 Preface of A Voyage in the Sunbeam, Our Home on the Ocean for 11 Months. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Dovey Cross, Taos, New Mexico. A Voyage in the Sunbeam, Our Home on the Ocean for 11 Months by Anna Brassi. Dedication, Preface, Note. Dedication to the friends in many climes and countries of the white and colored races and of every graded society who have made our year of travel a year of happiness. These pages are dedicated by the ever-grateful author. Preface. This volume needs no elaborate preface. A general sketch of the voyage which it describes was published in the Times immediately after our return to England. That letter is reprinted here as a convenient summary of the Sunbeam's performances. But these prefatory lines would indeed be incomplete if they did not contain a well-deserved tribute to the industry and accuracy of the author. The voyage would not have been undertaken and assuredly it would never have been completed without the impulse derived from her perseverance and determination. Still less would any sufficient record of the scenes and experiences of the long voyage have been preserved had it not been for her painstaking desire not only to see everything thoroughly but to record her impressions faithfully and accurately. The practice skill of a professional writer cannot reasonably be expected in these simple pages, but their object will have been attained if they are the means of enabling more homekeeping friends to share in the keen enjoyment of the scenes and adventures they describe. Thomas Brassy Note I have to thank Mr. W. Simpson, author of Meeting the Sun, for the passage is given on pages 341-343, Reader's Note, Chapter 20, referring to the Japanese temples and their priesthood. The vessel which has carried us so rapidly and safely around the globe claims a brief description. She was designed by Mr. Sinclair Byrne of Liverpool and may be technically defined as a screw-composite three-masted top-sail-yard schooner. The engines, by Monsieur's Laird, are of 70 nominal or 350 indicated horsepower and developed a speed of 10.13 knots at the measured mile. The bunkers contain 80 tons of coal, the average daily consumption is 4 tons and the speed 8 knots in fine weather. The principal dimensions of the hull are length for tonnage 157 feet, beam extreme 27 feet 6 inches, displacement tonnage 531 tons, area of midship section 202 square feet. A. B. End of preface. Chapter 1 of A Voyage in the Sun Beam by Anna Brassy. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recording by Debbie Cross, Taos, New Mexico. Farewell to Old England Masts, spires and strand receding on the right, the glorious main expanding on the bow. At noon on July 1st, 1876, we said goodbye to the friends who had come to Chatham to see us off and began the first stage of our voyage by steaming down to Sheerness, saluting our old friend the Duncan, Admiral Chadd's flagship, and passing through a perfect fleet of craft of all kinds. There was a fresh, contrary wind and the channel was as disagreeable as usual under the circumstances. Next afternoon we were off Hastings, where we had intended to stop and dine and meet some friends, but unfortunately the weather was not sufficiently favorable for us to land, so we made a long tack out to sea and in the evening found ourselves once more near the land off Beechee Head. While we calmed off Brighton we all, children included, availed ourselves of the opportunity to go overboard and have our first swim, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We had steam up before 10 and again proceeded on our course. It was very hot and sitting under the awning turned out to be the pleasantest occupation. The contrast between the weather of the two following days was very great and afforded a forcible illustration of the uncertainties, perhaps the fascinations of yachting. We steamed quietly on past the hour's light chip and the crowds of yachts that ride and dropped anchor off cows at six o'clock. On the morning of the sixth a light breeze sprang up and enabled us to go through the needles with sails up and funneled down, a performance of which all on board felt very proud, as many yachtsmen had pronounced it to be an impossibility for our vessel to beat out in so light a breeze. We were 43 on board, all told, as will be seen by reference to the list I have given. We had with us besides two dogs, three birds and a charming Persian kitten belonging to the baby. The kitten soon disappeared and it was feared she must have gone overboard down the Haaspipe. There was a faint hope, however, that she might have been packed away with the new sails, which had been stowed in a great hurry the day before. Unhappily she was never found again and the children were inconsolable until they discovered at Torquay, an effective substitute for Lily. The channel was tolerably smooth outside the Isle of Wight and during the afternoon we were able to hold on our course direct for Ushant. After midnight, however, the wind worked gradually round to the west-southwest and blew directly in our teeth. A terribly heavy sea got up and as we were making little or no progress, it was decided to put into Torquay or Dartmouth and there a way to change. We anchored in Torbay about half a mile from the pier at 8.30 a.m. and soon afterwards went ashore to bathe. We found, however, that the high rocks which surround the snug little bathing cove made the water as cold as ice. Nothing more having been heard of our poor little kitten, we can only conclude that she has gone overboard. Just as we were leaving the railway station, however, we saw a small white kitten with a blue ribbon round its neck and all the children at once exclaimed, There's our Lily! We made inquiries and found that it belonged to the young woman at the refreshment room who, after some demer, allowed us to take it away with us in compliance with Muriel's anxious wish expressed on her face. About ten o'clock we got under way but lay to for breakfast. We then had a regular beat of it down channel, everybody being ill. We formed a melancholy-looking little road down the lee side of the ship though I must say that we were quite as cheery as might have been expected under the circumstances. It was bright and sunny overhead which made things more bearable. Sunday, July 9th, a calm at 2 a.m. Orders were given to get up steam, but the new coals from Chatham were slow to light, though good to keep up steam when once fairly kindled. For four long hours, therefore, we lulloped about in the trough of a heavy sea, the sails flapping as the vessel rolled. By the time the steam was up, so was the breeze, a contrary one, of course. We accordingly steamed and sailed all day, taking more water on board, though not really in any great quantity, than I had ever seen the good ship do before. She carries a larger supply of coal in other stores than usual, and no doubt the square yards on the foremast make her pitch more heavily. We were all very sorry for ourselves, and church postponed from eleven until four o'clock brought together but a small congregation. On the eighth we were fairly away from Old England, and on the next day off of Chant, which we rounded at about four-thirty p.m. at the distance of a mile and a half. The sea was tremendous, the waves breaking in columns of spray against the sharp needle-like rocks that formed the point of the island. The only excitement during the day was afforded by the visit of a pilot boat, without any fish on board, whose owner was very anxious to take us into breast, safe from the coming storm, which he predicted. In addition to our other discomforts, it rained hard, and by half past six, I think nearly all our party had made up their minds that bed would be the most comfortable place. Two days later we sailed into lovely, bright, warm, sunny weather, with a strong northeasterly breeze, a following sea, and an occasional long roll from the westward. But as the sun rose, the wind increased, and we got rather knocked about by the sea. A good deal of water came on board, and it was impossible to sit anywhere in comfort, unless lashed or firmly wedged in. We were, however, going ten knots through the water on our course under our new square-head canvas, and this fact made up for a good deal of discomfort. The 30 extra tons of spare sails, spars, and provisions, the 15 tons of water and the 84 tons of coal made a great difference in our buoyancy, and the sea came popping in and out at the most unexpected places, much to the delight of the children, with their feet and legs and armed with mops and sponges, waged mimic war against the intruder and each other, singing and dancing to their hearts' content. This amusement was occasionally interrupted by a heavier roll than usual, sending them all into the least cupers, sowsing them from head to foot, and necessitating a thorough change of clothing, despite their urgent protest that sea water never hurt anybody. After our five o'clock dinner, however, we very nearly met with a most serious accident. We were all sitting or standing about the stern of the vessel, admiring the magnificent dark blue billows following us, with their curling white crests mountains high. Each wave as it approached appeared as if it must overwhelm us, instead of which it rushed grandly by, rolling and shaking us from stem to stern and sending fountains of spray on board. Tom was looking at the stern compass, all not being close to him. Mr. Bingham and Mr. Freer were smoking, halfway between the quarter-deck and the after-companion, where Captain Brown, Dr. Potter, Muriel, and I were standing. Captain Lecky, seated on the large coil of rope placed on the box of the rudder, was spinning Maybelly yarn. A new hand was steering, and just at the moment when on an unusually big wave overtook us, he unfortunately allowed the vessel to broach too a little. In a second the sea came pouring over the stern, above all not said. The boy was nearly washed overboard, both the rail and, with great presence of mind, stuck his knees into the bulwarks. Kindred, Arboson, seeing his danger, rushed forward to save him, but was knocked down by the return wave from which he emerged gasping. The coil of rope on which Captain Lecky and Maybelly were seated was completely floated by the sea. Providentially, however, he had taken a double turn round his wrist with a reefing point, and, throwing his other arm round Maybelly, held on like grim death, nothing could have saved them. She was perfectly self-possessed, and only said quietly, Hold on, Captain Lecky, hold on, to which she replied, All right. I asked her afterwards if she thought she was going overboard, and she answered, I did not think at all, Mama, but felt sure we were gone. Captain Lecky, being accustomed to very large ships, had not in the least realized how near we were to the water in our little vessel, and was proportionately taken by surprise. All the rest of the party were drenched, with the exception of Muriel, whom Captain Brown held high above the water in his arms, and who lost no time in remarking in the midst of the general confusion. I'm not at all wet, I'm not. Happily the children don't know what fear is. The maids, however, were very frightened, as some of the sea had got down into the nursery, and the skylights had to be screwed down. Our studying sail-boom, too, broke with a loud crack when the ship broached, too, and the jaws of the fore-boom gave way. Soon after this adventure we all went to bed, full of thankfulness that it had ended as well as it did, but alas, not so far as I was concerned, to rest in peace. In about two hours I was awakened by a tremendous weight of water suddenly descending upon me and flooding the bed. I immediately sprang out, only to find myself in another pool on the floor. It was pitch-dark and I could not think what had happened, so I rushed on deck and found that, the weather having moderated a little, some kind sailor, knowing my love of fresh air, had opened the skylight rather too soon, and one of the angry waves had popped on board, deluging the cabin. I got a light and proceeded to mop up as best I could, and then endeavored to find a dry place to sleep in. This, however, was no easy task, for my own bed was drenched and every other berth occupied. The deck, too, was ankle-deep in water, as I found when I tried to get across to the deck-house sofa. At last I lay down on the floor, wrapped up in my ulster, and wedged between the foot stanchion of our swing bed and a wardrobe with wartship, so that as the yacht rolled heavily, my feet were often higher than my head. Consequently, what sleep I snatched turned into nightmare, of which the fixed idea was a broken head from the three hundred weight of lead at the bottom of our bed, swinging wildly from side to side and up and down, as the vessel rolled and