vellous undulating
open plain with lovely grass and numerous fat cattle grazing upon it. In
the distance upon the hill-side four or five farm-sheds could be
perceived. We had stopped at one farm on the way in hopes of getting
food, but they could only sell us some _feijao_--beans soaked in lard--so
that it was with some haste that we directed our mules to the more
imposing building in expectation of finding there at least some rice and
eggs. We hurriedly crossed the plain and then the stream, and halted at
the Cachoeira Grande (Grand Rapid) farm, 2,950 ft. above the sea level. A
pure negro was in charge of the place, whose wife was also as black as
the ace of spades. Curiously enough, they possessed a child much
discoloured and with golden hair and blue eyes. Such things will happen
in the best regulated countries. The black man swore it was his own
child, and we took--or, rather, did not take--his word for it.

We went on thirteen more kilometres that afternoon, when we were
overtaken by a hurricane and torrential rain which drenched us to the
marrow of our bones. We halted for the night at the farm of _Lagoa
formosa_ (Beautiful Lagoon), 3,000 ft. above the sea level.

It was on April 12th that we proceeded to climb the dividing range
between the waters flowing south into the Paranahyba (afterward called
the Parana) River, and those flowing north eventually into the Amazon.
This range of mountains was by some called Serra de Sta. Rita, by others
Serra Dourada. It was not possible to ascertain the real name from the
local people, who could tell me the names of no place, or mountain, or
stream, and hardly knew the names of their own homes.

On a flat expanse some 13 kil. from Lagoa Formosa we came upon a small
lake. We travelled mostly across campos (or prairies), with waters from
that point flowing northward. Seventeen kilometres farther we entered the
neat-looking village of Curralhino (elev. 2,600 ft.), with two squares
and streets actually with names to them. We were from this point on the
main route between Sao Paulo and the capital of Goyaz, and also met there
the telegraph line between Goyaz and Sao Paulo.

We were getting near the capital of the province. A little more life was
noticeable in this settlement than in those we had met before. Caravans
of mules and horses occasionally passed through, and bullock-carts, with
eighteen and twenty oxen, slowly and squeakily crept along. We were going
through a region