smaller
size, with feathers of all shades of blue, red, and green, and
metallic hues of brilliant lustre, besides parrots, macaws, cockatoos
innumerable, and torchas, on stands. The torcha is a bright-coloured
black and yellow bird, about as big as a starling, which puts its
little head on one side and takes flies from one's fingers in the
prettiest and most enticing manner. Unfortunately, it is impossible to
introduce it into England, as it cannot stand the change of climate.
The other birds included guinea-fowls, ducks, cocks and hens, pigeons,
doves, quails, &c., and many other varieties less familiar or quite
unknown to us. Altogether the visit was an extremely interesting one,
and well repaid us for our early rising.

At eleven o'clock we started for the Petropolis steamer, which took us
alongside a wooden pier, from the end of which the train started, and
we were soon wending our way through sugar and coffee plantations,
formed in the midst of the forest of palms and other tropical trees.
An Englishman has made a large clearing here, and has established a
fine farm, which he hopes to work successfully by means of immigrant
labour.

After a journey of twenty minutes in the train, we reached the
station, at the foot of a hill, where we found several four-mule
carriages awaiting our arrival. The drive up from the station to the
town, over a pass in the Organ mountains, was superb. At each turn of
the road we had an ever-varying view of the city of Rio and its
magnificent bay. And then the banks of this tropical high-road! From
out a mass of rich verdure grew lovely scarlet begonias, and spotted
caladiums, shaded by graceful tree-ferns and overhung by trees full of
exquisite parasites and orchids. Among these, the most conspicuous,
after the palms, are the tall thin-stemmed sloth-trees, so called from
their being a favourite resort of the sloth, who with great difficulty
crawls up into one of them, remains there until he has demolished
every leaf, and then passes on to the next tree.

The pace of the mules, up the steep incline, under a broiling sun, was
really wonderful. Half-way up we stopped to change, at a buvette,
where we procured some excellent Brazilia coffee, of fine but
exceedingly bitter flavour. Our next halt, midway between the buvette
and the top of the hill, was at a spring of clear sparkling water,
where we had an opportunity of collecting some ferns and flowers; and
on reaching the summit we stopped once more, to enjoy the fine view
over the Pass and the bay of Nictheroy. The descent towards Petropolis
then commenced; it lies in the hollow of the hills, with a river
flowing through the centre of its broad streets, on either side of
which are villas and avenues of noble trees. Altogether it reminded me
of Bagnères-de-Luchon, in the Pyrenees, though the general effect is
unfortunately marred by the gay and rather too fantastic painting of
some of the houses.

_Tuesday, August 22nd_.--We were called at half-past five, and, after
a hasty breakfast, started on horseback by seven o'clock for the
Virgin Forest, about six miles from Petropolis. After leaving the town
and its suburbs, we pursued our way by rough winding paths, across
which huge moths and butterflies flitted, and humming-birds buzzed in
the almond-trees. After a ride of an hour and a half, we entered the
silence and gloom of a vast forest. On every side extended a tangled
mass of wild, luxuriant vegetation: giant-palms, and tree-ferns, and
parasites are to be seen in all directions, growing wherever they can
find root-hold. Sometimes they kill the tree which they favour with
their attentions--one creeper, in particular, being called 'Mata-pao'
or 'Kill-tree;' but, as a rule, they seem to get on very well
together, and to depend mutually upon one another for nourishment and
support. The most striking of these creepers is, perhaps, the liane,
whose tendrils grow straight downwards to the ground, twisting
themselves together in knots and bundles. Occasionally one sees,
suspended from a tree, at a height of some fifty feet, a large lump of
moss, from which scarlet orchids are growing; looking like an enormous
hanging flower-basket. All colours in Brazil, whether of birds,
insects, or flowers, are brilliant in the extreme. Blue, violet,
orange, scarlet, and yellow are found in the richest profusion, and no
pale or faint tints are to be seen. Even white seems purer, clearer,
and deeper than the white of other countries.

We had a long wet walk in the forest; the mosses and ferns being kept
moist and green by the innumerable little streams of water which
abound everywhere. Owing to the thickness of the surrounding jungle,
it was impossible to stray from our very narrow path, notwithstanding
the attractions of humming-birds, butterflies, and flowers. At last we
came to an opening in the wood, whence we had a splendid view
seawards, and where it was decided to turn round and retrace our steps
through the forest. After walking some distance we found our horses
waiting, and after a hot but pleasant ride reached Petropolis by
twelve o'clock, in time for breakfast. Letter-writing and
butterfly-catching occupied the afternoon until four o'clock, when I
was taken out for a drive in a comfortable little phaeton, with a
pretty pair of horses, while the rest of the party walked out to see a
little more of Petropolis and its environs. We drove past the
Emperor's palace--an Italian villa, standing in the middle of a large
garden--the new church, and the houses of the principal inhabitants,
most of which are shut up just now, as everybody is out of town, but
it all looked very green and pleasant. It was interesting to see a
curious breed of dogs, descended from the bloodhounds formerly used in
hunting the poor Indians.

_Wednesday, August 23rd_.--At six o'clock we assembled all on the
balcony of the hotel to wait for the coach, which arrived shortly
afterwards. There was some little delay and squabbling before we all
found ourselves safely established on the coach, but starting was
quite another matter, for the four white mules resolutely refused to
move, without a vast amount of screaming and shouting and plunging. We
had to pull up once or twice before we got clear of the town, to allow
more passengers to be somehow or other squeezed in, and at each fresh
start similar objections on the part of the mules had to be overcome.

The air felt fresh when we started, but before we had proceeded far we
came into a thick, cold, wet fog, which, after the heat of the last
few weeks, seemed to pierce us to the very marrow. Eight miles farther
on the four frisky white mules were exchanged for five steady
dun-coloured ones, which were in their turn replaced after a
seven-mile stage by four nice bays, who took us along at a tremendous
pace. The sun began by this time to penetrate the mist, and the
surrounding country became visible. We found that we were following
the course of the river, passing through an avenue of coral-trees,
loaded with the most brilliant flowers and fruit imaginable, and full
of parroquets and fluttering birds of many hues.

We stopped at several small villages, and at about 11 a.m. reached
Entre Rios, having changed mules seven times, and done the 59-1/2
miles in four hours and fifty minutes, including stoppages--pretty
good work, especially as the heat during the latter portion of the
journey had been as great as the cold was at the commencement. The
term 'cold' must here be taken only in a relative sense, for the
thermometer was never lower than 48°, though, having been accustomed
for a long while to 85°, we felt the change severely.

After a capital breakfast at the inn near the station, we got into the
train and began a very hot dusty journey over the Serra to Palmeiras,
which place was reached at 4 p.m. We were met on our arrival by Dr.
Gunning, who kindly made room for Tom and me at his house, the rest of
our party proceeding to the hotel. The view from the windows of the
house, which is situated on the very edge of a hill, over the
mountains of the Serra, glowing with the light of the setting sun, was
perfectly enchanting; and after a refreshing cold bath one was able to
appreciate it as it deserved. A short stroll into the forest adjoining
the house proved rich in treasures, for in a few minutes I had
gathered twenty-six varieties of ferns, including gold and silver
ferns, two creeping ferns, and many other kinds. The moon rose, and
the fireflies flashed about among the palm-trees, as we sat in the
verandah before dinner, while in several places on the distant hills
we could see circles of bright flames, where the forest had been set
on fire in order to make clearings.

We were up next morning in time to see the sun rise from behind the
mountains, and as it gradually became warmer the humming-birds and
butterflies came out and buzzed and flitted among the flowers in front
of our windows. We had planned to devote the day to a visit to Barra,
and it was, therefore, necessary to hurry to the station by eight
o'clock to meet the train, where we stopped twenty minutes to
breakfast at what appeared to be a capital hotel, built above the
station. The rooms were large and lofty, everything was scrupulously
clean, and the dishes most appetising-looking. Our carriage was then
shunted and hooked on to the other train, and we proceeded to the
station of Santa Anna, where Mr. Faro met us with eight mules and
horses, and a large old-fashioned carriage, which held some of us, the
rest of the party galloping on in front. We galloped also, and upset
one unfortunate horse, luckily without doing him any harm. After a
couple of miles of a rough road we arrived at the gates of the Baron's
grounds, where the old negro slave-coachman amused us very much by
_ordering_ his young master to conduct the equestrians round to the
house by another way. Beneath the avenue of palm-trees, leading from
the gates to the house, grew orange, lemon, and citron trees, trained
as espaliers, while behind them again tall rose-bushes and
pomegranates showed their bright faces. Driving through an archway we
arrived at the house, and, with much politeness and many bows, were
conducted indoors, in order that we might rest ourselves and get rid
of some of the dust of our journey.

Santa Anna is one of the largest coffee fazendas in this part of
Brazil. The house occupies three sides of a square, in the middle of
which heaps of coffee were spread out to dry in the sun. The centre
building is the dwelling-house, with a narrow strip of garden, full of
sweet-smelling flowers, in front of it; the right wing is occupied by
the slaves' shops and warehouses, and by the chapel; while the left
wing contains the stables, domestic offices, and other slave-rooms.

[Illustration: The Slave Village, Fazenda, Santa Anna.]

By law, masters are bound to give their slaves one day's rest in every
seven, and any work the slaves may choose to do on that day is paid
for at the same rate as free labour. But the day selected for this
purpose is not necessarily Sunday; and on adjoining fazendas different
days are invariably chosen, in order to prevent the slaves from
meeting and getting into mischief. Thursday (to-day) was Sunday on
this estate, and we soon saw all the slaves mustering in holiday
attire in the shade of one of the verandahs. They were first
inspected, and then ranged in order, the children being placed in
front, the young women next, then the old women, the old men, and
finally the young men. In this order they marched into the corridor
facing the chapel, to hear mass. The priest and his acolyte, in
gorgeous robes, performed the usual service, and the slaves chanted
the responses in alternate companies, so that sopranos, contraltos,
tenors, and basses, contrasted in a striking and effective manner. The
singing, indeed, was excellent; far better than in many churches at
home. After the conclusion of the mass the master shook hands with
everybody, exchanged good wishes with his slaves, and dismissed them.
While they were dawdling about, gossiping in the verandah, I had a
closer look at the babies, which had all been brought to church. They
seemed of every shade of colour, the complexions of some being quite
fair, but the youngest, a dear little woolly-headed thing, was black
as jet, and only three weeks old. The children all seemed to be on
very good terms with their master and his overseers, and not a bit
afraid of them. They are fed most liberally, and looked fat and
healthy. For breakfast they have coffee and bread; for dinner, fresh
pork alternately with dried beef, and black beans (the staple food of
the poor of this country); and for supper they have coffee, bread, and
mandioca, or tapioca.

Returning to the house, we sat down, a party of thirty, to an
elaborate breakfast, the table being covered with all sorts of
Brazilian delicacies, after which several complimentary speeches were
made, and we all started off to walk round the fazenda. Our first
visit was to the little schoolchildren, thirty-four in number, who
sang very nicely. Then to the hospital, a clean, airy building, in
which there were happily but few patients, and next we inspected the
new machinery, worked by water-power, for cleaning the coffee and
preparing it for market. The harvest lasts from May to August. The
best quality of coffee is picked before it is quite ripe, crushed to
free it from the husk, and then dried in the sun, sometimes in heaps,
and sometimes raked out flat, in order to gain the full benefit of the
heat. It is afterwards gathered up into baskets and carefully picked
over, and this, being very light work, is generally performed by young
married women with babies. There were nineteen tiny piccaninnies, in
baskets, beside their mothers, in one room we entered, and in another
there were twenty just able to run about.