pitched, suggesting all manner of accidents. When morning came at last, the weather cleared a good deal, though the breeze continued. All hands were soon busily employed in repairing damages, and very picturesque the deck and rigging of the sunbeam looked, with various groups of men occupied upon the ropes, spars, and sails. Towards the evening, the wind fell light, and we had to get up steam. The night was the first really warm one we had enjoyed, and the stars shone out brightly. The sea, which had been of a lovely blue color during the day, showed a slight fuss for essence after dark. Thursday, July 13th. When I went on deck at half-past six, I found a gray, steamy, calm morning, promising a very hot day without wind. About 10.30 a.m., the cry of, Sail on the Port Beam! caused general excitement, and in a few minutes every telescope and glass in the ship had been brought to bear upon the object which attracted our attention, and which was soon pronounced to be a wreck. Orders were given to starboard the helm and to steer direct for the vessel, and many were the conjectures hazarded and the questions asked of the fortunate holders of glasses. What is she? Is there anyone on board? Where does she come from? Can you read her name? Does she look as if she had been long abandoned? Soon we were near enough to send a boat's crew on board, whilst we watched their movements anxiously from the bridge. We could now read her name, the Carolina, surmounted by a gorgeous yellow decoration on her stern. She was of between two and three hundred tons burden, and was painted a light blue with a red streak. Beneath her white bowsprit, the gaudy image of a woman served as a figurehead. The two masts had been snapped short off about three feet from the deck, and the bulwarks were gone, only the covering board and stankions remaining, so that each wave washed over and through her. The roof and supports of the deckhouse and the companions were still left standing, but the sides had disappeared and the ship's deck was burst up in such a manner as to remind one of a quail's back. We saw the men on board poking about, apparently very pleased with what they had found, and soon our boat returned to the yacht for some breakers, as the Carolina had been laden with port wine and cork, and the men wished to bring some of the former on board. I changed my dress, and putting on my sea boots started for the wreck. Footnote. Breakers are small casks used for carrying water and boats, frequently spelt barricades, evidently from the time of the old Spanish navigators. End footnote. We found the men rather excited over their discovery. The wine must have been very new and very strong, for the smell of it, as it slopped about all over the deck, was almost enough to intoxicate anybody. One pipe had already been emptied into the breakers and barrels, and great efforts were made to get some of the casks out whole, but this was found to be impossible without devoting more time to the operation than we chose to spare. The men managed to remove three half-empty casks with their head stowed in, which they threw overboard, but the full ones would have required special appliances to raise them through the hatches. It proved exceedingly difficult to get at the wine, which was stowed underneath the cork, and there was also a quantity of cabin bulkheads and fittings floating about under the influence of the long swell of the Atlantic. It was a curious sight standing on the roof of the deckhouse to look into the hold full of floating bales of cork, barrels and pieces of wood, and to watch the sea surging up in every direction, through and over the deck which was level with the water's edge. I saw an excellent modern iron cooking stove washing about from side to side, but almost every other movable article, including spars and ropes, had apparently been removed by previous boarders. It would have delayed us too long into the nearest port, 375 miles distant, or we might have claimed the salvage money estimated by the experts at 1500 pounds. She was too low in the water for it to be possible for us with our limited appliances to blow her up. So we were obliged to leave her floating about as a derelict, a fertile source of danger to all ships crossing her track. With her buoyant cargo and with the trade winds slowly wafting her to smoother seas, it may probably be some years before she breaks up. I only hope that no good ship may run full speed onto her, some dark night, for the Carolina would prove almost as formidable an obstacle as a sunken rock. Tom was now signaling for us to go on board again, and for a few minutes I was rather afraid we should have had a little trouble in getting the men off, as their excitement had not decreased. But after a trifling delay and some rather rough play amongst themselves, they became steady again, and we returned to the yacht with our various prizes. A mother-carries chicken hovered round the wreck while we were on board, and followed us to the sunbeam, and although a flat calm and a heavy swell prevailed at the time, we all looked upon our visitor as the harbinger of a breeze. In this instance, at least, the well-known sailor superstition was justified for, before the evening, the wind sprang up, and fires out and sails up was the order of the day. We were soon bowling merrily along at the rate of seven knots an hour, while a clear starlit night and a heavy dew gave promise of a fine morrow. Friday, July 14th. We still have a light wind, right aft, accompanied by a heavy roll from the westward, which makes it impossible to sit anywhere with comfort and difficulty even to read. By 6 a.m. the sun had become very powerful, though its heat was tempered by the breeze, which gradually increased throughout the day until, having set all our fore-and-aft canvass our square sails, we glided steadily along in delightful contrast to the uneasy motion of the morning and of the past few days. Under the awning were the most heavenly blue sky above and the still darker clear blue sea beneath, stretching away in gentle ripples as far as the eye could reach. It was simply perfect. Our little party get on extremely well together, though a week ago they were strangers to each other. We are all so busy that we do not see much of one another, except at meals, and we have plenty to talk about. Captain Lecky imparts to us some of his valuable information about scientific navigation and the law of storms, and he and Tom and Captain Brown work hard at these subjects. Mr. Freer follows in the same path, Mr. Bingham draws and reads, Dr. Potter helps me to teach the children who, I am happy to say, are as well as possible. I read and write a great deal and learn Spanish, so that the days are all too short for what we have to do. The servants are settling down well into their places, and the commissariat department does great credit to the cooks and stewards. The maids get unsatisfactorily, but are a little nervous on rough nights. We hope not to have many more just at present, for we are now approaching common latitudes. In the course of the day, whilst Tom and I were sitting in the stern, the man at the wheel suddenly exclaimed, There's land on the port bow! We knew from the distance we had run that this could not be the case. And after looking at it through the glasses, Tom pronounced the supposed land to be a thick wall of fog, advancing towards us against the wind. Captain Brown and Captain Leckie came from below and hastened to get in the studying sails in anticipation of the coming squall. In a few minutes we had lost our fair breeze and brilliant sunshine. All our sails were taken flat-aback, and we found ourselves enveloped in a dense fog, which made it impossible for us to see the length of the vessel. It was an extraordinary phenomenon. Captain Leckie, who, in the course of his many voyages, has passed within a few miles of this exact spot more than a hundred and fifty times, had never seen anything in the least like it. As night came on, the fog increased, and the boats were prepared ready for lowering. Two men went to the wheel and two to the bowels to look out, while an officer was stationed on the bridge with steam whistle and bell ready for an emergency. So that, in case we ran into anything or anything ran into us, we should at least have the satisfaction of knowing that, so far as we were concerned, it had all been done strictly according to active parliament. Saturday, July 15th. Between midnight and 4 a.m., the fog disappeared as suddenly as it had come on. We must have passed through a wide belt of it. At 5.30 a.m., when Tom called me to see a steamer go by, it was quite clear. Cecil was the Roman, and she passed so close to us that we made our number and exchanged salutations with the officers on the bridge. Towards the afternoon, a nice breeze sprang up, and we were able to bank fires and sail. End of chapter one. Chapter two of A Voyage in the Sun Beam by Anna Brassi. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recording by Davy Cross, Taos, New Mexico. Laura, Tenerife, and Cape Diverty Islands. Full many a green aisle needs must be in this wide sea of misery, or the mariner worn and wan never thus could voyage on. Sunday, July 16th. Porto Santo being visible on the port bow a quarter of a mile ahead by 3.55 a.m. this morning. Our three navigators congratulated themselves on the good landfall they had made. It looks a curious little island, and is situated about 35 miles northeast of Madeira, with a high peak in the center of which we could only see the extreme point appearing above the clouds. It is interesting to know that it was from his observation of the driftwood and debris washed on to the eastern shore that Columbus, who had married the daughter of the governor of Porto Santo, derived his first impressions of the existence of the New World. Here it was that he first realized there might possibly be a large and unknown country to the westward. Here it was that he first conceived the project of exploring the hitherto unknown ocean, and of discovering what new countries might bound its western shores. An hour later, we saw Fora and its light at the extreme east of Madeira, and could soon distinguish the mountains in the center of the latter island. As we rapidly approached the land, the beauty of the scenery became more fully apparent. A mass of dark purple volcanic rocks clothed on the top with the richest vegetation, with patches of all sorts of color on their sides, rises boldly from the sea. There are several small detached rocks, and one curious pointed little island with an arch right through the middle of it, rather like the purse rock on the coast of Nova Scotia. We steamed slowly along the east coast, passing many pretty hamlets. Nestled in bays are perched on the side of hills, and observing how every possible nook and corner seemed to be terraced and cultivated. Sugar canes, Indian corn, vines, and many varieties of tropical and semi-tropical plants grow luxuriantily in this lovely climate. Nearly all the cottages in the island are inhabited by a simple people, many of whom have never left their native villages even to look at the magnificent view from the top of the surrounding mountains or to gaze on the sea by which they are encompassed. We dropped our anchor in the Bay of Funchal at about 12 o'clock, and before breakfast was over found ourselves surrounded by a perfect flotilla of boats, though none of them dared approach very near, until the health officer had come alongside and pronounced us free from infection. At this moment all are complaining much of the heat which since yesterday has been very great, and is caused by the wind called Est, blowing direct from the African deserts. It was 79 degrees in the coolest place on board and 84 degrees on shore in the shade in the middle of the day. The African male steamer Ethiopia, last from Bonnie, west coast of Africa, when she arrived the day before yesterday was lying in the bay, and the children went on board with some of our party to see her cargo of monkeys, parrots, and pineapples. The result was an importation of five parrots on board the sunbeam, but the monkeys were too big for us. Captain Dane, who paid us a return visit, said that the temperature here appeared quite cool to him, as for the last few weeks his thermometer had varied from 82 degrees to 96 degrees in the shade. We had service at 4 p.m. and at 5 p.m. went ashore in a native boat, furnished with bilge pieces to keep her straight and to avoid the surf, for it was too rough for our own boats. At the water's edge, a curious sort of double slay, drawn by two oxen, was waiting. Into this we stepped, setting off with considerable rapidity at the steep, shingly beach under a beautiful row of trees to the prakha, where the greater portion of the population were walking up and down, or sitting