h-east of the Serra stood a thickly-wooded, detached mound, while to
the north as we went along there was displayed before us a magnificent
view of the flat valley into which we were about to descend.

Where the country was wooded many trees and plants were to be found,
useful for their tanning, medicinal, oliferous or lactiferous qualities:
such as the Dedal, a yellowish-leafed shrub from which a yellow dye can
be obtained; the tall thin Arariba Amarelho, or Amarelhino (_Centrolobium
robustum_), a great number of Lobelia trees, with their elongated light
green leaves and clean barked stems, which eject, from incisions, a
caustic and poisonous juice. The tallest of all the trees in that region
was perhaps the Jacaranda, with its tiny leaves.... There were four kinds
of Jacaranda--the Jacaranda _cabiuna_, _rosa_, _tan_ and _violeta_,
technically known as _Dalbergia nigra_, _Machaerium incorruptibile_,
_Machaerium cencopterum_, _Machaerium Alemanni_, Benth. The three latter
have a specific gravity higher than that of most woods in Brazil, except
the Pao de ferro (_Caesalpina ferrea_), the very plentiful Barbatimao
(_Stryphnodendron barbatimao_), a mimosa-like tree, and the Vinhatico
amarello (_Echyrosperum Balthazarii_), the last of which has the highest
specific gravity of all.

Then we found plenty of Sambaiba, an excellent wood, and Imuliana, a wood
of great resistance, much used in certain parts of Brazil for
constructing fences.

A peculiar tree with concave leaves shaped like a cup was locally called
Ariticun or Articun. It produced a large fruit, quite good to eat.

Much botanical variety was indeed everywhere around us.... There was the
_terra da folha miuta_, which, as its name tells, possessed minute shiny
leaves; then the tall Faveiro (_Pterodon pubescens_), producing a bean,
and having dark leaves not unlike those of mimosas. Then, many were the
kinds of acacias we noticed as we went along.

[Illustration: Picturesque Ox-carts of Goyaz.]

Still descending, we arrived at the little town of Caldas de Goyaz--so
called because there were three hot springs of water of different
temperatures. I visited the three springs. The water tasted slightly of
iron, was beautifully clear and quite good to drink. Two springs were
found in a depression some 150 ft. lower than the village--viz., at an
elevation of 2,450 ft., whereas the village itself was at 2,600 ft. These
two springs were only 20 ft. away from a stream of