Cassava is an important article of food here, and it was interesting
to watch the various processes by which it is turned into flour,
tapioca, or starch. As it is largely exported, there seems no reason
why it should not be introduced into India, for the ease with which it
is cultivated and propagated, the extremes of temperature it will
bear, and the abundance of its crop, all tend to recommend it. We went
on to look at the maize being shelled, crushed, and ground into coarse
or fine flour, for cakes and bread, and the process of crushing the
sugar-cane, turning its juice into sugar and rum, and its refuse into
potash. All the food manufactured here is used on the estate; coffee
alone is exported. I felt thoroughly exhausted by the time we returned
to the house, only to exchange adieus and step into the carriage on
our way to Barra by rail _en route_ to Rio de Janeiro. After passing
through several long tunnels at the top of the Serra, the line drops
down to Palmeiras, after which the descent became very picturesque, as
we passed, by steep inclines, through virgin forests full of creepers,
ferns, flowers, and orchids. The sunset was magnificent, and the
subsequent coolness of the atmosphere most grateful. Leaving the
Emperor's palace of São Christovão behind, Rio was entered from a
fresh side. It seemed a long drive through the streets to the Hôtel de
l'Europe, where, after an excellent though hurried dinner, we
contrived to be in time for a private representation at the Alcazar.
As a rule, ladies do not go to this theatre, but there were a good
many there on the present occasion. Neither the play nor the actors,
however, were very interesting, and all our party were excessively
tired; so we left early, and had a delightful row off to the yacht, in
the bright moonlight.

_Monday, August 28th_.--We have all been so much interested in the
advertisements we read in the daily papers of slaves to be sold or
hired, that arrangements were made with a Brazilian gentleman for some
of our party to have an opportunity of seeing the way in which these
transactions are carried on. No Englishman is allowed to hold slaves
here, and it is part of the business of the Legation to see that this
law is strictly enforced. The secrets of their trade are accordingly
jealously guarded by the natives, especially from the English. The
gentlemen had therefore to disguise themselves as much as possible,
one pretending to be a rich Yankee, who had purchased large estates
between Santos and San Paulo, which he had determined to work with
slave instead of coolie labour. He was supposed to have come to Rio to
select some slaves, but would be obliged to see and consult his
partner before deciding on purchase. They were taken to a small shop
in the city, and, after some delay, were conducted to a room upstairs,
where they waited a quarter of an hour. Twenty-two men and eleven
women and children were then brought in for inspection. They declared
themselves suitable for a variety of occupations, in-door and out, and
all appeared to look anxiously at their possible purchaser, with a
view to ascertain what they had to hope for in the future. One couple
in particular, a brother and sister, about fourteen and fifteen years
old respectively, were most anxious not to be separated, but to be
sold together; and the tiny children seemed quite frightened at being
spoken to or touched by the white men. Eight men and five women having
been specially selected as fit subjects for further consideration, the
visit terminated.

The daily Brazilian papers are full of advertisements of slaves for
sale, and descriptions of men, pigs, children, cows, pianos, women,
houses, &c., to be disposed of, are inserted in the most
indiscriminate manner. In one short half-column of the 'Jornal do
Commercio,' published within the last day or two, the following
announcements, amongst many similar ones, appear side by side:--


VENDE-SE uma escrava, de 22 annos,
boa figura, lava, engomma e cose bem;
informa-se na rua de S. Pedro n. 97.

FOR SALE.--A female slave, 22 years of
age, a good figure, washes, irons, and
sews well; for particulars apply at No. 97
rua de S. Pedro.


VENDE-SE ou aluga-se um rico piano
forte do autor Erard, de 3 cordas, por
280$, garantido; na rua da Quitanda n. 42,
2 andar.

FOR SALE, OR TO BE LET ON
Hire.--A splendid trichord pianoforte
by Erard, for $280, guaranteed; apply at
rua da Quitanda No. 42, 2nd floor.


VENDE-SE, por 1,500$, um escravo de
20 annos, para serviço de padaria; na
rua da Princeza dos Cajueiros n. 97.

TO BE SOLD FOR $1,500.--A male
slave 20 years of age, fit for a baker's
establishment; apply at rua da Princeza dos
Cajueiros No. 97.


VENDE-SE uma machina Singer, para
qualquer costura, trabalha perfeitamente,
por preço muito commodo; trata-se
na rua do Sabão n. 95.

FOR SALE.--On very reasonable terms,
a Singer's sewing-machine, adapted for
any description of work; works splendidly:
apply at No. 95 rua do Sabão.


VENDE-SE uma preta moça, boa figura e
de muito boa indole, com tres filhos,
sendo uma negrinha de 6 annos, um moleque
de 5 e uma ingenua de 3, cabenda cozinhar
bem, lavar e engommar; na mesma casa
vende-se só uma negrinha de 12 annos, de
conducta afiançada e muito propria para
serviço de casa de familia, por ja ter bons
principios, tendo vindo de Santa Catharina;
na rua da Uruguayana n. 90 sobrado.

FOR SALE.--A good black woman, good
figure, good disposition, with three
children, who are a little black girl 6 years
of age, a black boy of 5, and a child 3
years of age; she is a good cook, washes and
irons well. At the same house there is likewise
for sale a little black girl 12 years of
age: her character will be guaranteed; she
is well adapted for the service of a family,
as she has had a good beginning, having
come from Santa Catharina; apply at No.
90 rua da Uruguayana, first floor.


VENDE-SE o Diccionario portuguez de
Lacerda, em dous grandes volumes, novo,
vindo pelo ultimo paquete, por 30$, custão
aqui 40$; na rua do Hospicio n. 15, 2º
andar.

FOR SALE.--Lacerda's Portuguese Dictionary,
in two large volumes, quite new,
arrived by the last mail, price $30, costs here
$40; No. 15 rua do Hospicio, 2nd floor.


VENDE-SE uma preta de meia idade,
que cozinha, lava, e engomma com perfeição;
para tratar na rua do Viscande de
Itaúna n. 12.

FOR SALE.--A middle-aged black woman,
who is a first-rate cook, washes
and irons splendidly; for particulars apply
at No. 12 rua do Viscande de Itaúna No.
12.


VENDEM-SE arreios para carrocinhas
de pão; na rua do General Camara n.
86, placa.

FOR SALE.--Harnesses for small carts
for delivery of bread; apply at No. 86
rua do General Camara.


VENDEM-SE 20 moleques, de 14 a 20
annos, vindos do Maranhão no ultimo
vapor; na rua da Prainha n. 72.

FOR SALE.--20 young blacks from 14
to 20 years of age just arrived from Maranham
by the last steamer; No. 72 rua da
Prainha.

We had many visitors to breakfast to-day, and it was nearly two
o'clock before we could set off for the shore _en route_ to Tijuca. We
drove nearly as far as the Botanical Gardens, where it had been
arranged that horses should meet us; but our party was such a large
one, including children and servants, that some little difficulty
occurred at this point in making a fair start. It was therefore late
before we started, the clouds were beginning to creep down the sides
of the hills, and it had grown very dusk by the time we reached the
Chinisi river. Soon afterwards the rain began to come down in such
tropical torrents, that our thin summer clothing was soaked through
and through long before we reached the Tijuca. At last, to our great
joy, we saw ahead of us large plantations of bananas, and then some
gas-lights, which exist even in this remote locality. We followed them
for some little distance, but my horse appeared to have such a very
decided opinion as to the proper direction for us to take, that we
finally decided to let him have his own way, for it was by this time
pitch dark, and none of us had ever been this road before. As we
hoped, the horse knew his own stables, and we soon arrived at the door
of White's hotel, miserable, drenched objects, looking forward to a
complete change of clothing. Unfortunately the cart with our luggage
had not arrived, so it was in clothes borrowed from kind friends that
we at last sat down, a party of about forty, to a sort of table-d'hôte
dinner, and it continued to pour with rain during the whole evening,
only clearing up just at bed-time.

_Tuesday, August 29th_.--After all the fine weather we have had
lately, it was provoking to find, on getting up this morning, that the
rain still came steadily down. Daylight enabled us to see what a
quaint-looking place this hotel is. It consists of a series of low
wooden detached buildings, mostly one story high, with verandahs on
both sides, built round a long courtyard, in the centre of which are a
garden and some large trees. It is more like a boarding-house,
however, than an hotel, as there is a fixed daily charge for visitors,
who have to be provided with a letter of introduction! The situation
and gardens are good; it contains among other luxuries a
drawing-room, with a delightful swimming-bath for ladies, and another
for gentlemen. A mountain stream is turned into two large square
reservoirs, where you can disport yourself under the shade of bananas
and palm trees, while orange trees, daturas, poinsettias, and other
plants, in full bloom, drop their fragrant flowers into the crystal
water. There is also a nice little bathing-house, with a douche
outside; and the general arrangements seem really perfect. The views
from the walks around the hotel and in the forest above are beautiful,
as, indeed, they are from every eminence in the neighbourhood of Rio.

During the morning, the weather cleared sufficiently for us to go down
to 'The Boulders,' huge masses of rock, either of the glacial period,
or else thrown out from some mighty volcano into the valley beneath.
Here they form great caverns and caves, overhung with creepers, and so
blocked up at the entrance, that it is difficult to find the way into
them. The effect of the alternate darkness and light, amid twisted
creepers, some like gigantic snakes, others neatly coiled in true
man-of-war fashion, is very striking and fantastic. Every crevice is
full of ferns and orchids and curious plants, while moths and
butterflies flit about in every direction. Imagine, if you can,
scarlet butterflies gaily spotted, yellow butterflies with orange
edgings, butterflies with dark blue velvety-looking upper wings, the
under surface studded with bright owl-like peacock eyes, grey Atlas
moths, and, crowning beauty of all, metallic blue butterflies, which
are positively dazzling, even when seen in a shop, dead. Imagine what
they must be like, as they dart hither and thither, reflecting the
bright sunshine from their wings, or enveloped in the sombre shade of
a forest. Most of them measure from two to ten inches in length from
wing to wing, and many others flit about, equally remarkable for their
beauty, though not so large. Swallow-tails, of various colours, with
tails almost as long, in proportion to their bodies, as those of their
feathered namesakes; god-parents and 'eighty-eights,' with the
figures 88 plainly marked on the reverse side of their rich blue or
crimson wings. In fact, if nature could by any possibility be gaudy,
one might almost say that she is so in this part of the world.

From 'The Boulders' we went down a kind of natural staircase in the
rock to the small cascade, which, owing to the recent rains, appeared
to the best advantage, the black rocks and thick vegetation forming a
fine background to the sheet of flowing white water and foam. Our way
lay first through some castor-oil plantations, and then along the side
of a stream, fringed with rare ferns, scarlet begonias, and grey
ageratum. We returned to the hotel, too late for the general luncheon,
and, after a short rest, went out for a gallop in the direction of the
peak of Tijuca, past the large waterfall, the 'Ladies' Mile,' and
'Grey's View.' The forest is Government property; the roads are
therefore excellent, and are in many places planted with flowers and
shrubs, rare even here. It seems a waste of money, however; for there
is hardly any one to make use of the wide roads, and the forest would
appear quite as beautiful in its pristine luxuriance. To our eyes the
addition of flowers from other countries is no improvement, though the
feeling is otherwise here. More than once I have had a bouquet of
common stocks given to me as a grand present, while orchids,
gardenias, stephanotis, large purple, pink, and white azaleas,
orange-blossom, and roses, were growing around in unheeded profusion.