under the shade of the magnolias. These plants here attain the size of forest trees and their large white, wax-like flowers shed a most delightful fragrance on the evening air. They were graceful pepper vines, too, and a great variety of trees, only known to us in England in the form of small shrubs. This being a festival day, the streets were crowded with people from town and country, in their holiday attire. The doorposts and balconies of the houses were wreathed with flowers, the designs in many cases being very pretty. This particular was quite lovely, with arches made of double red dranium, mixed with the feathery-looking pepper leaves, while the uprights were covered with amaryllis and white arum lilies. The streets were strewn with roses and branches of myrtle, which, bruised by the feet of the passers-by, and the runners of the bullock slay emitted a delicious aromatic odor. The trellises in the gardens seem overgrown with stefanatus, mauve and purple passion flowers, and all their creepers, the purple and white hibiscus shoots up some 14 to 16 feet in height. Bananas full of fruit and flower, strillitias, heliotrope, geraniums, and pilargoniums bloom all around in large shrubs, mixed with palms and mimosas of every variety, and the whole form such an enchanting picture that we were loath to tear ourselves away. A ride of about 20 minutes in the bullock slay up a deep hill by the side of a rocky torrent whose banks were overgrown with caledinians and vines brought us to our destination, till once we had a splendid view of the town and bay stretching beneath us. During the ascent we passed several cottages whose inhabitants stood airing themselves on the threshold after the great heat of the day, and through the open doorways we occasionally got a peep into the gardens beyond, full of bright flowers and luxuriant with vines, fig trees and bananas. As we sat in the terrace garden at till we enjoyed the sweet scent of the flowers we could no longer see and listened to the cool splash of water in the fountain below, whilst all not with unceasing energy searched amongst the bushes for mobs of which he found a large number. We jogged down the hill a great deal faster than we had come up, stopping only for a short time in the now more than ever crowded praka to listen to one or two airs played by the Portuguese band before we got back to the yacht at about half past ten. Next morning we were off to the fish market by seven o'clock but it was not a good time for our visit as there had been no moon on the previous night and though there were fish of various kinds, saw nothing specially worth of notice. The picturesque costumes of the people were however interesting. We afterwards went to the fruit market though it was not specially worth seeing for most of the fruit and vegetables are brought in boats from villages on the seashore and as it is necessary to wait until the sea breeze brings up they do not arrive until midday. After our walk the children and I went down to the beach and bathed, taking care not to go too far out on account of the sharks of which we had been warned. We undressed and dressed intense not unlike clotheshorses with a bit of matting thrown over them in which the heat was intense. The beach is very steep and as one gets out of one's depth immediately indifferent swimmers put on a couple of bladders which stick out behind their backs and produce a strange effect or else take a bathing man into the water with them. I preferred the ladder course and we all had a pleasant bathe. The natives seem almost amphibious in their habits and the yacht is surrounded all day by boats full of small boys who will dive to any depth for six pints a dozen of them spluttering and fighting for the coin in the water at the same time. They will go down on one side of the yacht too and bob up on the other almost before you have time to run across the deck to witness their reappearance. The Lou Rock with its old fortress close to our anchorage forms a picturesque object and the scene from the yacht enlivened by the presence of numerous market boats laden with fruit and vegetables is very pretty. We lie about 150 yards from the shore of the Danaras Quinta. The cliff just here is overhung with bougainvillas, geraniums, fuchsias, aloes, prickly pears and other flowers which grow luxuriously quite down to the water's edge wherever they can contrive to find a root hold. After five o'clock tea we rode up the mount and threw the woods on horseback along a road gay with masses of wild geranium, hydrangea, amaryllis and fuchsia. We dismounted at a lefty place which contains a large number of rare trees and plants brought from all parts of the world. Here were enormous camillas as well as purple, red and white azaleas, Guernsey lilies all growing in the greatest perfusion. Our descent of the mount by means of a form of conveyance commonly used on the island was very amusing. At the summit we found basketwork slays each constructed to hold two people and attended by a couple of men lashed together. Into these we stepped and were immediately pushed down the hill at a tremendous pace. The gliding motion is delightful and was altogether a novelty to us. The men managed the slays with great skill, steering them in the most wonderful manner round the sharp angles in the zigzag road and making use of their bare feet as breaks when necessary. The turns were occasionally so abrupt that it seemed almost impossible that we could avoid being upset, but we reached the bottom quite safely. The children were especially delighted with the trip and indeed we all enjoyed it immensely. The only danger is the risk of fire from the friction of the steel runners against the gravel road. After paying a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Blandy whose house is beautifully situated we dined at the hotel and afterwards sat in the lovely semi-tropical garden until it was time to go on board to bed. Tuesday, July 18th we were called at 4.30 am and went to shore soon after six to meet some friends with whom we had arranged to ride up to the Grand Corral and to breakfast there 5,000 feet above the level of the sea. It soon became evident that the time we had selected for landing was the fashionable bathing hour. In fact it required some skill on our part to keep the boat clear of the crowds of people of both sexes and all ages who were taking their morning dip. It was most absurd to see entire families from the bald-headed and spectacled grandfather to the baby who could scarcely walk, all desporting themselves in the water together, many of them supported by the very inelegant looking bladders I have mentioned. There was a little delay in mounting our horses under the shade of the fig trees but when we were once off a party of 11 the cavalcade became quite formidable. As we clattered up the paved streets between vineyard and garden walls curiosity opened her lattice on more dedication to ascertain the cause of the unwanted commotion. The views on our way as we sometimes climbed a steep ascent or descended a deep ravine were very varied but always beautiful. About halfway up we stopped to rest under a delightful trellis of vines by the side of a rushing mountain stream bordered with ferns. Then leaving the vineyards and gardens behind us we passed through forests of shady Spanish chestnut trees beneath which stretched the luxurious greensward. At ten o'clock we quitted this grateful shade and arrived at the neck of the past facing the Grand Corral where we had to make our choice of ascending a conical hill on our left or the Torrinas Peak on our right. The latter was chosen as promising the better view although it was rather farther off so we were accordingly seized upon by some of the crowd of peasants who surrounded us and who had once proceeded to push and pull us up a steep slippery grass slope interspersed with large boulders. The view from the top looking down a sheer precipice of some 1500 feet in depth into the valley below was lovely. Quite at the bottom amid the numerous ravines and small spurs of rocks by which the valley is intersected we could distinguish some small patches of cultivated ground. Above our heads towered the jagged crests of the highest peaks Pico Ruvo and others which we had already seen from the yacht on the first side of the island. A pleasant walk over some grassy slopes and two more hard scrambles took us to the summit of the Torrinas Peak but the charming and extensive view toward Camara de Lobos and the bay and town of Funchal was an ample reward for all our trouble. It did not take us long to get back to the welcome shade of the chestnut trees for we were all ravenously hungry in being now 11 o'clock. But alas the breakfast had not arrived so we had no resource but to mount our horses again and ride down to meet it. Mr. Miles of the hotel had not kept his word. He had promised that our provision should be sent up to us by nine o'clock and it was midday before we met the men carrying the hampers on their heads. There was now nothing for it but to organize a picnic on the terrace of Mr. Vakes deserted villa beneath the shade of Camilla, Fuchsia, Myrtle, Magnolia from whence we could also enjoy the fine view of the fertile valley beneath us and the blue sea sparkling beyond. Wednesday, July 19th we were so tired after our exertions of yesterday that it was nine o'clock before we all mustered for our morning swim which I think we enjoyed the more from the fact of our having previously been prevented by the sharks or rather by the rumor of sharks. We were engaged to lunch at Mr. and Mrs. Blandies but I was so weary that I did not go ashore until about six o'clock in the evening and then I went first to the English Cemetery which is very prettily laid out and well kept. The various paths are shaded by pepper trees entwined with bougainvillea while in many places the railings are completely covered by long trailing masses of Stephanatus in full bloom. Some of the inscriptions on the tombs are extremely touching and it is sad to see as is almost always the case in places much resorted to bainvillads how large a proportion of those who lie buried here have been cut off in the very flower of their youth. Indeed the residents at Madeira complained that it is a melancholy drawback to the charms of this beautiful island that the friendship frequently formed between them and people who come hither in search of health is in so many cases brought to an early and sad termination. Having seen and admired Mrs. Fuljams charming garden by daylight we returned on board to receive some friends. Unfortunately they were not very good sailors and out of our party of twenty one lady had to go shore at once and another before dinner was over. They all admired the yacht very much particularly the various cozy corners in the deck house. It was a lovely night and after the departure of our guests at about ten o'clock we steamed out of the bay where we found a nice light breeze which enabled us to sail. On Friday July 20th all today has been taken up in arranging our photographs journals etc etc and in preparing for our visit to Tenerife. About twelve o'clock the wind fell light and we tried fishing but without success those several bonitos or flying fish were seen. It was very hot and it seemed quite a relief when at eight o'clock in the evening we began steaming thus creating a breeze for ourselves. Friday July we first. We all rose early and were full of excitement to catch the first glimpse of the famous peak of Tenerife. There was a nice breeze from the northeast the true trade wind we hope which ought to carry us down nearly to the line. The morning being rather hazy it was quite ten o'clock before we saw the peak towering above the clouds right ahead about fifty nine miles off. As we approached it appeared less perpendicular than we had expected or than it is generally represented in pictures. The other mountains too in the center of the island from the midst of which it rises are so very lofty that in spite of its conical sugar-loaf top it is difficult at first to realize that the peak is twelve thousand one hundred eighty feet high. We dropped anchor under its shadow in the harbor of Oratava in preference to the capital Santa Cruz both on account of its being a healthier place and also in order to be nearer to the peak which we wish to ascend. The heat having made the rest of our party rather lazy Captain Lecky and I volunteered to go on shore to see the vice consul Mr. Goodall and try to make arrangements for our expedition. It was only two p.m. and very hot work walking through the deserted streets but luckily we had not far to go and the house was nice and cool when we got there. Mr. Goodall sent off at once for a carriage dispatching a messenger also to the mountains for horses and guides which there was some difficulty in