BRAZIL 
73 
out a subsistence. At length they were discovered, and a 
party of soldiers being sent, the whole were seized with the 
exception of one old woman, who, sooner than again be led 
into slavery dashed herself to pieces from the summit of 
the mountain. In a Roman matron this would have been 
called the noble love of freedom : in a poor negress it is 
mere brutal obstinacy. We continued riding for some 
hours. For the few last miles the road was intricate, and 
it passed through a desert waste of marshes and lagoons. 
The scene by the dimmed light of the moon was most 
desolate. A few fireflies flitted by us; and the solitary 
snipe, as it rose, uttered its plaintive cry. The distant and 
sullen roar of the sea scarcely broke the stillness of the night. 
April 9th.—We left our miserable sleeping-place before 
sunrise. The road passed through a narrow sandy plain, 
lying between the sea and the interior salt lagoons. The 
number of beautiful fishing birds, such as egrets and cranes, 
and the succulent plants assuming most fantastical forms, 
gave to the scene an interest which it would not otherwise 
have possessed. The few stunted‘ trees were loaded with 
parasitical plants, among which the beauty and delicious 
fragrance of some of the orchide were most to be admired. 
As the sun Tose, the day became extremely hot, and the 
reflection of the light and heat from the white sand was 
very distressing. We dined at Mandetiba ; the thermo- 
meter in the shade being 84°. The beautiful view of the 
distant wooded hills, reflected in the perfectly calm water 
of an extensive lagoon, quite refreshed us. As the venda! 
1 Vönda, the Portuguese name for an inn.