_Wednesday, August 30th_.--Once more a wet morning; but as it cleared
towards noon, we ordered horses and some luncheon, and went up to
Pedro Bonito. The ride was pleasant enough at first, but as we mounted
higher and higher, we got into the clouds and lost the view. Finally,
there seemed nothing for it but to halt near the top, under a grove of
orange-trees, lunch in the pouring rain, and return without having
reached the summit.

_Friday, September 1st_.--At three o'clock this morning, when I
awoke, I saw at last a bright, clear sky, and at five, finding that
there was every prospect of a beautiful sunrise, we sent for horses,
ate our early breakfast, and set off for the peak of Tijuca. Step by
step we climbed, first through the grounds of the hotel, then through
the forest, till we reached 'The Bamboos,' a favourite halting-place,
by the side of a stream, near which grow, in waving tufts, the
graceful trees which lend their name to the spot. It was very
beautiful in the hill-side forest, with a new prospect opening out at
every step, and set in an ever-varying natural framework of foliage
and flowers. There was not sufficient time to linger, however, as we
would fain have done, in the cool and shady paths, occasionally
illumed by the bright rays of the sun, shining through the foliage of
noble palms, the fronds of tree-ferns, and the spiral stems of
many-coloured creepers.

Before reaching the top of the peak, there are twenty-nine wooden and
ninety-six stone steps to be ascended, at the foot of which we tied
our horses. An iron chain is hung by the side to assist you, without
which it would be rather giddy work, for the steps are steep, and
there is a sheer precipice on one side of them. Arrived at the top,
the scene was glorious; on every side mountains beyond mountains
stretch far away into the distance, and one can see as far north as
Cape Frio, and southwards as far as Rio Grande do Sul, while beneath
lies the bay of Rio, with its innumerable islands, islets, and
indentations. All too soon we had to scramble down again, and mount
our horses for a hurried return to the hotel, there being barely time
for lunch and a scramble to the yacht.

_Monday, September 4th_.--We were all up very early this morning,
superintending the preparations for our eldest boy's departure for
England. The yacht had been gaily dressed with flags, in honour of the
anniversary of the Emperor's wedding-day; but it must be confessed
that our own feelings were hardly in accordance with these external
symbols of joy. Breakfast was a melancholy meal, and I fear that the
visitors from the 'Volage' were not very well entertained. After
breakfast, we went ashore to the market, to get a couple of
lion-monkeys, which had been kept for us, and which Tab was to take
home with him to present to the Zoological Gardens. At one o'clock the
steam-launch from the 'Volage' came alongside and embarked the luggage
and servants. Half an hour later it returned for us; then came many
tearful farewells to the crew, and we set off. We knew the parting had
to be made, but this did not lessen our grief: for although it is at
all times hard to say good-bye for a long period to those nearest and
dearest to you, it is especially so in a foreign land, with the
prospect of a long voyage on both sides. Moreover, it is extremely
uncertain when we shall hear of our boy's safe arrival; not, I fear,
until we get to Valparaiso, and then only by telegram--a long time to
look forward to. Over the next half-hour I had better draw a veil.

At two o'clock precisely, just after we had left the steamer, the
starting bell rang, and the 'Cotopaxi' steamed away. As she passed the
yacht, all our flags were dipped and the guns fired. Then we could see
her rolling on the bar, for, calm as the water was in the bay, there
was a heavy swell outside; and then, all too soon, we lost sight of
her, as she sank,

    ' ... with all we love, below the verge.'

We heard to-day that, the Saturday before our first arrival at Rio,
the bar was quite impassable, even for a man-of-war, and that,
although she succeeded the next day, the sea was extremely rough.

On our return to the 'Sunbeam,' I went to bed to rest, and the
remainder of the party went ashore. A great many visitors came on
board in the course of the afternoon; some remained to dine with us.
At half-past nine we all went on shore again to a ball at the Casino,
the grand public room in Rio, to which we had been invited some days
ago. It seemed a splendid place, beautifully decorated in white and
gold and crimson, with frescoes and pictures let into the walls, and
surrounded by galleries. It is capable of containing fifteen hundred
persons, and I believe that there were even more than that number
present on the occasion of the ball given to the Duke of Edinburgh
some years ago. The arrangement of the large cloakrooms,
refreshment-rooms, and passages downstairs, and the balconies and
supper-rooms upstairs, is very convenient. The ball this evening being
comparatively a small affair, the lower rooms only were used, and
proved amply sufficient. There were not a great many ladies present,
but amongst those we saw some were extremely pretty, and all were
exquisitely dressed in the latest fashions from Paris. The toilettes
of the younger ones looked fresh and simple, while those of the
married ladies displayed considerable richness and taste; for although
Brazilian ladies do not go out much, and, as a rule, remain _en
peignoir_ until late in the afternoon, they never fail to exhibit
great judgment in the selection of their costumes.

The floor was excellent, but the band made rather too much noise, and
the dancing was different, both in style and arrangement, from what we
are accustomed to at home.

The time had now come when we had to say farewell to the many kind
friends whom we have met here, and who have made life so pleasant to
us during the last three weeks, in order that we might return to the
yacht, to complete our preparation for an early start. The last
leave-takings were soon over, and, with mutually expressed hopes that
we might ere long meet some of our friends in England, Tom and I drove
off, in the bright moonlight, to the quay, where our boat was waiting
for us. The other members of our party found the attractions of the
ball so irresistible that they were unable to tear themselves away
until a much later nour.

[Illustration: The Three Navigators]




CHAPTER V.


THE RIVER PLATE.

    _Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,_
    _They coiled and swam; and every track_
    _Was a flash of golden fire._

_Tuesday, September 5th_.--We got under way at 6 a.m., and soon bade
adieu to Rio, where we have spent so many happy days, and to our
friends on board H.M.S. 'Volage' and 'Ready,' with whom we
interchanged salutes in passing. It was a dull wet morning, and we
could not see much of the beauties we were leaving behind us. The peak
of Tijuca and the summit of the Corcovado were scarcely visible, and
the Sugarloaf and Gavia looked cold and grey in the early mist. It was
not long before we were rolling on the bar, and then tumbling about in
very uncomfortable fashion in the rough sea outside. One by one we all
disappeared below, where most of us remained during the greater part
of the day. As for me, I went to bed for good at six o'clock in the
evening, but was called up again at ten, to see some large bonitos
playing about the bows of the yacht. It was really worth the trouble
of getting up and climbing quite into the bows of the vessel to watch
them, as they gambolled and frisked about, brightly illumined by the
phosphorescence of the water, now swimming together steadily in pairs
or fours, now starting in sudden pursuit of one of their number, who
would make an independent rush forward in advance of his companions.

_Saturday, September 9th_.--The last three days have been showery,
with squalls which have freshened to a gale, and we are now scudding
along, under all storm canvas, followed by crowds of cape-pigeons and
cape-hens, and a few albatrosses. Towards this evening, however, the
wind fell light, and we got up steam, in order to be prepared for any
emergency, as a calm is frequently succeeded on this coast by a
_pampero_, and we are now approaching a lee shore.

_Sunday, September 10th_.--Tom has been on deck nearly all night. The
shore is very low and difficult to distinguish, and the lights are
badly kept. If the lighthouse-keeper happens to have plenty of oil,
and is not out shooting or fishing, he lights his lamp; otherwise, he
omits to perform this rather important part of his duties. The
lighthouses can therefore hardly be said to be of much use. About 5
a.m. Kindred rushed down into our cabin, and woke Tom, calling out,
'Land to leeward, sir!' and then rushed up on deck again. The first
glimmer of dawn had enabled him to see that we were running straight
on to the low sandy shore, about three miles off, a very strong
current having set us ten miles out of our course. The yacht's head
was accordingly at once put round, and steaming seaward we soon left
all danger behind. The sun rose brilliantly, and the weather during
the day was very fine. Morning service was impossible, owing to the
necessity for a constant observation of the land; but, after making
the lighthouse on Santa Maria, we had prayers at 4.30 p.m., with the
hymn, 'For those at Sea.' In the night we made the light on Flores,
burning brightly, and before morning those in the harbour of Monte
Video.

_Monday, September 11th_.--After making the Flores light we proceeded
slowly, and dropped our anchor in the outer roads of Monte Video at 4
a.m. At seven o'clock we got it up again, and by eight were anchored
close to the shore. We found that our arrival was expected, and the
health-officers' boat was soon alongside. Next came an officer from
the United States' man-of-war 'Frolic,' with polite messages and
offers of service; and then a steam-launch belonging to the Pacific
Company, and another from the Consul, Major Monro, with piles of
letters and newspapers for us.

Monte Video, as seen from the water, is not an imposing-looking place.
On the opposite side of the entrance to the harbour rises a hill,
called the Cerro, 450 feet high, from which the town derives its name,
and further inland, on the town side, is another eminence, 200 feet
high, called the Cerrito. With these exceptions the surrounding
country looks perfectly flat, without even a tree to break the
monotony.

Soon after breakfast we went ashore--in more senses of the word than
one; for they have commenced to build a mole for the protection of
small vessels, which, in its unfinished state, is not yet visible
above the water. The consequence was that, at a distance of about half
a mile from the landing-steps, we rowed straight on to the submerged
stonework, but fortunately got off again very quickly, without having
sustained any damage. On landing, we found ourselves opposite the
Custom House, a fine building, with which we afterwards made a closer
acquaintance.

There is a large and very good hotel here, l'Hôtel Oriental. It is a
handsome building outside, and the interior is full of marble courts,
stone corridors, and lofty rooms, deliciously cool in the hottest
weather. Having procured a carriage, Tom and I and the children drove
through the streets, which are wide and handsome, though badly paved,
and so full of holes that it is a wonder how the springs of a carriage
can last a week. The houses seem built chiefly in the Italian style of
architecture, with fine stucco fronts, and in many cases marble floors
and facings, while the courtyards, seen through the grilles, blazed
with flowers. All the lower windows were strongly barred, a precaution
by no means unnecessary against the effects of the revolutions, which
are of such frequent occurrence in this country. To enable the
inhabitants the better to enjoy the sea-breeze, the tops of the houses
are all flat, which gives the town, from a distance, somewhat of an
eastern appearance. There are a great many Italian immigrants here,
and most of the building and plastering work is done by them.

The Paseo del Molino is the best part of the town, where all the rich
merchants reside in quintas, surrounded by pretty gardens. They are
very fantastic in their ideas of architectural style, and appear to
bestow their patronage impartially, not to say indiscriminately, upon
Gothic cathedrals, Alhambra palaces, Swiss cottages, Italian villas,
and Turkish mosques. Except for this variety, the suburb has somewhat
the appearance of the outskirts of many of the towns on the Riviera,
with the same sub-tropical surroundings. These are, however, hard
times on the River Plate, and more than half the quintas are deserted
and falling into ruins. On our way back, by the Union Road, we met a
great many of the native bullock-carts going home from market. These
huge conveyances are covered with hides, and are drawn by teams of
from two to twelve bullocks, yoked in pairs, and driven by a man on
horseback, who carries a sharp-pointed goad, with which he prods the
animals all round, at intervals. Dressed in a full white linen shirt
and trousers, with his bright poncho and curious saddle-gear, he forms
no unimportant figure in the picturesque scene. In the large
market-place there are hundreds of these carts, with their owners
encamped around them.