obtaining in such short notice. Having organized the expedition we re-embarked to dine on board the yacht and I went to bed at seven to be called again however at half past ten o'clock. After a light supper we landed and went to the vice consuls arriving there exactly at midnight but no horses were forthcoming so we laid down on our rugs in the patio and endeavored to sleep as we knew we should require all our strength for the expedition before us. There were sundry false alarms of a start as the horses arrived by ones and twos from the neighboring villages accompanied by their respective owners. By two o'clock all our steeds twelve in number had assembled and in another quarter of an hour we were leaving the town by a steep stony path bordered by low walls. There was no moon and for the first two hours it was very dark. At the end of that time we could see the first glimmer of dawn and were shortly afterwards able to distinguish each other and to observe the beautiful view which lay below us as we winded our way up and up between small patches of cultivation. Soon we climbed above the clouds which presented a most curious appearance as we looked down upon them. The strata through which we had passed was so dense and so white that it looked exactly like an enormous glacier covered with fresh fallen snow extending for miles and miles while the projecting tops of the other Canary Islands appeared only like great solitary rocks. The sun had already become very oppressive and at half past seven we stopped to breakfast and to water the horses. Half past eight found us in the saddle again and we commenced to traverse a dreary plain of yellowish white pumice stone interspersed with huge blocks of obsidian thrown from the mouth of the volcano. At first the monotony of the scene was relieved by large bushes of yellow broom and full flower and still larger bushes of the beautiful Ratama Blanca quite covered with lovely white bloom senting the air with its delicious fragrance and resembling huge tufts of feathers eight or nine feet high. As we proceeded however we left all traces of vegetation behind us. It was like the great Sahara on every side a vast expanse of yellow pumice stone sand spread around us an occasional block of rocks sticking up here and there and looking as if it had indeed been fused in a mighty furnace. By half past ten we had reached the Estancia de los Ingléses 9,639 feet above the level of the sea where the baggage and some of the horses had to be left behind. The saddles being transferred to mules deep climbed before us. After a drink of water all round we started again and commenced the ascent of the almost perpendicular stream of lava and stone which forms the only practicable route to the top. Our poor beasts were only able to go a few paces at a time without stopping to regain their breath. The loose ashes and lava fortunately gave them a good foothold or it would have been quite impossible for them to get along at all. We were only encouraged to proceed by the sight of one's friends above looking like flies clinging to the face of a wall. The road, if such it can be called, ran in zigzags each of which was about the length of two horses so that we were in turns one above another. There were a few slips and slides and tumbles but no important casualties and in about an hour and a half we had reached the Alta Vista a tiny plateau where the horses left. The expedition so far had been such a fatiguing one and the heat was so great that the children and I decided to remain here and to let the gentlemen proceed alone to the summit of the peak. We tried to find some shade but the sun was so immediately above us that this was almost an impossibility. However we managed to squeeze ourselves under some slightly overhanging rocks and I took some photographs while the children slept. The guide soon returned with water full of ice procured from a cabin above where there is a stream of water constantly running and nothing could have been more grateful and refreshing. It was more than three hours before Tom and Captain Lecky reappeared to be soon followed by the rest of the party. Whilst they rested and refreshed themselves with ice they described the ascent as fatiguing in the extreme in fact almost an impossibility for a lady. First they had scrambled over huge mountains of rough lava to the tiny plain of the Ramblata 11,466 feet above the level of the sea after which they had to climb up the cone itself 530 feet in height and sloping at an angle of 44 degrees. It is composed of ashes and calcined chalk into which their feet sank while for every two steps they made forwards and upwards they slipped one backwards and the rock were rewarded for their exertions by a glorious view and by the wonderful appearance of the summit of the peak. The ground beneath their feet was hot while sulfurous vapors and smoke issued from various small fissures around them though there has been no actual eruption from this crater of the volcano since 1704. They brought down with them a beautiful piece of calcined chalk covered with crystals of sulfur and arsenic which they had left behind in the mountains. Partched and dry as the ground looked where I was resting a few grains of barley dropped by mules on the occasion of a previous visit had taken root and had grown up into ear and there were also a few roots of a sort of dog violet showing its delicate lavender colored flowers 11,000 feet above the sea and far beyond the level of any other vegetation. The descent was consequently very fatiguing and even painful. At every step our feet sank into a mass of loose scoriae and ashes and so we went slipping, sliding and stumbling along sometimes running against a rock and sometimes nearly pitching forward on our faces. All this tube beneath a blazing sun with a thermometer at 78 degrees and not a vestige of shade. At last Tom and I reached the bottom of our taking of luncheon and droughts of quinine we lay down under the shadow of a great rock to recruit our weary frames. Refreshed by our meal we started at six o'clock on our return journey and went down a good deal faster than we came up. Before the end of the pumice stone over Toma plains had been reached it was nearly dark. Sundry small accidents occurring to stir up leathers, bridles and girths for the saddlery was not in the best description but made us slightly and as Tom, Dr. Potter, Alma and the guide had got on ahead we soon lost sight of them. After an interval of uncertainty the other guides confessed that they did not know the way back in the dark. This was not pleasant for the roads were terrible and during the whole of our journey up from the port to the peak we had met only four people in all two goat herds with their flocks and two neveros bringing down ice to the town. There was therefore not much chance of gaining information on anyone on our way down. We wandered about among low bushes down water courses and over rocks for a long time. Horns were blown and other means of attracting attention were tried first one and then another of the party meanwhile coming more or less to grief. My good little horse fell down three times though we did not part company and once he went up a steep bank by mistake instead of going down a very nasty water course which I do not wonder at his objecting to. I managed to jump off in time and so no harm was done but it was rather anxious work. About ten o'clock we saw a light in the distance and with much shouting woke up the inhabitants of the cottage whence it proceeded promising to reward them liberally if they would only show us our way back. Three of them consented to do this and provided themselves accordingly with pine torches wrapped round with bracken and leaves. One a very fine man dressed in white with his arm extended above his head bearing the light led the way. Another walked in front of my horse while the third brought up the rear. They conducted us down the most frightfully steep paths until we had descended beneath the clouds when the light from our torches threw our shadows in gigantic form upon the mists above reminding us of the legend of the specter of the bracken. At last the torches began to go out one by one and just as the last light was expiring we arrived at a small village where we of course found that everybody was asleep. After some delay during which Maybell and I were so tired that we lay down in the street to rest more torches were procured and a fresh guide who led us into the comparatively good path towards Puerto Orotava. Finally half an hour after midnight we arrived at the house of the vice consul who had provided refreshments for us and whose nephew was still very kindly sitting up awaiting our return but we were too tired to do anything but go straight on board the yacht where after some supper and champagne we were indeed glad to retire to our births. This was at 3.30 a.m. exactly 29 hours since we had been called on Friday night. It is certainly too long an expedition to be performed in one day. Tents should be taken and arrangements made for camping out for one if not two nights but in the case of such a large party as ours this would have been a great business as everything must be carried to so great a height of such steep places and over such bad roads. Still there are so many objects and places of interest not only on but around the peak that it is a pity to see them only when hurried and fatigued. Sunday July 23rd orders had been given not to call us nor to wash decks and it was consequently half past 10 before anyone awoke and midday before the first of our party put in an appearance on deck. Long before this the sunbeam had been inundated with visitors from the shore. We had given a general invitation to the Friends of the Vice Consul to come and see the yacht and they accordingly arrived in due course accompanied in many cases by a large circle of acquaintances. Those who came first were conducted below and all over the vessel but the number ultimately became so great that in self-defense we were obliged to limit their wanderings to the deck opening the skylights wide however to enable them to see as much as possible of the saloon and cabins. From breakfast time until prayers at three o'clock when the yacht was closed for an hour there was a constant stream of visitors from the shore. It was a great nuisance but still it seemed unkind to refuse to allow them to see what they had never seen before and might possibly never have an opportunity of seeing again. All steamers and sailing ships as a rule go to Santa Cruz and the fame of our vessel having been spread abroad by our visitors of Friday many of the poor people had come from villages far away over the mountains. We could not help feeling a certain respect for the determined way in which physical infirmity was mastered by curiosity. Though many experienced very serious inconvenience from the motion of the vessel, they still persevered in their examination. About five o'clock we went ashore ourselves and drove up to Villa Orotava. The wide road is macadamized and marked with kilometer stones and is planted on either side with pepper trees, plain trees and the eucalyptus lobulus, which has grown 35 meters or 115 feet in seven years. The hedges are formed of blue plumbago, scarlet geranium, yellow acacia, lavender colored heliotrope, white jasmine and pink and white roses. After driving a few miles we turned down an old paved road towards the sea and by dent of a considerable amount of shaking arrived at the celebrated botanical gardens mentioned by Humboldt and others. We passed through a small house with a fine dragon tree on either side and entered the gardens where we found a valuable collection of trees and shrubs of almost every known species. The kind and courteous curator Don Herman Wildgarret accompanied us and explained the peculiarities of the many interesting plants from Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia, New Zealand and the various islands of the North and South Pacific and Indian nations. The climate of Tenerife is so equitable that the island forms a true garden of acclimatization for the vegetable productions of the various countries of the world. By the judicious expenditure of a little more money this establishment might be made an important means of introducing to Europe many new and valuable plants. At present the annual income is 5,000 francs, the salary of the curator being 1,000 francs. A rough drive over paved roads commanding roads of views of sea and rocks and of some palm trees on a promenatory in the distance brought us at about 7 o'clock to the boat which was waiting our return. We arrived in due course on board the sun beam laden with bouquets of the choicest flowers and soon after dinner we all retired to bed not having yet recovered from the fatigue of yesterday. Monday, July 24th what one