by the cross sticks being filled in and the whole plastered over
with mud, which eventually became hard when dry. Near the foundations the
walls were strengthened with mud bricks half baked.

Evidently, as was the case with this particular old house, in former
days, when Goyaz was more prosperous than it is now, in the time of the
Emperor, most of the houses were whitewashed--a luxury which in these
days of misery the farmers can no longer indulge in. The doors and
windows were rambling, though the frames of them were generally solidly
made, but one never saw a pane of glass in any window anywhere in the
country. At night the people barricaded themselves tight into their rooms
and let no air in. It was partly due to fear of attack. Whenever a
building was whitewashed one invariably saw on it the impression of its
owner's spread hand in outline, or else his signature in blue paint. The
favourite colours in house decoration--where any were noticeable--were
blue and a dirty cinnabar red.

Dogs were numerous everywhere, and, like their masters, were indolent and
sleepy.

In the afternoon of that same day we travelled some 13 kil. more, on
practically level ground intersected by a couple of streamlets. Marching
through thinly wooded country, grassy here and there, one began to notice
a variation in the scenery, which was gradually becoming more tropical
in appearance. Palm trees, especially burity (_Mauritia vinifera_ M.), in
single specimens, or in groups, could be seen in the great stretches of
good grazing country which appeared on both sides of our course.

We spent the night at the fazenda of Ritiro Alegre (elev. 2,450 ft.),
which words translated mean "the merry rest"--a most undeserved name, I
can assure you, for neither merriment nor rest was to be obtained there.
An evening in a Brazilian farm was, nevertheless, occasionally not devoid
of interest or of comic scenes.

These folks evidently valued little the life of their children. As I was
sitting on the doorstep waiting for my dinner to be cooked, down came,
galloping at a breakneck speed and riding bareback, a little child of
eight, carrying slung under his arm a smaller child of one, the latter
squealing terribly. They both landed safely at the door. Then there
appeared one of the picturesque carts drawn by twelve oxen, anxiously
awaited by the family. Twenty snarling, snorting, ill-natured pigs
provided enough noise seriously to impair the drums of one's ear