When we at last arrived on board the yacht again, at three o'clock, we
found that the miseries of coaling were not yet over, and that there
had been numerous visitors from the shore. Everything on deck looked
black, while below all was pitch dark and airless, every opening and
crevice having been closed and covered with tarpaulin, to keep out the
coal dust. It took seven hours to complete the work, instead of two,
as was hoped and promised, so our chance of starting to-day is over.
This seemed the more disappointing, because, had we foreseen the
delay, we might have made other arrangements for seeing more on shore.

_Tuesday, September 12th_.--The anchor was up, and we were already
beginning to steam away when I came on deck this morning, just in time
to see the first faint streaks of dawn appearing in the grey sky. The
River Plate here is over a hundred miles wide, and its banks are very
flat; so there was nothing to be seen, except the two little hills of
Cerro and Cerrito and the town of Monte Video, fast vanishing in the
distance. The channels are badly buoyed, and there are shoals and
wrecks on all sides. The lightships are simply old hulks, with no
special marks by which to distinguish them; and as they themselves
look exactly like wrecks, they are not of much assistance in the
navigation, which is very confusing, and sometimes perilous. Once we
very nearly ran aground, but discovered just in time that the vessel
we were steering for with confidence was only a wreck, on a dangerous
shoal, and that the lightship itself was further ahead. The yacht was
immediately put about, and we just skirted the bank in turning.

The weather improved during the day, and a fine sunset was followed
by a clear starlight night. At 10.30 p.m. we dropped our anchor
outside all the other vessels in the roads at Buenos Ayres, eight
miles from the shore. The lightship only carried an ordinary riding
light, like any other vessel, so that it was almost impossible, unless
you knew the port very well, to go in closer to the land at night.

_Wednesday, September 13th_.--Daylight did not enable us to
distinguish the town, for the river here is wide and the banks are
low, and we were lying a long way from the shore, outside a great many
fine-looking ships, at anchor in the roads. About nine o'clock a
German captain, in a large whale-boat, came alongside and told us we
were nearly eight miles from Buenos Ayres. Tom arranged with him to
take us ashore; and accordingly we soon started. The water was smooth
and there was a nice breeze, and we sailed gallantly along for about
two hours, until we reached the town. After anchoring, we transshipped
ourselves into a small boat, in which we were rowed to some steps, at
the end of the long rickety mole, where we landed. Some of the planks
of the pier were missing, leaving great holes, big enough to fall
through, and others were so loose that when you stepped upon one end
of them the other flew up almost into your face.

Our first business was to secure the services of a pilot, to take us
up to Rosario. The best man on the river was sent for; but when he
came he did not recommend our undertaking the voyage, as the water is
very low at present, and we might get stuck on a sandbank, and be
detained for some days, although no further harm would be likely to
occur to us. We decided, therefore, as our time is precious, to give
up the idea of making the expedition in the yacht, and to go in the
ordinary river-boat instead.

Under the guidance of some gentlemen, we then went to the Central
Railway Station to send off some telegrams, and thence to the River
Plate Bank. The treasury contains 600,000_l_. in British sovereigns,
locked up in three strong safes, besides paper-money and securities to
the amount of 2,000,000_l_. It was the Rosario branch of this bank
which was recently robbed of 15,000_l_. by an armed government force;
an unprecedented proceeding in the history of nations, and one that
might have led to the interference of foreign powers.

There was time afterwards to go round and see something of the city,
which, like many other South American towns, is built in square
blocks, all the streets running exactly at right angles one to
another. There is a fine plaza, or grand square, in which are situated
the cathedral, theatre, &c., the centre being occupied by a garden,
containing statues and fountains. The various banks, with their marble
facings, Corinthian columns, and splendid halls, are magnificent
buildings, and look more like palaces than places of business. Some of
the private houses, too, seem very handsome. Outside they are all
faced with marble, to a certain height from the ground, the interior,
consisting of courtyard within courtyard, being rather like that of a
Pompeian house.

We next went to the agricultural show, which, though not an imposing
affair to our eyes, appeared really very creditable to those who had
organised it. The horses and cattle looked small, but there were some
good specimens of sheep--specially the _rombonellis_ and _negrettis_,
whose long fine wool was, however, only to be discovered by first
turning aside a thick plaster of mud, beneath which it was concealed.
We saw also some curious animals, natives of the country, such as
vicuñas, llamas, bizcachas, and various kinds of deer, a very mixed
lot of poultry and dogs, and two magnificent Persian cats. Another
department of the show was allotted to the commercial products of the
country, animal, vegetable, and mineral; the whole forming a very
interesting collection.

In re-embarking, the disagreeable process of this morning had to be
repeated--rickety pier, rotten steps, and small boat included--before
we reached the whale-boat, after which we had an eight miles' sail out
to the yacht. It was a cold, dull night, and getting on board proved
rather difficult work, owing to the rough sea.

_Thursday, September 14th_.--The pilot came on board at seven o'clock
to take us in nearer the shore, but, after all, we found ourselves
obliged to anchor again five miles off. No ship drawing more than ten
feet can get inside the sand-banks, which makes it a wretched place to
lie in, especially as the weather at this time of year is very
uncertain. You may go ashore from your ship on a fine clear morning,
and before you return a gale may have sprung up, accompanied by a
frightful sea. Open boats are therefore quite unsafe, a state of
things which has given rise to the existence of a class of fine boats,
specially built for the service, which attend all the ships lying in
the roads. They are half-decked, will sail in any weather, and can be
easily managed by two men.

About ten o'clock we went ashore again in the whale-boat, which Tom
had engaged to wait on us during our stay, and made the best of our
way to a warehouse to look at some ponchos, which are the speciality
of this part of South America. Everybody wears one, from the beggar to
the highest official. The best kind of ponchos are very expensive,
being made from a particular part of the finest hair of the vicuña,
hand-woven by women, in the province of Catamarca. The genuine article
is difficult to get, even here. In the shops the price usually varies
from 30_l_. to 80_l_.; but we were shown some at a rather lower
price--from 20_l_. to 60_l_. each. They are soft as silk, perfectly
waterproof, and will wear, it is said, for ever. We met a fine-looking
man in one of beautiful quality yesterday. He told us that it
originally cost 30_l_. in Catamarca, twenty years ago, and that he
gave 20_l_. for it, second-hand, ten years ago; and, with the
exception of a few slight tears, it is now as good as ever. Before we
came here, we were strongly advised, in case we should happen to go on
a rough expedition up country, not to be tempted to take with us any
_good_ ponchos, as the Gauchos, or half-bred Indians of the Pampas,
who are great connoisseurs of these articles, and can distinguish
their quality at a glance, would not hesitate to cut our throats in
order to obtain possession of them.

The material of which they are made is of the closest texture, and as
the hair has never been dressed or dyed it retains all its natural oil
and original colour, the latter varying from a very pretty yellow fawn
to a pale cream-colour. The majority of the ponchos worn here are,
however, made at Manchester, of a cheap and inferior material. They
look exactly like the real thing at first sight, but are neither so
light nor so warm, nor do they wear at all well. Occasionally they are
made of silk, but more often of bright-coloured wool. In shape a
poncho is simply a square shawl with a hole in the middle for the head
of the wearer. On horseback the appearance is particularly
picturesque, and it forms also a convenient cloak, which comes well
over the saddle, before and behind, and leaves the arms, though
covered, perfectly free.

The natives, as a rule, wear a second poncho, generally of a different
colour, tucked into the waistband of their long full linen drawers
(_calzoncillos_), so as to make a pair of short baggy over-trousers. A
poor man is content with a shirt, drawers, and two ponchos. A rich man
has many rows of fringe and frills of lace at the bottom of his
_calzoncillos_, and wears a short coat, with silver buttons, and a
gorgeous silver belt, covered with dollars. His horse-fittings and
massive stirrups (to say nothing of his enormous spurs) will be of
solid silver, and his arms inlaid with the same metal. He will
sometimes give as much as from 10_l_. to 20_l_. for a pair of stirrups
alone, and the rest of his dress and equipment is proportionately
expensive. The cost of the silver articles is little more than the
value of the metal itself, which is of very pure quality, and is only
roughly worked by the Indians or Gauchos. But as Manchester provides
the ponchos, so does Birmingham the saddlery and fittings, especially
those in use in the neighbourhood of towns.

After inspecting the ponchos, we breakfasted with some friends, and
about noon started in the train for Campana. The line passes at first
through the streets of Buenos Ayres, and thence into the open country,
beautifully green, and undulating like the waves of the sea. Near the
town and the suburb of Belgrano are a great many peach-tree
plantations, the fruit of which is used for fattening pigs while the
wood serves for roasting them. There is also some scrubby brushwood,
and a few large native trees; but these are soon left behind, and are
succeeded by far-spreading rich pasture land, and occasional lagunes.

We saw for the first time the holes of the bizcachas, or prairie-dogs,
outside which the little prairie-owls keep guard. There appeared to be
always one, and generally two, of these birds, standing, like
sentinels, at the entrance to each hole, with their wise-looking heads
on one side, pictures of prudence and watchfulness. The bird and the
beast are great friends, and are seldom to be found apart. We also
passed several enormous flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, most of
them quite unattended, though some were being driven by men on
horseback. There were quantities of plovers, and a great many
partridges, of two kinds, large and small, and the numerous lagunes
were covered with and surrounded by water-fowl of all kinds--wild
swans and ducks, snipe, white storks, grey herons, black cormorants,
and scarlet flamingoes, the last-named standing at the edge of the
water, catching fish, and occasionally diving below the surface. On
the very top of some of the telegraph-posts were the nests of the
oven-bird, looking like carved round blocks of wood, placed there for
ornament. These nests are made of mud, and are perfectly spherical in
form, the interior being divided into two quite distinct chambers.

[Illustration: Prairie Dogs and Owls.]

Campana was reached by four o'clock, the train running straight on to
the pier, alongside of which the two vessels were lying, with steam
up. Passengers, baggage, and freight were immediately transferred from
the train to the boats; and we soon found ourselves steaming along in
the 'Uruguay,' between the willow-hung banks of the broad Parana. The
country, though otherwise flat and uninteresting, looks very pretty
just now, in its new spring coat of bright green.

We passed several small towns, amongst others, San Pedro and San
Nicolas, which are quite important-looking places, with a good deal of
shipping, and occasionally stopped to pick up passengers, who had come
in boats and steam-launches from far-distant villages, situated on
lagunes, which our steamer could not enter.

Just before arriving at each stopping-place, we had a race with the
'Proveedor,' and whenever she became visible at a bend in the river,
half a ton more coal was immediately heaped on to our fires by the
captain's order--a piece of reckless extravagance, for, do what they
would, they could not make us gain five minutes. The competition is,
however, very fierce, and I suppose the two companies will not be
satisfied until they have ruined one another; whereas, if each would
run a steamer on alternate days, they and the public would be equally
benefited. The fares are exceedingly reasonable, being less than 3_l_.
for the whole journey from Buenos Ayres to Rosario, including all
charges.