gains in the beauty and abundance of vegetable life here is its rapid and premature decay. Fruit gathered in the morning is scarcely fit to eat at night and the flowers brought on board yesterday evening were dead today at 4.30 a.m. Whilst some of the roses we brought from cows lasted until we reached Madeira though it must be owned so many fell to pieces that my cabin used to be daily swept with rose leaves instead of tea leaves. We went ashore soon after 6 and drove straight to the garden of the Marquis de Sonsal where there is a beautiful palm tree by the remains of an enormous dragon tree old even in the 15th century besides hedges of myrtle, jasmine and clematis and flowers of every description in full bloom. The dragon tree is a species of dracana and looks rather like a gigantic candelabra composed of a number of yuccas perched on the top of a gnarled and somewhat deformed stem half palm half cactus another beautiful garden was next visited belonging to the Marquis de la Candilla who received us and showed us his coffee and plantains in full growth as well as a magnificent Spanish chestnut tree co-evolved with the dragon tree out of one of its almost decayed branches a so-called young tree was growing but it would have been thought very respectable and middle-aged in any other locality everyone here as in Madeira has been more or less ruined by the failure of the vines most of the large landed proprietors have left their estates to take care of themselves and the peasants for the last few years have been immigrating by hundreds to Caracas in Venezuela things are however beginning to look up a little now the cultivation of cochineal appears to succeed though the price is low coffee answers well and permission has been obtained from the Spanish government to grow tobacco accompanied by a promise to purchase at a certain fixed rate all that can be produced still people talk of the island of Tenerife as something very different now from what it was 25 or 30 years ago both as regards the number of its inhabitants and the activity of its commerce and more and over the good old times a custom I have remarked in many other places the Marquis de la Quindilla and Don Herman Wild Garrett returned on board with us to breakfast the anchor had been weighed and the sunbeam was slowly steaming up and down waiting for us the stream of visitors had been as great and as constant as ever during our absence in spite of the heavy role of the sea and the deck seemed quite covered with baskets of flowers and fruit kindly sent on board by the people who had been over the yacht the day before amongst the latest arrivals were some very handsome Spanish ladies beautifully dressed in black with mantillas each of whom was accompanied by a young man carrying a basin it must I fear be confessed that this was rather a trial to the gravity of all on board it certainly was an instance of knowledge or the gratification of curiosity under considerable difficulties immediately after breakfast our friends beta said you and went to shore in the shore boat while we steamed along the north side of the island past the splendid cliffs of Buena Vista rising 2000 feet share from the sea to Cape Teno the extreme western point of Tenerife in the distance we could see the great canary Palma and hero and soon pass close to the rocky island of Mara here to the dark cliffs of volcanic form and origin are magnificent and as we were almost becalmed by the high land whilst we sailed along the north shore of the island we had ample opportunities of admiring its rugged beauty during the night we approached Palma another large island of the canary group containing one of the most remarkable Calderas or large basins formed by volcanic action in the world end of chapter 2 chapter 3 of a voyage in the sun beam by Anna Brassie this Libervox recording is in the public domain recording by W. Cross Taos, New Mexico Palma to Rio de Janeiro a wet sheet and a flowing sea a wind that follows fast and fills the white and rustling sail and bends the gallant mast Tuesday, July 25th there was not much wind during the night and Palma was consequently still visible when I came on deck at daybreak we had a light, fair wind in the morning accompanied by a heavy swell which caused us to roll so much that I found it very difficult to do anything several shoals of flying fish skimmed past us along the surface of the water occasionally rising to a considerable height above it their beautiful wings glittering in the bright sunlight looked like it's silver filigree work in the night one flew on board only to be preserved in spirits by Dr. Potter Saturday, July 29th for the last three days we have been going on quietly with fair warm weather but a nice fresh breeze sprang up today at midday the sun was so exactly vertical over our heads that it was literally possible to stand under the shadow of one's own hat brim and be sheltered all round our navigators experienced considerable difficulty in taking their noontide observations as the sun appeared to dodge about in every direction about two o'clock we made the high land of St. Antonio one of the Cape De Verde islands and soon afterwards the lower land of St. Vincent some doubt existing as to the prevalence of fever at the latter place Tom decided not to stop there for fear of having to undergo quarantine at Rio de Janeiro we therefore shortened sail and passed slowly between the islands to the anchorage beyond the bird rock this is a very small island of perfectly conical form covered with thousands of sea fowl who live here undisturbed by any other inhabitants the town of Porto Grande with its rows of white houses on the seashore at the base of the rocky crags looked clean and comfortable in the evening light during the day however it must be a hot and glaring place for there are no trees to afford shade nor indeed any kind of vegetation the water too is bad and all supplies for passing steamers are brought from the other islands at very uncertain intervals it is still a great coaling station though not so much used as it was formally before the opening of the Suez canal the ships come out with coal and go away in ballast there is nothing else to be had here procured from a point near the town to Rio or elsewhere where they pick up the word cargo of fruit etc the absence of twilight in these latitudes both at dawn and sunset is certainly very remarkable this morning at four o'clock the stars were shining brightly ten minutes later the day had commenced a break and at half past four the sun had risen above the horizon and was gilding the surrounding mountaintops Sunday July 30th about ten a.m. we were off Tarafal Bay a most hopeless looking place for supplies high rocky mountains sandy slopes and black volcanic beach composed a scene of arid desolation in the midst of which was situated one small white house with four windows and a thatched roof surrounded by a little green patch of sugar canes and coconut palms but the result proved the sage-ness of the advice contained in the old proverb not to trust to appearances only for whilst we were at breakfast Mr. Martinez the son of the owner of the one whitewashed cottage to be seen came on board to our surprise he spoke English extremely well and promised us all sorts of supplies if we could wait until three o'clock in the afternoon having agreed to do this we shortly afterwards went to shore in his boat with a crew of more than half-naked negroes and a hot row of about three miles brought us to the shore where after some little difficulty we succeeded in affecting the landing our feet immediately sank into the hot black sand there was entirely a volcanic deposit and small pieces or rather grains of amber through which we had a fatiguing walk until we reached some palm trees shading a little pool of water here we left some of the men with instructions to fill the breakers they had brought with them while we walked on along the beach past the remains of an English schooner that caught fire not far from the silent and was run ashore by her captain 30 years ago her iron anchor, chain and wheel still remained together with two iron cannon which I should have much liked to carry off as a memorial of our visit we then turned up a narrow shadeless path bordered by stone walls leading away from the sea past a sugar mill and a ruin a few almond, castor oil and fig trees were growing amongst the sugar canes and as we mounted the hill we could see some 30 round straw huts like beehives on the sandy slopes beside the little stream an abrupt turn in the mountains which, at a distance of three leagues this tiny river takes its rise hides it from the sea so that the narrow valley which it fertilizes looks like a small oasis in the desert of rocks and sand Mr. Martinez's house where we sat for some time and beneath the windows of which one stream of the island runs was comparatively cool outside the negro washer women were busy washing clothes in large turtle shell tubs a kind of woman bird a kind of white crane who appeared quite tame playing about just like a kitten pecking at the clothes or the women's feet and then running away and hiding behind a tree the stream was full of watercresses while the burnt up little garden contained an abundance of beautiful flowers there were scarlet and yellow mimosa of many kinds combining every shade of exquisite green velvety foliage alpinias with pink waxy flowers and crimson and gold centers oleanders, begonias, hibiscus alamandas and arem and other lilies Mr. Bingham sketched I took some photographs Dr. Potter and the Children caught butterflies and the rest of our party wandered about every five minutes a negro arrived with a portion of our supplies one brought a sheep another a milk-scote for the baby while the rest contributed severally a couple of coconuts, a papaya three mangoes, a few watercresses a cup of sweet potatoes a bottle of milk three or four quinces a bunch of bananas, a little honey half a dozen cabbages some veal and pork and so on until it appeared as if every little garden on either side of the three leagues of stream must have yielded up its entire produce and we had accumulated sacks full of coconuts and potatoes, hundreds of eggs and dozens of chickens and ducks it was very amusing to see the things arrive they were brought in by people ranging in color from dark yellow to the blackest ebony and ranging in size from fine stalwart men over six feet in height to tiny little blackies of about three feet six with curly hair, snowy teeth and mischievous beady eyes the arrival of the provision boat and the transfer of its miscellaneous cargo to the sunbeam was quite an amusing sight the pretty black goat and the sheep bleated the fowls cackled and the ducks quacked while the negroes chatted and laughed and hauled on board fish of all shapes and sizes bunches of bananas piles of coconuts sacks of potatoes and many other things finishing up with a tiny black boy about three years old whom I think they would rather have liked to leave behind with us if we would only have taken him the fish proved excellent though some of them really seemed almost too pretty to eat a brilliant goldfish weighing about three pounds and something like a gray mullet in flavor was perhaps the best the prices were very curious chickens a shilling each ducks five shillings goats thirty shillings and sheep tens shillings vegetables fruit and flowers were extremely cheap but the charge for water fetched from the spring and our own breakers by our own crew with but little assistance from four or five negroes was three pounds eighteen shillings however as ours is the only yacht with one exception that has ever visited this island there was nothing for it except to pay the bill without demer I never in my life felt so warm as I did today on shore though the inhabitants say it will not be really hot for two months yet I never before saw coconut palms growing and I never tasted a mango until this morning so I have experienced three new sensations in one day the night was fearfully close muggy and thundery the temperature and the cabins being eighty-nine degrees in spite of open skylights and portholes it has not been as hot as we expected especially on board the yacht itself on deck there is almost always a nice breeze but below it is certainly warm Tuesday, August 1st yesterday we were still under sail but today it has been necessary to steam for the wind has fallen too light there was a heavy roll from the south and the weather continued hot and oppressive and the cabins the thermometer stood at eighty-nine degrees during the whole of the night in spite of all our efforts to improve the temperature we therefore put three of the children in the deck house to sleep opening the doors and windows and some of the rest of our party slept on deck in hammocks in anticipation of the heavy