第17章

The trunks of the trees were clothed with climbing ferns, and Pothos plants with large, fleshy, heart-shaped leaves.Bamboos and other tall grass and reed-like plants arched over the pathway.The appearance of this part of the forest was strange in the extreme; description can convey no adequate idea of it.The reader who has visited Kew may form some notion by conceiving a vegetation like that in the great palm-house, spread over a large tract of swampy ground, but he must fancy it mingled with large exogenous trees similar to our oaks and elms covered with creepers and parasites, and figure to himself the ground encumbered with fallen and rotting trunks, branches, and leaves;the whole illuminated by a glowing vertical sun, and reeking with moisture.

At length we emerged from the forest, on the banks of the Una, near its mouth.It was here about one hundred yards wide.The residence of Senor Danin stood on the opposite shore; a large building, whitewashed and red-tiled as usual, raised on wooden piles above the humid ground.The second story was the part occupied by the family, and along it was an open verandah, where people, both male and female, were at work.Below were several negroes employed carrying clay on their heads.We called out for a boat, and one of them crossed over to fetch us.Senor Danin received us with the usual formal politeness of the Portuguese, he spoke English very well, and after we had arranged our business, we remained conversing with him on various subjects connected with the country.Like all employers in this province, he was full of one topic--the scarcity of hands.It appeared that he had made great exertions to introduce white labour, but had failed, after having brought numbers of men from Portugal and other countries under engagement to work for him.They all left him one by one soon after their arrival.The abundance of unoccupied land, the liberty that exists, a state of things produced by the half-wild canoe-life of the people, and the case with which a mere subsistence can be obtained with moderate work, tempt even the best-disposed to quit regular labour as soon as they can.He complained also of the dearness of slaves, owing to the prohibition of the African traffic, telling us that formerly a slave could be bought for 120 dollars, whereas they are now difficult to procure at 400 dollars.

Mr.Danin told us that he had travelled in England and the United States, and that he had now two sons completing their education in those countries.I afterwards met with many enterprising persons of Mr.Danin's order, both Brazilians and Portuguese;their great ambition is to make a voyage to Europe or North America, and to send their sons to be educated there.The land on which his establishment is built, he told us, was an artificial embankment on the swamp; the end of the house was built on a projecting point overlooking the river, so that a good view was obtained, from the sitting-rooms, of the city and the shipping.

We learned there was formerly a large and flourishing cattle estate on this spot, with an open grassy space like a park.On Sundays, gay parties of forty or fifty persons used to come by land and water, in carriages and gay galliotas, to spend the day with the hospitable owner.Since the political disorders which Ihave already mentioned, decay had come upon this as on most other large establishments in the country.The cultivated grounds, and the roads leading to them, were now entirely overgrown with dense forest.When we were ready to depart, Senor Danin lent a canoe and two negroes to take us to the city, where we arrived in the evening after a day rich in new experiences.

Shortly afterwards, we took possession of our new residence.The house was a square building, consisting of four equal-sized rooms; the tiled roof projected all round, so as to form a broad verandah, cool and pleasant to sit and work in.The cultivated ground, which appeared as if newly cleared from the forest, was planted with fruit trees and small plots of coffee and mandioca.

The entrance to the grounds was by an iron-grille gateway from a grassy square, around which were built the few houses and palm-thatched huts which then constituted the village.The most important building was the chapel of our Lady of Nazareth, which stood opposite our place.The saint here enshrined was a great favourite with all orthodox Paraenses, who attributed to her the performance of many miracles.The image was to be seen on the altar, a handsome doll about four feet high, wearing a silver crown and a garment of blue silk, studded with golden stars.In and about the chapel were the offerings that had been made to her, proofs of the miracles which she had performed.There were models of legs, arms, breasts, and so forth, which she had cured.

But most curious of all was a ship's boat, deposited here by the crew of a Portuguese vessel which had foundered, a year or two before our arrival, in a squall off Cayenne; part of them having been saved in the boat, after invoking the protection of the saint here enshrined.The annual festival in honour of our Lady of Nazareth is the greatest of the Para holidays; many persons come to it from the neighbouring city of Maranham, 300 miles distant.Once the President ordered the mail steamer to be delayed two days at Para for the convenience of these visitors.

The popularity of the festival is partly owing to the beautiful weather that prevails when it takes place, namely, in the middle of the fine season, on the ten days preceding the full moon in October or November.Para is then seen at its best.The weather is not too dry, for three weeks never follow in succession without a shower; so that all the glory of verdure and flowers can be enjoyed with clear skies.The moonlit nights are then especially beautiful, the atmosphere is transparently clear, and the light sea-breeze produces an agreeable coolness.