_Friday, September 15th_.--A violent storm of thunder and lightning,
apparently just above our heads, woke us at six o'clock this morning.
Torrents of rain followed, and continued to fall until we dropped our
anchor at Rosario, at 8.45 a.m., just as we were in the middle of
breakfast, in our cozy little stern cabin. Half an hour later we
landed, though the rain still came down in sheets, but the steamer was
now alongside the pier, and close carriages had been provided. A few
minutes' drive through ill-paved streets brought us to the Hotel
Universel, a handsome, spacious building, with marble courtyards, full
of trees, plants, and flowers, into which all the sitting-rooms open.
Above are galleries, round which the various bed-rooms are in like
manner ranged. It all looked nice and cool, and suitable for hot
weather, but it was certainly rather draughty and cheerless on such a
cold, pouring wet day, and all our efforts to make our large room, in
which there were four immense windows, at all comfortable, were vain.

Rosario, like Buenos Ayres, is built in squares. The streets are
generally well paved with black and white marble, but the roadways are
composed of little round stones, and are full of holes and
inequalities, so that, in crossing the road after heavy rain, one
steps from the _trottoir_ into a very slough of despond. The universal
tramway runs down the centre of every street.

After luncheon we made a fresh start for Carcaraña by a special train,
to which were attached two goods-vans, full of horses, and a carriage
truck, containing a most comfortable American carriage, in shape not
unlike a Victoria, only much lighter and with very high wheels. After
a short journey through a rich, flat, grass country, we arrived at
Roldan, the first colony of the Central Argentine Land Company. Here
we all alighted, the horses were taken out of the vans, saddled,
bridled, and harnessed, and the gentlemen rode and I drove round the
colony, along what are generally roads, but to-day were sheets of
water. We saw many colonists, of every grade, from those still
occupying the one-roomed wooden cottages, originally supplied by the
Land Company, standing in the midst of ill-cultivated fields, to those
who had built for themselves good houses in the town, or nice
cottages, with pretty gardens, surrounded by well-tilled lands.

The drive ended at the mill belonging to a retired officer of the
British army, who has settled here with his wife and two dear little
children. Here we had tea and a pleasant chat, and then returned to
the train and proceeded to Carcaraña, the next station on the line.
Now, however, instead of the rich pasture lands and flourishing crops
which we had hitherto seen on all sides, our road lay through a
desolate-looking district, bearing too evident signs of the
destructive power of the locust. People travelling with us tell us
that, less than a week ago, the pasture here was as fresh and green as
could be desired, and the various crops were a foot high; but that, in
the short space of a few hours, the care and industry of the last ten
months were rendered utterly vain and useless, and the poor colonists
found their verdant fields converted into a barren waste by these
rapacious insects.

Carcaraña may be called the Richmond--one might almost say the
Brighton--of Rosario. It stands on a river, the Carcarañal, to the
banks of which an omnibus runs twice a day from the railway-station,
during the season, to take people to bathe. Near the station is also
an excellent little hotel, containing a large dining-room and a few
bed-rooms, kept by two Frenchwomen; and here the Rosarians come out
by train to dine and enjoy the fresh air. It was quite dark by the
time we arrived, so that we could not see much of the flourishing
little colony which has been formed here. We therefore paddled across
the wet road to the inn, where, despite the somewhat rough
surroundings, we enjoyed a capital dinner, cooked in the true French
style. They are specially celebrated here for their asparagus, but the
locusts had devoured all but a very few stalks, besides which they
were held responsible, on the present occasion, for the absence of
other vegetables and salad. Yesterday there was a grand wedding-party
near here, the complete success of which was, we were told, somewhat
marred by the fact, that for six hours, in the very middle of the day,
it became absolutely necessary to light candles, owing to the dense
clouds of locusts, about a league in extent, by which the air was
darkened. Trains are even stopped by these insects occasionally; for
they appear to like a hard road, and when they get on the line their
bodies make the rails so greasy that the wheels of the engines will
not bite. Moreover, they completely obscure the lights and signals, so
that the men are afraid to proceed. The only remedy, therefore, is to
go very slowly, preceded by a truck-load of sand, which is scattered
freely over the rails in front of the engine. Horses will not always
face a cloud of locusts, even to get to their stables, but turn round
and stand doggedly still, until it has passed.

After dinner we once more stepped into our special train, in which we
arrived at Rosario at about half-past nine o'clock, thoroughly tired
out.




CHAPTER VI.

LIFE ON THE PAMPAS.

    _There's tempest in yon horned moon,_
    _And lightning in yon cloud;_
    _But hark the music, mariners!_
    _The wind is piping loud._


_Saturday, September 16th_.--Waking at half-past five, we busied
ourselves until nine o'clock, when we again started in a special train
for Carcaraña. After a short stop at Roldan, it was reached two hours
later, and breakfast was followed by a long ride through the Land
Company's colony, and from thence to Candelaria, a purely Spanish
settlement.

I freely confess that I had hardly believed all the stories they told
me last night about the terrible doings of the locusts, and thought
they must have been slightly exaggerated. It all seemed too dreadful
to be true--as if one of the plagues of Egypt had been revived by the
wand of an evil magician. In this somewhat incredulous mood I rashly
said that, although I was very sorry to hear of the visit of these
destructive creatures, as they _were_ unfortunately here, I should
like to see them. My wish was shortly to be gratified; for, in the
course of our ride, we saw in the distant sky what looked very much
like a heavy purple thunder-cloud, but which the experienced
pronounced to be a swarm of locusts. It seemed impossible; but as we
proceeded they met us, first singly, and then in gradually increasing
numbers, until each step became positively painful, owing to the smart
blows we received from them on our heads, faces, and hands. We
stopped for a time at Mr. Holt's large estancia, where,
notwithstanding the general appearance of prosperity, the traces of
the ravages of the locusts were only too visible. On remounting, to
proceed on our journey, we found that the cloud had approached much
nearer, the effect produced by its varying position being most
extraordinary. As the locusts passed between us and the sun they
completely obscured the light; a little later, with the sun's rays
shining directly on their wings, they looked like a golden cloud, such
as one sometimes sees in the transformation scene of a pantomime; and,
at a greater distance, when viewed from the top of a slight eminence,
they looked like a snow-storm, or a field of snow-white marguerites,
which had suddenly taken to themselves wings. When on the ground, with
their wings closed, they formed a close mass of little brown specks,
completely hiding the ground and crops, both grass and grain. In
riding over them, though not a quarter of their number could rise, for
want of space in which to spread their wings, they formed such a dense
cloud that we could see nothing else, and the horses strongly objected
to face them. They got into one's hair and clothes, and gave one the
creeps all over. I am sure I shall often dream of them for some time
to come, and I have quite made up my mind that I never wish to see
another locust as long as I live. I have, however, secured some fine
specimens for any one who is curious about them.

The land we passed through appeared to be well farmed. We spoke to
several of the colonists, especially to one Italian family, living in
a little mud rancho with a tile roof. They were all gathered together
to witness the dying agonies of one of their best cows, perishing from
the effects of the drought. The rest of the animals in the corral
looked, I am sorry to say, thin and miserable, and as if they intended
soon to follow their companion's example. The poor people,
nevertheless, seemed very cheery and contented, and hospitably gave
us each a drink of some remarkably muddy water.

After a thirty-mile ride under a hot sun, fortunately on the easiest
of horses, we were none of us sorry to stop for a short time at
Carcaraña, and obtain some refreshment, before proceeding--horses,
carriage, and all--by train to Rosario, another colony on the line.
Arrived at the latter place, I thought I had had enough riding for the
first day, and therefore visited the various farms and houses in the
carriage, the rest of the party going, as before, on horseback. After
a round of about fifteen miles, we returned to the station, where we
were kindly received by the sister of the station-master. An excellent
dinner was provided for us in the refreshment-room, before we entered
our special train, and Rosario was reached at about ten o'clock.

_Sunday, September 17th_.--A kind friend sent his carriage to take us
to the English church, a brick building, built to replace the small
iron church that existed here previously, and only opened last month.
The service was well performed, and the singing of the choir
excellent. We paid a visit to the Sunday schools after luncheon, and
then drove to the quinta of Baron Alvear. The road lies through the
town, past the race-course, crowded with Gauchos, getting up scratch
races amongst themselves, and on, over undulating plains and
water-courses, into the open country. Sometimes there was a track,
sometimes none. In some places the pastures were luxuriantly green; in
others the ground was carpeted with white, lilac, and scarlet verbena,
just coming into bloom--for it is still early spring here. Here and
there came a bare patch, completely cleared by the locusts, who had
also stripped many of the fine timber trees in the garden of the
quinta. On the gate-posts, at the entrance, were the nests of two
oven-birds, like those we had already seen on the telegraph-posts, so
exactly spherical as to look like ornaments. In one of the shrubberies
a fine jaguar was shut up in a cage, who looked very like a tiger.
Though he had evidently just had his dinner, he was watching with
greedy interest the proceedings of some natives in charge of a
horse--an animal which he esteems a great delicacy, when procurable.

On our way across the camp we saw a great quantity of the seeds of the
Martynia proboscidea, mouse-burrs as they call them,--devil's claws or
toe-nails: they are curious-looking things, as the annexed woodcut
will show.

[Illustration: Devils Horns]

Frank Buckland has a theory--and very likely a correct one--that they
are created in this peculiar form for the express purpose of attaching
themselves to the long tails of the wild horses that roam about the
country in troops of hundreds. They carry them thousands of miles, and
disseminate the seed wherever they go at large in search of food and
water.

When we returned to Rosario we noticed a great crowd still on the
race-course, and were just in time to see the finish of one race,
ridden barebacked, and for a very short distance. All the races are
short; and as the natives are always engaging in these little contests
of speed, the horses get into the habit of extending themselves
directly you put them out of a walk. But the least touch is sufficient
to stop them immediately, and I never saw horses better broken than
they are here. The most fearful bits are used for the purpose; but
when once this is accomplished, the mere inclination of the body, or
the slightest pressure of the finger upon the bridle, is sufficient to
guide them. They will maintain, for almost any length of time, a quick
canter--what they call here 'a little gallop'--at the rate of three
leagues (ten miles) an hour, without showing the slightest sign of
fatigue. They don't like being mounted, and always fidget a little
then, but are quite quiet directly you are in the saddle. I rode
several horses which had never carried a lady before; but after the
first few minutes they did not seem to mind the riding-habit in the
least. They evidently dislike standing still, unless you dismount and
throw the rein on the ground, when they will remain stationary for
hours.

_Monday, September 18th_.--The early part of this morning was spent in
much the same way as on Saturday, Tom going as before to the Land
Company's Office, whilst I remained at home to write.

At nine o'clock we proceeded to the station, and started in our
comfortable railway carriage for Tortugas. We formed quite a large
party altogether, and the journey over the now familiar line, past
Roldan, Carcaraña, and Cañada de Gomez, was a very pleasant one. At
Tortugas we left the train, and paid a visit to one of the overseers
of the colony and his cheery little French wife, who, we found, had
been expecting us all day on Saturday. A few weeks ago this lady's
sister was carried off by Indians, with some other women and children.
After riding many leagues, she seized her opportunity, pushed the
Indian who was carrying her off his horse, turned the animal's head
round, and galloped back across the plain, hotly pursued, until within
a mile or two of the colony, by the rest of the band. It was a plucky
thing for a little bit of a woman to attempt with a great powerful
savage, and she is deservedly looked upon in the village as quite a
heroine.