equatorial rains which Captain Leckie had predicted might commence today we had had the awnings put up a fortunate piece of foresight four before midnight the rain came down in torrents Wednesday, August 2nd at daybreak the sky was covered with heavy black clouds and the atmosphere was as hot and muggy as ever we had a great deal of rain during the day and took advantage of the opportunity to fill every available tub bucket and basin to say nothing of the awnings it came down in such sheets that Macintoshes were comparatively useless and we had soon filled our seventeen breakers the cistern and the boats from which we had removed the covers with very good though somewhat dirty washing water Friday, August 4th we were only 289 miles off Sierra Leone in the morning and at noon therefore Tom decided to put about having done so we found that we went along much more easily and quite as fast on the other track we maintained a good rate of speed on our new course which was now nearly due west passing a large bark with every stitch of canvas set hand over hand we are still in the getting current and the temperature of the water is 82 degrees even in the early morning but the heat of the sun does not seem to have much effect upon it as it does not vary to any great extent during the day in the evening we saw the southern cross for the first time and were much disappointed in its appearance the fourth star is of smaller magnitude than the others and the whole group is only for a very short time in a really upright position inclining almost always either to one side or the other as it rises and sets to stay August 8th we crossed the line at daylight this event caused much fun and excitement both in cabin and four castle the conventional hair was put across the field of the telescope for the unsophisticated really to see the line and many firmly believed they did see it and discussed its appearance at some length Jim Allen one of our tallest sailors and coxen of the gig dressed in blue with long oakum wig and beard guilt paper crown and trident fish impaled in one hand was seated on a gun carriage and made a capitol father Neptune our somewhat portly engineer Mr. Raubotham with fur trimmed dressing gown and cap and bent form leaning on a stick his face partially concealed by a long grey beard and a large band box of pills on one arm made an equally good doctor to his marine majesty while the part of Mrs. Trident was ably filled by one of the youngest sailors dressed in some of the maid's clothes but the accompanying pictures will give a better idea than any description of mine soon afterwards we saw an enormous shoal of grampuses large black fish about 25 feet in length something between a dolphin and a whale with the very ugliest jaws or rather snouts imaginable they are of a predatory and ferocious disposition attacking not only sharks dolphins and porpoises but even whales more than twice their own size we also passed through enormous quantities of flying fish no doubt driven to the surface by dolphins and bonitos they were much larger and stronger in the wing than any we have hitherto seen Lulu's puppies born yesterday have been respectfully named Butterfly who survived her birth only an hour Poseidon, Aphrodite, Amphitrite and Thetis names suggested by their birthplace on the ocean close to his marine supposed equatorial palace at noon we were 250 miles off St. Paul's rocks Thursday, August 10th a very hot, showery day saw two large ships in the distance in the morning we were almost becalmed for a time but the breeze returned during the afternoon and we were able to proceed on our course I think this has been the most lovely of the many exquisite days we have enjoyed since we left England it commenced with a magnificent sunrise and ended with an equally gorgeous sunset only to be succeeded by a beautiful moonlit night so clear and bright that we could see to read ordinary print on deck Saturday, August 12th at noon we were 300 miles off Bahia a place we have made up in our minds not to visit as it would lengthen our voyage considerably and there is not much to see there we have therefore decided to proceed direct to Rio where we are looking forward to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday next the night was showery with a good deal of wind and sea Sunday, August 13th sailing in the tropics is really very delightful when going to the westward there is almost always at the season of the year a favorable breeze and the weather is generally either quite fair or moderately so whispered to it westward, westward and with speed it darted forward we had service at 11.15 and again at 5.30 p.m. the choir has considerably improved one of our new men plays the violin very well and frequently accompanies the children and the nurse in their songs on a clear calm night beneath the tropical sky when the members of this little group assemble on deck and by the light of a lantern sings some of their simple songs the effect produced is both melodious and picturesque the wind dropped at about 10 p.m. and we had an unpleasant amount of roll during the night sales flapping sparse creaking and booms swinging as if they would pull the mass out of the vessel Monday, August 14th this morning we saw a small schooner ahead and thinking from her maneuvers that she wished to speak us we made our number and ran towards her we soon found out however that she was a whaler in chase of two large grampuses she had two men on the lookout in the cross trees in a sort of iron cage and though she was of much smaller tonnage than the sun beam she carried five big boats one of which full of men was ready to be lowered into the water the instant they had approached sufficiently near to the whale or grampus these seas used formally to abound with whalers but they are now much less numerous the seasons having been bad of late tonight the stars were especially brilliant and we spent some hours in trying to make out their names Vega our polar star for some time to come it was shown conspicuously bright and the southern cross could be seen to great advantage Wednesday, August 16th we had a fine fair breeze all day and at 5 p.m. there was a cry from the mast head of land ahead great excitement immediately prevailed on board and Tom and Captain Brown rushed for about the 12th time to the foretop to see if the report was true they were soon able to announce that Cape Freya was visible on the port bow about 35 miles distant after even a fortnight at sea an indescribable sensation is produced by this cry and by the subsequent sight of the land itself when we came up on deck this evening after dinner we all gazed on the lighthouse on the still distant shore as if we had never beheld such a thing in our lives before the color and temperature of the water had perceptibly changed the former from a beautiful clear dark ultramarine to a muddy green innumerable small birds locusts and grasshoppers came on board and having given special orders that we were to be called early the next morning we went to bed in the fond hope that we should be able to enter Rio Harbor at daybreak Thursday August 17th long propose do dispose steam was up at midnight but by that time it was blowing half a gale of wind from the southwest was such a steep short sea that the screw was scarcely ever properly immersed but went racing round and round in the air with tremendous velocity as we pitched and rolled about our progress was therefore at the rate of something rather under a mile an hour and at daybreak instead of entering the harbor of Rio as we had hoped to do we found ourselves close to Cape Frio about 8 a.m. matters mended the wind moderating and changing its direction slightly so that under steam and sail we were soon going along the coast at the rate of 4 or 5 miles an hour the surf was breaking with a loud roar upon the white sandy beach while the spray was carried by the force of the wind far inland over the strip of flat fertile looking country lying between the sea and a chain of low sugar low shaped mountains parallel with a shore and only a short distance off our course lay between the mainland and the islands of Maya and Pio where the groves of bananas and other trees looked very miserable in the wind the tall isolated palm trees whose elastic stems bowed readily before the fury of the blast looked as they were twisted and whirled hither and thither like umbrellas turned inside out passing the false sugar loaf mountain as it is called we next opened out the true one the gavia and the chain of mountains beyond the outlines of which bear an extraordinary resemblance to the figure of a man lying on his back the profile of the face being very like that of the late Duke of Wellington as the sun sank in gorgeous splendor behind these hills I think I never saw a grander or more beautiful sight though the sky was so red and stormy looking that our hopes of a fine day tomorrow were but faint before entering the harbor a bar had to be crossed which is a dangerous operation all the world over the skylights and hatches were fastened down and those of our party who did not like being shut up below took their places on the bridge where for the first time since we left England it felt really quite cold as we advanced the beautiful harbor with its long rows of glittering gas lights extending for miles on either side of the bay and illuminating the city and suburbs gradually became visible on our left lay the two islands Rodanda and Raza on the ladder of which is situated a lighthouse the wind was blowing off the land when we reached the bar so that after all our preparations there was hardly any sea to encounter in the moment we were over the water on the other side was perfectly smooth a gun and a blue light from Fort Santa Cruz answered immediately by a similar signal from Fort Santa Lucia announced our arrival and we shortly afterwards dropped our anchor in the quarantine ground of Rio close to Badafogo Bay in the noble harbor of Nick Theroy after dinner it rained heavily and continued to do so during the whole night end of chapter 3 chapter 4 of a voyage in the sun beam by Anna Brassi this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Davy Cross Taos New Mexico Rio de Janeiro the sun is warm the sky is clear the waves are dancing fast and bright blue owls and snowy mountains where the purple noon's transparent light Friday August 18 the clouds still hung heavy on the hills or rather mountains which surround the bay occasionally descending in the form of torrents of rain and hiding everything from our view early in the morning we weighed anchor and steamed up the bay to the man of war anchorage a much pleasenter situation than the quarantine harbor where we had brought up last night about 9 30 a.m. the health officers came on board and half an hour later we had a visit from the custom house official who required Tom to sign and seal a declaration upon oath that he had no cargo on board and not more cold than we absolutely required for our own consumption about 11 o'clock we put on our macintoshes and thick boots and accompanied by an interpreter who together with several washer women had suddenly made his appearance on board, rode ashore in our way through crowds of boats laden with fruit and vegetables the landing place was close to the market at some broken down steps and was crowded with chattering negroes of every shade of color the keys seemed covered with piles of fruit and vegetables discharged from the boats the principal produce being sugarcane bananas and oranges each side street that we came to was a little river which had to be crossed or rather forted after paddling through the mud in the main thoroughfare our first visit was to the post office no letters then to the british consulate no letters and finally to the legation but there was nobody at home there so we set off for the hotel de étranger to breakfast our way lay through the straggling suburbs of the city for about two miles and as we drove along we could see and admire despite the heavy rain the magnificent groves of palm trees and the brilliancy and beauty of the tropical vegetation in the various private and public gardens that we passed after breakfast we returned to the legation where we were most kindly received but much to our regret no letters were forthcoming we next paid a visit to some of the shops in the Roua de Ovidor for the sale of imitations of flowers made from the undyed feathers of birds and a large number of the more expensive varieties of ordinary artificial flowers each petal consisting of the entire throat or breast of a hummingbird and the leaves are made from the wings of beetles they are very rare and beautiful their manufacture being quite a speciality of this city the prices asked to astonish us greatly the cost of five sprays which I had been commissioned to buy was twenty nine