The journey between Rosario and Cordova occupies twelve hours by the
ordinary train; and as Frayle Muerto is exactly half-way between the
two places, the trains going in either direction commence their
journey at the same hours (6 a.m. and 6 p.m.), by which means the
passengers meet each other here in time to breakfast and dine
together. There is a fine bridge over the river near Frayle Muerto,
but the place is principally celebrated as having been the site of the
Henleyite colony, which caused disappointment to so many young men of
family, who were induced to come out here from England and to go up
country, with no other result than the loss of all their money. The
scheme was supposed to be perfect in all its details, but proved upon
a closer acquaintance to be utterly worthless. The iron church at
Rosario is still standing, which the members of the expedition took up
there, and we have also met some of the young men themselves at
various times.

The train did not reach Cordova until 7.30 p.m., and it was therefore
too late for us to see much of the approach to the city, but to-morrow
we intend to do a good deal in that way. In the middle of the night we
were aroused by a violent thunderstorm. The lightning was most vivid,
and illuminated our room with many colours. The rain fell heavily,
flooding everything, and making the streets look like rivers, and the
courtyard of the hotel like a lake. It is one of the oldest, and, at
the same time, one of the most unhealthy, of the cities of South
America, for it is built in the hollow of the surrounding hills, where
no refreshing breezes can penetrate.

Travelling in Brazil is like passing through a vast hothouse, filled
with gorgeous tropical vegetation and forms of insect life. In the
neighbourhood of Monte Video you might imagine yourself in a perpetual
greenhouse. Here it is like being in a vast garden, in which the
greenest of turf, the brightest of bedding-out plants, and the most
fragrant flowering shrubs abound. Each country, therefore, possesses
its own particular beauty, equally attractive in its way.

Shortly after leaving Cordova we passed through an Indian village;
but, except at this point, we did not meet many natives during our
ride. One poor woman, however, whom we did unfortunately encounter,
had a fall from her horse, owing to the animal being frightened at the
umbrella I carried, yet my own horse had, after a very brief
objection, quietly submitted to the introduction of this novelty into
the equipment of his rider.

[Illustration: La Calera.]

We found that the hotel on the Caldera for which we were bound was
shut up; but one of the party had the keys, and an excellent lunch
quickly made its appearance. The view from the verandah, over the
river, to the Sierras beyond, was very fine. It had become quite hot
by this time, and I was much interested in seeing all our horses taken
down to the water to bathe. They appeared to be perfectly familiar
with the process; and, the river being shallow, they picked out all
the nice holes between the boulders, where they could lie down and be
completely covered by the water. Just as we were starting to return,
black clouds gathered from all around; the lightning flashed, the
thunder muttered, and big drops began to fall. But the storm was not
of long duration, and we escaped the worst part of it, though we had
ample evidence of its severity during our homeward ride, in the
slippery ground, the washed-away paths, and the swollen ditches. We
stopped half-way to see the drowning out of some poor little bizcachas
from their holes. The water had been turned into their dwellings by
means of trenches, and as the occupants endeavoured to make their
escape at the other end they were pounced upon by men and dogs; the
prairie-owls meanwhile hovering disconsolately overhead. Two of the
gentlemen of our party each managed to purchase a living bizcacha,
which was then wrapped up in a handkerchief and conveyed home. When
young they are pretty little creatures, and are easily tamed.

It was late when we reached Cordova; but I was anxious to visit the
Observatory before our departure, as it is one of the best, though not
by any means the largest, in the world. Professor Gould, the
astronomer, is away just at present, but we were kindly received by
Mrs. Gould, who conducted us over the building. They have a fine
collection of various instruments and some wonderful photographs of
the principal stars--Saturn, with his ring and eight moons, Jupiter,
with his four moons, Venus, Mercury, &c. If we could have stayed
longer we might have seen much more; but it was now quite dark, and we
had only just time for a short visit to the observing room itself. Our
ride down to the city in the dark would have been exceedingly risky if
our horses had been less sure-footed, for the roads had been washed
away in many places, but we reached the bottom of the Observatory hill
in safety, and shortly afterwards arrived at the hotel just in time
for dinner.

After dinner we drove to the station, where we found all our own party
assembled, and many more people, who had come to see us off. I was
given the Chilian bit used for the horse I rode to-day, as a
remembrance of my visit. It is a most formidable-looking instrument
of torture, and one which I am sure my dear little steed did not in
the least require; but I suppose the fact of having once felt it, when
being broken in, is sufficient for a lifetime, for the horses here
have certainly the very lightest mouths I ever met with. A gift of a
young puma, or small lion, was also waiting for me. It is about four
months old, and very tame; but, considering the children, I think it
will be more prudent to pass it on to the Zoo, in London.

The train started at 8.30 p.m. and took an hour to reach Rio Segundo,
where we found tea and coffee prepared. After that we proceeded to
make our arrangements for the night; some of the gentlemen sleeping in
the saloon-carriages, and some on beds made up in the luggage-van. Tom
and I turned into our two cozy little berths, and knew nothing more
until we were called at 4.30 a.m. at Cañada de Gomez. The lamp had
gone out, and we found it rather difficult work dressing and packing
in the cold and dark; but it was soon done, and a cup of hot coffee in
the refreshment-room afterwards made us feel quite comfortable.

Then we all separated: Captain Dunlop to join his ship; Tom to
complete his report on the colonies of the Central Argentine Land
Company, which he is preparing in compliance with the request of the
Directors in London; while the rest of the party awaited the arrival
of the waggonette which was to take us to the estancia of Las Rosas.

_Wednesday, September 20th_.--At 6.30 a.m. the waggonette arrived, a
light but strong, unpainted vehicle, drawn by a pair of active little
well-bred horses, both of whom had been raced in their day. There were
but a few leagues of cultivated ground to be passed before we reached
the broad, undulating, solitary Pampas, where for some time the only
visible signs of life were to be found in the Teru-tero birds (a sort
of plover), who shrieked discordantly as we disturbed their repose;
the partridges, large and small, put up by the retriever who
accompanied us; some prairie fowls; a great many hawks, of all sizes;
and the pretty little wydah-birds, with their two immense tail
feathers, four times the length of their bodies. The first glimpse of
the far-spreading prairie was most striking in all its variations of
colour. The true shade of the Pampas grass, when long, is a light
dusty green; when short it is a bright fresh green. But it frequently
happens that, owing to the numerous prairie-fires, either accidental
or intentional, nothing is to be seen but a vast expanse of black
charred ground, here and there relieved by a few patches of vivid
green, where the grass is once more springing up under the influence
of the rain.

The road, or rather track, was in a bad condition, owing to the recent
wet weather, and on each side of the five _cañadas_, or small rivers,
which we had to ford, there were deep morasses, through which we had
to struggle as best we could, with the mud up to our axletrees. Just
before arriving at the point where the stream had to be crossed, the
horses were well flogged and urged on at a gallop, which they
gallantly maintained until the other side was reached. Then we stopped
to breathe the horses and to repair damages, generally finding that a
trace had given way, or that some other part of the harness had shown
signs of weakness. On one occasion we were delayed for a considerable
time by the breaking of the splinter-bar, to repair which was a
troublesome matter; indeed, I don't know how we should have managed it
if we had not met a native lad, who sold us his long lasso to bind the
pieces together again. It was a lucky _rencontre_ for us, as he was
the only human being we saw during the whole of our drive of thirty
miles, except the peon who brought us a change of horses, half-way.

In the course of the journey we passed a large estancia, the road to
which was marked by the dead bodies and skeletons of the poor beasts
who had perished in the late droughts. Hundreds of them were lying
about in every stage of decay, those more recently dead being
surrounded by vultures and other carrion-birds. The next _cañada_ that
we crossed was choked up with the carcases of the unfortunate
creatures who had struggled thus far for a last drink, and had then
not had sufficient strength left to extricate themselves from the
water. Herds of miserable-looking, half-starved cattle were also to be
seen, the cows very little larger than their calves, and all
apparently covered with the same rough shaggy coats. The pasture is
not fine enough in this part of the country to carry sheep, but deer
are frequently met with.

A little later we again began to approach cultivated land, and a mile
or two further brought us to a broad road, with high palings on either
side, down which we drove, and through the yard, to the door of the
estancia. The house is a one-story building, one room wide, with a
verandah in front and at the back, one side of which faces the yard,
the other a well-kept garden, full of violets and other spring
flowers, and roses just coming into bloom. There are several smaller
detached buildings, in which the sleeping apartments are situated, and
which are also provided with verandahs and barred windows. Having
visited the various rooms, in company with our hosts, we sat down to a
rough but substantial breakfast, to which full justice was done.
Travelling all night, and a ride of thirty miles in the fresh morning
air, have a tendency to produce a keen appetite; and the present
occasion proved no exception to that rule.

After breakfast I rested and wrote some letters, while the gentlemen
inspected the farm and stud. The proprietor of this estancia has the
best horses in this part of the country, and has taken great pains to
improve their breed, as well as that of the cattle and sheep, by
importing thorough-breds from England. Unlike the Arabs, neither
natives nor settlers here think of riding mares, and it is considered
quite a disgrace to do so. They are therefore either allowed to run
wild in troops, or are used to trample out corn or to make mud for
bricks. They are also frequently killed and boiled down, for the sake
of their hides and tallow, the value of which does not amount to more
than about 10_s_. per head. Large herds of them are met with at this
time of the year on the Pampas, attended by a few horses, and
accompanied by their foals.

The natives of these parts pass their lives in the saddle. Horses are
used for almost every conceivable employment, from hunting and fishing
to brick-making and butter-churning. Even the very beggars ride about
on horseback. I have seen a photograph of one, with a police
certificate of mendicancy hanging round his neck, taken from life for
Sir Woodbine Parish. Every domestic servant has his or her own horse,
as a matter of course; and the maids are all provided with habits, in
which they ride about on Sundays, from one estancia to another, to pay
visits. In fishing, the horse is ridden into the water as far as he
can go, and the net or rod is then made use of by his rider. At Buenos
Ayres I have seen the poor animals all but swimming to the shore, with
heavy carts and loads, from the ships anchored in the inner roads; for
the water is so shallow that only very small boats can go alongside
the vessels, and the cargo is therefore transferred directly to the
carts to save the trouble and expense of transshipment. In
out-of-the-way places, on the Pampas, where no churns exist, butter is
made by putting milk into a goat-skin bag, attached by a long lasso to
the saddle of a peon, who is then set to gallop a certain number of
miles, with the bag bumping and jumping along the ground after him.

About four o'clock the horses--much larger and better bred animals
than those we have been riding lately--were brought round from the
corral. Mine was a beauty; easy, gentle, and fast. We first took a
canter round the cultivated ground, about 300 acres in extent, and in
capital condition. Lucerne grows here splendidly, and can be cut seven
times a year. As we left the yard, Mr. Nield's man asked if he would
take the dogs. He replied in the negative; but I suppose he must have
referred to the greyhounds only, for we were certainly accompanied on
the present occasion by _eleven_ dogs of various sorts and sizes,
those left behind being shut up and kept without food, in anticipation
of the stag-hunt to-morrow. We rode over the race-course, where the
horses are trained, and on to the partridge ground. The larger kind of
these birds are extremely stupid, and are easily ridden down by a
horseman, or caught in a noose. They rise three times, and after the
third flight they are so exhausted and terrified that it is easy to
dismount and catch them with the hand, as they lie panting on the long
grass. Partridge-hunting is considered good sport. It is necessary to
keep your eye constantly fixed upon the bird, and to watch where he
settles, and then to gallop to the spot as hard as possible, leaving
your horse to look after himself amid the long grass; and this
manoeuvre has to be repeated until at last the unfortunate bird is
overtaken and caught.

As we were riding along, the dogs found and killed a bizcacha, in a
bank. Just as Mr. Elliott had pulled it out, and had laid it, dead, in
the field, its little companion owl arrived, and appeared to be in the
most dreadful state of mind. It shrieked and cried, as it hovered over
us, and finally selected a small white fox terrier, who, I think,
really had been principally concerned in the death, as the object of
its vengeance, pouncing down upon his head, and giving him two or
three good pecks, at the same time flapping its wings violently. The
other dogs drove it off; but more than half an hour afterwards, while
we were looking at some horses, nearly a mile from the spot, the
plucky little owl returned to the charge, and again swooped down upon
the same dog, with a dismal cry, and administered a vigorous peck to
him. Altogether it was a striking and interesting proof of the
attachment existing between these curious birds and beasts; the object
of the owl in the present instance clearly being to revenge if
possible the death of its friend.

On our return to the farm, we went all round the place, and found that
everything was being made secure for the night; after which we watched
all the servants come in one by one for their daily ration of grog,
and then retired to dress for dinner, shortly after which, being
thoroughly tired out, I retired to my bed-room, attended by a very
kind old Irishwoman, who had been deputed to look after me. My mind
was at first somewhat disturbed by the discovery of one or two
enormous toads and long-armed spiders in my apartment; but they
fortunately did not interfere with my repose, for I slept like a top.
All the rooms being on the ground-floor, it is almost impossible
entirely to exclude intruders of this description. I admired very much
what I took to be two fine ponchos, of a delicate fawn-colour, used as
tablecloths, but upon a closer examination I found that they were made
of the finest silk, and learned afterwards that they were imported
from England. I don't know why the same material should not be
employed for a similar purpose at home; but I believe that those
manufactured hitherto have been designed expressly for the South
American market, to which they are exported in considerable
quantities.

_Thursday, September 21st_.--At five o'clock, when I awoke, it was so
misty that I could only see about half-way across the yard. By six,
the hour at which we were to have started on our hunting expedition,
matters had improved a little; but it was still considered unsafe to
venture out, for fear of being lost on the vast plains which
surrounded us. An hour later, however, it was reported that the fog
was clearing off, and a little before eight o'clock we started.
Horses, riders, and dogs, all appeared to be in the highest spirits,
the former jumping and frisking about, hardly deigning to touch the
ground, the latter tearing after one another and barking at every
stray bird they met. The pack numbered seventeen, and could hardly be
called a level lot of hounds, comprising, as it did, two deerhounds,
five well-bred greyhounds, two retrievers, one setter, one spaniel,
one French poodle, two fox terriers, one black and tan terrier, and
two animals of an utterly indescribable breed; but they all did their
work well, as the event proved. Even the shaggy fat old French poodle
arrived in each case before the deer was cut up.

Two deer were soon descried in the distance, and we cantered steadily
towards them at the rate of about ten miles an hour, until the dogs
winded and sighted them. Then, directly the first short yelp was
heard, every horse extended himself in an instant, galloping away as
hard as he could go, almost literally _ventre à terre_. They were
nearly all thoroughbreds, and had been raced, so that the speed was
something delightful. But it only lasted ten minutes, at the end of
which time the dogs ran into one of the deer, and thus put a temporary
stop to our enjoyment. He proved to be a fine buck, and was soon
killed. His legs were cut off for trophies, but, his horns being like
velvet, the head was not worth having. Some of the dogs pursued the
doe, but failed to pull her down, and returned half an hour later
fatigued and panting.

It had become hot by this time, so we rode to the nearest water, to
enable the animals to drink and bathe, and then started afresh at a
sharp canter. There were plenty of bizcacha holes and boggy places to
be avoided; but we allowed the horses to take care of themselves and
us in this respect, and occupied ourselves almost exclusively in
looking for fresh deer. For some time we found nothing; then two
sprang out of the long grass close to the _cañada_, which they
crossed, and, on reaching the other side, started off in different
directions. The pack pursued and divided, some going after each
animal. I, and two others of the party, followed the doe, and after
another short burst of ten minutes, at a tremendous pace, we ran into
and killed her. As soon as she had been despatched, we wanted to
follow the buck, in pursuit of which the rest of the riders had gone,
but there was now nothing to be seen of him or them. Flat as the
country looked, the slight undulations of the ground quite hid them
from our view. After riding about for two hours in various directions,
looking and listening most patiently, we abandoned the search in
despair, and returned to the house, where we found that our friends
had already arrived. They had enjoyed the best run they have had for
many months--seven miles, from point to point--but the dogs had lain
down, dead beat, at the end of the first six miles. The horsemen had
galloped on, their animals tailing off one by one, until only two
remained in it at all. Having mutually agreed to let the stag live
till another day to afford perhaps as good a run and as much pleasure
to some one else, they thereupon also abandoned the chase, and turned
their horses' heads homewards.

After a change of dress, we proceeded to pack up, preparatory to our
departure, and then had breakfast, after which we bade adieu to our
kind hosts, and started in the waggonette to retrace our steps to the
station. It was very bright and hot, and the sun and wind had already
begun to have a visible effect upon the vegetation of the Pampas. The
streams were much more passable, and we reached Cañada de Gomez at
about half-past five, in a shorter time, than it had taken us to
perform the outward journey yesterday. On reaching Rosario at about
ten o'clock, we found several friends waiting to receive us, with
invitations to tea; but we felt too tired in body and too disreputable
in appearance to accept them, and preferred going straight to our
hotel and to bed.




CHAPTER VII.

MORE ABOUT THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

    _The twilight is sad and cloudy,_
    _The wind blows wild and free,_
    _And like the wings of sea-birds_
    _Flash the white caps of the sea._


_Friday, September 22nd_.--Mr. Fisher called for me at 8 a.m., to
drive me in his little carriage to the railway yard and workshops, and
then to pay some farewell visits. We also went to see the market, and
to get some photographs of Rosario; after which, breakfast,
packing-up, and paying the bill occupied our time until one o'clock,
when we started for the steamer, to return to Buenos Ayres. On our
arrival alongside the 'Proveedor,' I found that nearly all our Rosario
friends had come down to the landing-place to see us off, and had
brought all manner of remembrances for me and the children. Flowers in
profusion; a tame cardinal bird for Muriel; a pair of dear little
long-tailed green paroquets; the skin of a seal, shot at the
Alexandria colony; a beautiful poncho; an Argentine bit, whip, and
stirrups; a carpincha skin; two pretty little muletas--a sort of
armadillo, very tame, and often kept in the houses here as a pet; and
several other presents, all of which, when I look at them at home,
will serve to remind me of the kind donors, and of the happy days
spent in the Argentine Republic.

It was not long before we were off, and steaming slowly astern of the
'Uruguay.' This boat is not so large nor so fast as the 'Uruguay,'
though the difference in speed does not probably amount to more than
fifteen minutes in the twenty-four hours. Her saloon and deck are not
so good, but her sleeping-cabins are much larger and more comfortable.
The Italian captains are equally agreeable on both steamers, the
civility is the same, and the fares and food are precisely similar, so
that there is not much left to influence one in the choice of vessels.
We had a pleasant party at an excellent dinner in the evening, the
captain only regretting that we had not been on board two days ago,
when Mlle. P. and the opera company went down from Rosario to Buenos
Ayres. They had a very cheery evening, and some good music, which Tom
told us afterwards he thoroughly enjoyed. There were no musicians on
board to-night, and not any temptation to sit up late, which was
perhaps as well; one of the reasons for our going back this way being
that we wished to have an opportunity of seeing the River Tigré, which
we should reach in the early morning. On the upward journey we had, to
save time, embarked at Campaña, which is situated above that river.

_Saturday, September 23rd_.--At 4.30 a.m. the captain called me, being
anxious that I should not miss any of the beauties of the Tigré. On my
arrival on deck he kindly had a chair placed for me right in the bows,
provided me with rugs and wraps, and sent for some hot coffee, which
was particularly acceptable, as the morning air was fresh and chilly.
The sky was flushed with rosy clouds, the forerunners of one of the
most beautiful sunrises imaginable. The river itself is narrow and
monotonous, the branches of the willow-tree on either bank almost
sweeping the sides of the steamer. The centre channel is fairly deep;
but we managed to run aground once, though we only drew nine feet, and
in turning a sharp corner it was necessary to send a boat ashore with
a rope, to pull the vessel's head round.

At half-past six we reached the port of Tigré, where we found many
fine ships waiting for the tide, to go up the river. Some delay
occurred while the passengers' luggage was being examined; but in
about half an hour we were able to land and walk to the
railway-station, through an avenue of shady trees, round the trunks of
which the wistaria, now in full bloom, was climbing, and past several
houses, whose pretty gardens were ablaze with all sorts of flowers. At
the station I found a letter from Tom, telling me we were expected to
breakfast at a quinta, not far from Buenos Ayres.

For about an hour and a half the line ran through a rich and fertile
country, quite the garden of Buenos Ayres, until we arrived at the
station where we were to alight. Here Mr. Coghlan met us and drove us
to his house, which is charmingly situated in the midst of a grove of
olive-trees, formerly surrounding the palace of the viceroys. After
breakfast the gardener cut us a fine bouquet of roses and violets, and
we walked to the tramway, and were conveyed by one of the cars,
smoothly and quickly, to the city. The contrast between this mode of
travelling and riding in an ordinary carriage through the ill-paved
streets is very striking. It is really less fatiguing to walk than to
adopt the latter mode of conveyance, and I believe that, but for the
look of the thing, most people would prefer to do so. How the vehicles
themselves stand the jolting I cannot imagine, for they are all large
and handsome, and must suffer tremendous strains.

At noon we went with Mr. Coghlan to see the market and the museum, and
to do some shopping. The market is a large open building, well
supplied with everything at moderate prices; meat, game, fruit,
vegetables, and flowers being especially cheap and good. House-rent
and fine clothes--what Muriel would call 'dandy things'--are very dear
in Buenos Ayres, but all the necessaries of life are certainly cheap.
People of the middle and lower classes live much better here than they
do at home, and the development of bone and muscle in large families
of small children, owing to the constant use of so much meat and
strong soup, is very remarkable. When once they have attained the age
at which they can run about, children get on very well; but the
climate, and the difficulty of obtaining a proper supply of milk in
hot weather, often prove fatal to infants. It is very difficult to get
good servants here, as they can easily obtain much higher pay in other
capacities, and are very soon enabled to set up in business for
themselves. Returning to the hotel, we collected our parcels and had
some luncheon, and then proceeded to the pier, where we found the
children waiting for us to embark in the gig, and we soon arrived
safely on board the 'Sunbeam.'

At about half-past six, Tom and Mabelle returned from their expedition
to the largest and most comfortable estancia in the country, where
they were received most hospitably, and enjoyed themselves very much.

After dinner, some of our party left in the whale-boat, being anxious
to be present at Madame Almazilia's benefit performance at the opera,
for which I fear they arrived too late after all. Whilst we were
waiting at the railway-station to-day, some of the bouquets, which
were to be presented at the theatre to-night, arrived by train. The
flowers were arranged in all manner of strange shapes and
devices--full-sized tables and chairs, music-stands, and musical
instruments, and many other quaint conceits, composed entirely of grey
Neapolitan violets, marked out with camellias and other coloured
flowers.