pounds and the price of all the others was proportionately high but then they were forever that's them for nine years and they are as good now as when they were bought Saturday August 19th though far from brilliant the weather improved and we were able to enjoy occasional glimpses of the beautiful scenery around us Mr. Go and Mr. O'Connor breakfasted with us on board and we afterwards proceeded in a bond to the botanical gardens about seven miles out of the city these bonds which are a great institution here which carriages either open or closed drawn sometimes by one sometimes by two sometimes by three mules they go at a great pace and run very smoothly ordinary carriages are dear and as tramways have been laid down in almost every street and road driving is a rather difficult affair on our road we passed several delightful looking private gardens the railings were completely covered by green and yellow stripes other with a beautiful orange colored creeper and lilac bougainvillea or passion flowers of many colors and variety inside we could see large trees with green and yellow stripes crottin oil plants spotted and veined caladiums and draconais the whole being shaded by orange trees along the edge of Badafogo Bay there is a delightful drive beneath a splendid avenue of imperial palms each specimen rises straight up like the column of an egyptian temple and is crowned with a feathery tuft of large shiny dark green leaves some 30 feet in length the clumps of bamboos too were very fine and nearly all the trees seem to be full of curious orchids and parasites of every sort and kind we had an agreeable drive back in the cool evening to dinner at the Hotel de Lourrope the food was excellent we ate some delicious tiny queer shaped oysters which are found on the mangrove trees overhanging the water higher up the bay we afterward went to a pleasant little reception where we enjoyed the splendid singing of some young brazilian ladies and the subsequent row off to the yacht in the moonlight was not the least delightful part of the program Sunday August 20th at last a really fine day we could now for the first time thoroughly appreciate the beauties of the noble bay of Nickthroy though the distant organ mountains were still hidden from our view in the morning we went to church on board the HMS Volage afterwards rowing across the bay to Icarque where we took the tramway to Santa Rosa on our way we again passed many charming villas and gardens similar to those we had admired yesterday while the glorious and ever attractive tropical vegetation abounded everywhere in spite of the great heat the children seemed staring in the pursuit of butterflies of which they succeeded in catching many beautiful specimens Monday August 21st after an early breakfast we started off to have a look at the market the greatest bustle in animation prevailed and there were people and things to see and observe in endless variety the fish market was full of finny monsters of the deep all new and strange to us whose odd brazilian names would convey to a stranger but little idea of the fish themselves there was an enormous rockfish weighing about 300 pounds with hideous face and shiny back and fins there were large ray and skate and cuttlefish the puve of Victor Hugo's Traveller de la Mer besides baskets full of the large prawns for which the coast is famous 8 or 10 inches long and with antennae of 12 or 14 inches in length they make up in size for want of quality for they are insipid and tasteless though being tender they make excellent curry the oysters on the other hand are particularly small but of the most delicious flavor they are brought from a park higher up the bay where as I have said they grow on posts and the branches of the mangrove tree which hang down into the water we also saw a large quantity of fine mackerel a good many turtle and porpoises and a few hammer headed sharks the latter are very curious creatures not unlike an ordinary shark but with a remarkable hammer shaped projection on either side of their noses for which it is difficult to imagine a use in the fruit market were many familiar bright colored fruits for it is now the depth of winter at Rio and the various kinds that we saw were all such as would bear transport to England fat jet black negroses wearing turbans on their heads strings of colored beads on their necks and arms and single long white garments which appeared to be continually slipping off their shoulders here presided over brilliant looking heaps of oranges, bananas, pineapples passionfruit, tomatoes apples, pears, capsicums and peppers, sugarcane cabbage palms, cherimoyas and breadfruit in another part of the market all sorts of live birds were for sale with a few live beasts such as deer monkeys, pigs, guinea pigs and perfusion, rats, cats dogs, marmosets and a deer little lion monkey very small and rather red with a beautiful head and mane who roared exactly like a real lion in miniature we saw also cages full of small flamingos, snipe of various kinds and a great many birds of smaller size with feathers of all shades of blue red and green and metallic hues of brilliant luster besides parrots, macaws cockatoos innumerable and torches on stands the torcha is a bright colored black and yellow bird about as big as a starling which puts its little head on one side and takes flies from one's fingers in the prettiest and most enticing manner unfortunately it is impossible to introduce it into England as it cannot stand the change of climate the other birds included guinea fowls, ducks, cocks and hens pigeons, doves, quails etc. and many other varieties less familiar or quite unknown to us all together the visit was an extremely interesting one and well repaid us for our early rising at 11 o'clock we started for the patropolis steamer which took us alongside a wooden pier from the end of which the train started and we were soon winding our way through sugar and coffee plantations formed in the midst of the forest of palms and other tropical trees an Englishman has made a large clearing here and has established a fine farm which he hopes to work successfully by means of immigrant labor after a journey of 20 minutes in the train we reached the station at the foot of a hill where we found several four mule carriages awaiting our arrival the drive up from the station to the town over a pass in the Oregon mountains was superb at each turn of the road we had an ever varying view of the city of Rio and its magnificent bay and then the banks of this tropical high road from out a mass of rich verger grew lovely scarlet begonias and spotted caladiums shaded by graceful tree ferns and overhung by trees full of exquisite parasites and orchids among these the most conspicuous after the palms are the tall thin stem sloth trees so called from there being a favorite resort of the sloth who with great difficulty crawls up into one of them remains there until he has demolished every leaf and then passes on to the next tree the pace of the mules up the steep incline under a broiling sun was really wonderful half way up we stopped to change at a buvette where we procured some excellent brasilia coffee a fine but exceedingly better flavor our next halt, midway between the buvette and the top of the hill was at a spring of clear sparkling water where we had an opportunity of collecting some ferns and flowers and on reaching the summit we stopped once more to enjoy the fine view over the pass in the Bay of Nixaroy the descent towards Petropolis then commenced it lies in the hollow of the hills with a river flowing through the center of its broad streets on either side of which are villas and avenues of noble trees all together it reminded me of Bagné de Duchamp in the Pyrenees though the general effect is unfortunately marred by the gay and rather too fantastic painting of some of the houses Tuesday, August 22nd we were called at half past five and after a hasty breakfast started on horseback by seven o'clock for the virgin forest about six miles from Petropolis after leaving the town and its suburbs we pursued our way by rough winding paths across which huge moths and butterflies flitted and hummingbirds buzzed in the almond trees after a ride of an hour and a half we entered the silence and gloom of a vast forest on every side extended a tangled mass of wild luxuriant vegetation giant palms and tree ferns and parasites are to be seen in all directions growing wherever they can find root hold sometimes they kill the tree which they favor with their attentions one creeper in particular being called Matapau or kill tree but as a rule they seem to get on very well together and to depend on other for nourishment and support the most striking of these creepers is perhaps the Leani whose tendrils grow straight downwards to the ground twisting themselves together in knots and bundles occasionally one sees suspended from a tree at a height of some 50 feet a large lump of moss from which scarlet orchids are growing looking like an enormous hanging flower basket all colors in Brazil whether of birds, insects, or flowers are brilliant in the extreme blue, violet orange, scarlet, and yellow are found in the richest perfusion and no pale or faint tints are to be seen even white seems purer, clearer and deeper than the white of other countries we had a long wet walk in the forest the mosses and ferns being kept moist and green by the innumerable little streams of water which abound everywhere owing to the thickness of the surrounding jungle it was impossible to stray from our very narrow path notwithstanding the attractions of hummingbirds butterflies and flowers at last we came to an opening in the wood once we had a splendid view seawords and where it was decided to turn round and retrace our steps through the forest after walking some distance we found our horses waiting and after a hot but pleasant ride reached Petropolis by 12 o'clock for breakfast letter riding and butterfly catching occupied the afternoon until four o'clock when I was taken out for a drive in a comfortable little faten with a pretty pair of horses while the rest of the party walked out to see a little more of Petropolis in its environs we drove past the emperor's palace an Italian villa standing in the middle of a large garden the new church and the houses of the principal inhabitants most of which are shut up just now all looked very green and pleasant it was interesting to see a curious breed of dogs descended from the bloodhounds formally used in hunting the poor Indians Wednesday, August 23rd at six o'clock we assembled all on the balcony of the hotel to wait for the coach which arrived shortly afterwards there was some little delay and squabbling before we all found ourselves safely established on the coach but starting was quite another matter for the four white mules resolutely refused to move without a vast amount of screaming and shouting and plunging we had to pull up once or twice before we got clear of the town to allow more passengers to be somehow or other squeezed in and at each fresh start similar objections on the part of the mules had to be overcome the air felt fresh when we started but before we had proceeded far we came into a thick cold wet fog which after the heat of the last few weeks seemed to pierce us to the very marrow eight miles farther on the four frisky white mules were exchanged for five steady done colored ones which were in their turn replaced after a seven mile stage by four nice bays who took us along at a tremendous pace the sun began by this time to penetrate the mist and the surrounding country became visible we found that we were following the course of the river passing through an avenue of coral trees loaded with the most brilliant flowers and fruit imaginable and full of barricades and fluttering birds of many hues we stopped at several small villages and at about 11 a.m. reached entrerious having changed mules seven times and done the 59 and a half miles in four hours and 50 minutes including stoppages pretty good work especially as the heat during the latter portion of the journey had been as great as the cold was at the commencement the term cold must here be taken only in a relative sense for the thermometer is never lower than 48 degrees though having been accustomed for a long while to 85 degrees we felt the change severely after a capital breakfast at the end near the station we got into the train and began a very hot dusty journey over the Sarah to Palmieras which place was reached at 4 p.m. we were met on our arrival by Dr. Gunning who kindly made room for Tom and me at his house the rest of our party proceeding to the hotel the view from the windows of the house which is situated on the very edge of a hill over the mountains of the Sarah glowing with the light of the setting sun was perfectly enchanting and after a refreshing