_Sunday, September 24th_.--Most of us went ashore in the whale-boat at
ten o'clock, to attend the English church, reopened to-day for the
first time for some months. After our own service we met many friends,
and walked to the Roman Catholic cathedral. The streets were full of
well-appointed carriages, and in the interior of the building we found
a great many well-dressed ladies, and a few men. Mass had not
commenced, and a constant stream of worshippers was still entering;
but we remained only for a short time, and then returned to the Mole.
By this time the wind had freshened considerably, and several of our
friends tried to persuade us to remain on shore; but as we knew Tom
was expecting us, and we wanted to get the things we required for our
next journey, we thought it better to go off.

It took us two hours and a half, beating against the wind, to reach
the yacht, sea-sick, and drenched to the skin. Directly we got outside
the bar the sea was very bad, and each wave broke more or less over
the little half-deck, under which the children had been packed away
for shelter. Seeing how rough it was out at the anchorage--far worse
than near the shore--Tom had quite given us up, for it was now
half-past three, and was preparing to come ashore, bringing our things
with him. On board the yacht we found an unfortunate French maid, and
another servant, who had come off early in the morning to spend the
day and have dinner with our people, but who were now lying prostrate
and ill in the cabin.

Champagne and luncheon revived us a little, and Tom hurried us off to
get ashore again by daylight, before the weather became worse. It was
a very pleasant twenty minutes' sail to the shore, racing along before
the wind, with two reefs in the mainsail--quite a different thing from
beating out. The tide was high, and the captain therefore steered for
the pier, where he hoped to land us. Unfortunately, however, he missed
it; and as it was impossible to make another tack out, all that could
be done was to let go the anchor to save running ashore, and wait
until they sent out a small boat to fetch us. This took some little
time during which we pitched and tossed about in a very disagreeable
fashion. When the boat did at last arrive she turned out to be a
wretched little skiff, rowed by two men, with very indifferent oars,
and only capable of taking three passengers at a time. Tom went first,
taking with him the two children, and the two poor sea-sick maids, and
the boat at once put off for the land, Tom steering. It was terrible
to watch them from the whale-boat, and when one tremendous sea came,
and the skiff broached to, I thought for a moment that all was over,
as did every one who was watching our proceedings from the pier. I
could not look any more, till I heard shouts that they were safe
ashore. Then came our turn. The boat returned for us, this time
provided with better oars, and we were soon landed in safety, if not
in comfort; and a third and last trip brought ashore the rest of the
party and the luggage, Tom remaining at the tiller.

Mr. Coghlan had come down to meet us, but, seeing the peril of the
first boat, had gone away until he heard we were all landed, and now
returned to congratulate us on our narrow escape and present safety.
After we had rested for a short time in the waiting-room, to recover
from our fright and shake our dripping garments, we went to the Hôtel
de la Paix, where we dined, and at ten o'clock we walked down to the
railway-station, where a large number of people had already assembled,
some of whom were to accompany us to Azul, while others had only come
to see us off.

Everything had been most comfortably arranged for us in the special
train. The interior fittings of two second-class American carriages
had been completely taken out, and a canvas lining, divided into
compartments, each containing a cozy little bed, had been substituted.
Wash-stands, looking-glasses, &c., had been provided, and a profusion
of beautiful flowers filled in every available spot. In a third car
two tables, occupying its entire length, with seats on one side of
each table, had been placed; and here it was intended that we should
breakfast, lunch, and dine.

_Monday, September 25th_.--We slept soundly--speaking for the children
and myself--until we were aroused at six o'clock this morning by the
agreeable intelligence that we had reached our destination. Azul is
about 300 miles south of Buenos Ayres, on the Southern Railway. It is
a small and primitive place in itself, but is situated in the midst
of splendid pastures, both for rearing sheep and cattle, of which
there are large flocks and herds.

Whilst we were waiting for breakfast, we walked a little distance to
see a troop of mares treading mud for bricks. It was a curious, but
rather sad sight. Inside a circular enclosure, some fifty yards in
diameter, about fifty half-starved animals, up to their houghs in very
sloppy mud, were being driven round about, and up and down, as fast as
they could go, by a mounted peon, assisted by five or six men on foot,
outside the enclosure, armed with long heavy whips, which they used
constantly. Some of the poor creatures had foals, which were tied up a
little distance off, and which kept up a piteous whinnying, as an
accompaniment to the lashings and crackings of the whips. On our way
back to the station we saw a horse, attached to a light gig, bolt
across the Pampas at full gallop, vainly pursued by a man on
horseback. First one wheel came off and then the other; then the body
of the gig was left behind, and then the shafts and most of the
harness followed suit; until at last--as we afterwards heard--the
runaway reached his home, about five miles off, with only his bridle
remaining.

At nine o'clock the breakfast-bell rang, and we found an excellent
repast spread out for us on two long tables. An hour later we started
in seven large carriages, and proceeded first to make the tour of the
town, afterwards visiting the bank, and a fine new house in the course
of construction by a native, built entirely of white marble from
Italy. Then we paid a visit to some Indians--an old chief and his four
wives, who have settled quietly down in a toldo near the town. They
were not bad-looking, and appeared fairly comfortable, as they
squatted in the open air round the fire, above which was suspended a
large iron pot, containing, to judge by the look and smell, a most
savoury preparation. We next went to a store, where we picked up a few
curiosities, and then drove to the mill of Azul, a new establishment,
of which the inhabitants of the town are evidently very proud. There
is a pretty walk by the mill-stream, overhung with willows, and close
by is another toldo, inhabited by more Indians.

[Illustration: Indians at Azul]

Leaving the town, we now proceeded about two leagues across the Pampas
to Mr. Frer's estancia. He is a farmer, on a very extensive scale, and
possesses about 24,000 sheep and 500 horses, besides goodly herds of
cattle. The locusts have not visited this part of the country, and the
pastures are consequently in fine condition after the late rains,
while the sheep look proportionately well. We passed a large
_grasseria_, or place where sheep are killed at the rate of seven in a
minute, and are skinned, cut up, and boiled down for tallow in an
incredibly short space of time, the residue of the meat being used in
the furnace as fuel. Running about loose, outside, were four or five
curly-horned rams, between two of which a grand combat took place,
apparently conducted in strict accordance with the rules of fighting
etiquette. The two animals began by walking round and round, eyeing
each other carefully, and then retiring backwards a certain distance,
which might have been measured out for them, they stopped so exactly
simultaneously. Then, gazing steadfastly at one another for a few
moments, as if to take aim, they rushed forward with tremendous force,
dashing their foreheads together with a crash that might have been
heard a mile away. It seemed marvellous that they did not fracture
their skulls, for they repeated the operation three or four times
before Mr. Frer could get a man to help to stop the fight, when the
two combatants were led off, in a very sulky state, to be locked up
apart.

Arrangements had been made for us to see as much of station-life as
possible during our short visit. The peons' dinner had been put back,
in order that we might witness their peculiar method of roasting, or
rather baking, their food, and eating it; but we were rather later
than was expected, and the men were so hungry that we were only able
to see the end of the performance. Mr. Frer had also sent a long way
across the Pampas for some wild horses, belonging to him, in order
that we might see them lassoed; and Colonel Donovan had brought with
him one of his best domidors, or horse-breakers, that we might have an
opportunity of seeing an unbroken colt caught and backed for the first
time.

About a hundred horses were driven into a large corral, and several
gauchos and peons, some on horseback and some on foot, exhibited their
skill with the lasso, by catching certain of the animals, either by
the fore leg, the hind leg, or the neck, as they galloped round and
round at full speed. The captured animal got a tremendous fall in each
case, and if the mounted horse was not very clever and active, he and
his rider were very likely to be thrown down also. There was the risk
too of the man receiving an injury from the lasso itself, if it should
happen to get round his body, in which case he would probably be
almost cut in half by the sudden jerk.

[Illustration: Lassoing Horses.]

The next proceeding was to cast a lasso at a _potro_, or unbroken
colt, who was galloping about in the very centre of the troop, at full
speed. His fore legs were caught dexterously in the noose, which
brought him up, or rather down, instantly, head over heels. Another
lasso was then thrown over his head, and drawn quite tight round his
neck, and a bridle, composed of two or three thongs of raw hide, was
forced into his mouth by means of a slip-knot rein. A sheepskin saddle
was placed on his back, the man who was to ride him standing over him,
with one foot already in the stirrup. All this time the poor horse was
lying on the ground, with his legs tied close together, frightened
almost out of his life, trembling in every limb, and perspiring from
every pore. When the man was ready, the horse's legs were loosened
sufficiently to allow him to rise, and he was then led outside the
corral. The lassoes were suddenly withdrawn, and he dashed forwards,
springing and plunging upwards, sideways, downwards, in every
direction, in the vain effort to rid himself of his unaccustomed load.
The man remained planted, like a rock, in the saddle, pulling hard at
the bridle, while a second domidor, mounted on a tame horse, pursued
the terrified animal, striking him with a cruel whip to make him go in
the required direction. After about ten minutes of this severe
exercise, the captive returned to the corral, exhausted, and perfectly
cowed, and showing no desire to rejoin his late companions. In order
to complete the process of breaking him in, we were told that it would
be necessary to keep him tied up for two or three days, rather short
of food, and to repeat daily the operation of saddling, bridling, and
mounting, the difficulty being less on each occasion, until at last he
would become as quiet as a lamb.

We now saw our train approaching, orders having been given for it to
come as far as it could from the station to meet us. We wished
good-bye to Mr. Frer and his party, and, with many thanks to all, got
into our carriages and drove across the plains to the railway. On our
way we passed some large lagunes, full of wild fowl, and surrounded by
scarlet flamingoes and pelicans. The ground we had to traverse was
very boggy; so much so, that two of the carriages got stuck, and their
occupants had to turn out and walk. At last we reached the train, and
climbed into the cars, where we found an excellent luncheon prepared,
which we ate whilst the train dashed along at the rate of forty miles
an hour. About seven o'clock we stopped for tea and coffee, and the
children were put to bed. By nine we had reached the junction for
Buenos Ayres, where an engine met us, and took most of our party into
the city, in one of the cars, while we went on to Punta Lara, the
station for Ensenada.

On arriving we were met by several of our men, who had been allowed to
go ashore at Buenos Ayres on Sunday morning, and had not been able to
rejoin the yacht since. On Sunday night, when they were to have
returned, it was impossible for them to get off. Even the whale-boat
was nearly dashed to pieces, at anchor, near the pier. They spent the
early part of Monday morning in hunting everywhere with the pilot for
the lost steward, and at last left the shore just in time to see the
yacht steaming down the river, with only half her crew on board, and
without a pilot. It seems they had been waited for from eight o'clock
until eleven; it then became necessary to get under way, for fear of
losing the tide. As it was, the yacht had not been able to get near
the pier at Ensenada, and was now lying in the river, two miles out.
The station-master, having been informed of the state of affairs, very
kindly had steam got up in the railway tug to take us off. The
children, with their nurses, remained in bed in the car, which was
shunted into a siding until the morning, the doctor staying on shore
in charge. The rest of us then set out for the yacht, which we reached
at 1 a.m., only to be greeted with the pleasing intelligence that no
fresh provisions had arrived on board for the party of friends we were
expecting. The captain of the tug was good enough to promise to do
what he could for us on shore; but everything is brought here from
Buenos Ayres, and it is to

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