cold bath one was able to appreciate it as it deserved a short stroll into the forest adjoining the house proved rich in treasures for in a few minutes I had gathered 26 varieties of ferns including gold and silver ferns two creeping ferns and many other kinds the moon rose and the fireflies flashed about among the palm trees as we sat in the veranda before dinner while in several places on the distant hills we could see circles of bright flames where the forest had been set on fire in order to make clearings we were up next morning in time to see the sunrise from behind the mountains and as it gradually became warmer the hummingbirds and butterflies came out and buzzed and flitted among the flowers we had planned to devote the day to a visit to Barra and it was therefore necessary to hurry to the station by eight o'clock to meet the train where we stopped twenty minutes to breakfast at what appeared to be a capital hotel built above the station the rooms were large and lofty everything was scrupulously clean and the dishes most appetizing looking our carriage was then shunted and hooked on to the other train and we proceeded to the station of Santa Ana where Mr. Farrow met us with eight mules and horses and a large old-fashioned carriage which held some of us, the rest of the party galloping on in front we galloped also and upset one unfortunate horse luckily without doing him any harm after a couple of miles of a rough road we arrived at the gates of the barren's grounds where the old Negro slave coachman amused us very much by ordering his young master to conduct the equestrians round to the house by another way beneath the avenue of palm trees leading from the gates to the house grew orange lemon and citron trees trained as the spelliers while behind them again tall rose bushes and pomegranates showed their bright faces driving through an archway we arrived at the house and with much politeness and many bows were conducted indoors in order that we might rest ourselves and get rid of some of the dust of our journey Santa Ana is one of the largest fazendas in this part of Brazil the house occupies three sides of a square in the middle of which heaps of coffee were spread out to dry in the sun the center building is the dwelling house with a narrow strip of garden full of sweet smelling flowers in front of it the right wing is occupied by the slaves shops and warehouses and by the chapel while the left wing contains the stables domestic offices and other slave rooms by law masters are bound to give their slaves one day's rest in every seven and any work the slaves may choose to do on that day is paid for at the same rate as free labor but the day selected for this purpose is not necessarily Sunday and on adjoining fazendas different days are invariably chosen in order to prevent the slaves from meeting in getting into mischief Thursday, today, was Sunday on this estate and we soon saw all the slaves mustering in holiday attire in the shade of one of the verandas they were first inspected and then ranged in order the children being placed in front the young women next then the old women the old men and finally the young men in this order they marched into the corridor facing the chapel to hear mass the priests and his acolyte in gorgeous robes performed the usual service and the slaves chanted the responses in alternate companies so that sopranos, contraltoes tenors and basses contrasted in a striking and effective manner the singing indeed was excellent far better than in many churches at home after the conclusion of the mass the master shook hands with everybody exchanged good wishes with his slaves and dismissed them while they were dawdling about gossiping in the veranda I had a closer look at the babies which had all been brought to church they seemed of every shade of color the complexions of some being quite fair but the youngest, a dear little woolly-headed thing was black as jet and only three weeks old the children all seemed to be on very good terms with their master and his overseers and not a bit afraid of them they are fed most liberally and looked fat and healthy for breakfast they have coffee and bread for dinner fresh pork alternately with dried beef and black beans the staple food of the poor of this country and for supper they have coffee bread and mandiaca or tapioca returning to the house we set down a party of 30 to an elaborate breakfast the table being covered with all sorts of Brazilian delicacies after which several complimentary speeches were made and we all started off to walk around the fazenda our first visit was to the little school children 34 in number who sang very nicely then to the hospital a clean airy building in which there were happily but few patients and next we inspected the new machinery worked by water power for cleaning the coffee and preparing it for market the harvest lasts from May to August the best quality of coffee is picked before it is quite ripe crushed to free it from the husk and then dried in the sun sometimes in heaps and sometimes raked out flat in order to gain the full benefit of the heat it is afterwards gathered up into baskets and carefully picked over and this being very light work is generally performed by young married women with babies there were 19 tiny pick and ennis in baskets beside their mothers in one room we entered and in another there were 20 just able to run about cassava is an important article of food here and it was interesting to watch the various processes by which it is turned into flour, tapioca or starch as it is largely exported there seems no reason why it should not be introduced into India for the ease with which it is cultivated and propagated the extremes of temperature it will bear and the abundance of its crop all tend to recommend it we went on to look at the maze being shelled, crushed and ground into coarse or fine flour for cakes and bread and the process of crushing the sugar cane turning its juice into sugar and rum and its refuse into potash all the food manufactured here is used on the estate coffee alone is exported I felt thoroughly exhausted by the time we returned to the house only to exchange a dues and step into the carriage on our way to Bara by rail and route to the next destination after passing through several long tunnels at the top of the Sarah the line drops down to Palmieras after which the descent became very picturesque as we passed by steep inclines through virgin forests full of creepers, ferns, flowers and orchids the sunset was magnificent and the subsequent coolness of the atmosphere most grateful leaving the emperor's palace of Sao Christoval behind was entered from a fresh side it seemed a long drive through the streets to the Odell de Europe where after an excellent though hurried dinner we contrived to be in time for a private representation at the Alcazar as a rule ladies do not go to this theater but there were a good many there on the present occasion neither the play nor the actors however were very interesting and all our party were excessively tired so we left early and had a delightful row off to the yacht in the bright moonlight Monday August 28th we have all been so much interested in the advertisements we read in the daily papers of slaves to be sold or hired that arrangements were made with a Brazilian gentleman for some of our party to have an opportunity of seeing the way in which these transactions are carried on no Englishman is allowed to hold slaves here and it is part of the business of the legation to see that this law is strictly enforced and the secrets of their trade are accordingly jealously guarded by the natives especially from the English the gentleman had therefore to disguise themselves as much as possible one pretending to be a rich ganky who had purchased large estates between Santos and San Palo which he had determined to work with slave instead of Cooley labor he was supposed to have come to Rio to select some slaves but would be obliged to see and consult his partner before deciding on purchase the small shop in the city and after some delay were conducted to a room upstairs where they waited a quarter of an hour 22 men and 11 women and children were then brought in for inspection they declared themselves suitable for a variety of occupations in door and out and all appeared to look anxiously at their possible purchaser with a view to ascertain what they had to hope for in the future one couple in particular a brother and sister about 14 and 15 years old respectively were most anxious not to be separated but to be sold together and the tiny children seemed quite frightened at being spoken to or touched by the white men eight men and five women having been specially selected as fit subjects for further consideration the visit terminated the daily Brazilian papers are full of advertisements of slaves for sale and descriptions of men, pigs children, cows, pianos women, houses, etc to be disposed of are inserted in the most indiscriminate manner in one short half column of the Jornal do Comercio published within the last day or two the following announcements amongst many similar ones appear side by side Readers note the following advertisements are given in Portuguese and English by Mrs. Brassi for sale a female slave 22 years of age, a good figure washes, irons and so as well for particulars apply at number 97 Roa de San Pedro for sale or to be let on hire a splendid tricord piano forte by Rod for $280 guaranteed apply at Roa da Quintana number 42 second floor to be sold for $1,500 a male slave 20 years of age fit for a baker's establishment apply at Roa da Princesa dos Cajeros number 97 for sale on very reasonable terms a singer's sewing machine adapted for any description of work works splendidly apply at number 95 Roa dos Sabão for sale a good black woman good figure, good disposition with three children who are a little black girl a black boy of five and a child three years of age she is a good cook, washes and irons well at the same house there is likewise for sale a little black girl 12 years of age her character will be guaranteed she is well adapted for the service of a family as she has had a good beginning having come from Santa Catharina apply at number 90 Roa da Uruguayana first floor for sale La Serra dos Portugues Dictionary in two large volumes quite new arrived by the last male price $30 cost $40 number 15 Roa da Haspecio second floor for sale a middle aged black woman who is a first rate cook washes and irons splendidly for particulars apply at number 12 Roa do Viscante de Itana number 12 for sale harnesses for small carts for delivery of bread apply at number 86 Roa de General Camara for sale 20 young blacks from 14 to 20 years of age just arrived from Moranham by the last steamer number 72 Roa de Prana we had many visitors to breakfast today and it was nearly two o'clock before we could set off for short in route to Tijuca nearly as far as the botanical gardens where it had been arranged that horses should meet us but our party was such a large one including children and servants that some little difficulty occurred at this point in making a fair start it was therefore late before we started the clouds were beginning to creep down the sides of the hills and it had grown very dusk by the time we reached the Chinisi River soon afterwards the rain began to come down in such tropical torrents that our thin summer clothing was soaked through and through long before we reached the Tijuca at last to our great joy we saw ahead of us large plantations of bananas and then some gas lights which exist even in this remote locality we followed them for some little distance but my horse appeared to have such a very decided opinion as to the proper direction for us to take that we finally decided to let him have his own way for it was by this time pitch dark and none of us had ever been this road before as we hoped the horse knew his own stables and we soon arrived at the door of White's hotel miserable drenched objects looking forward to a complete change of clothing unfortunately the cart with our luggage had not arrived so it was in clothes borrowed from kind friends that we at last set down a party of about 40 to a sort of table dinner and it continued to pour with rain during the whole evening only clearing up just at that time on Tuesday August 29th after all the fine weather we have had lately it was provoking to find on getting up this morning that the rain still came steadily down daylight enabled us to see what a quaint looking place this hotel is it consists of a series of low wooden detached buildings mostly one story high with verandas on both sides built round along courtyard in the center of which are a garden and some large trees it is more like a boarding house however the hotel as there is a fixed daily charge for visitors who have to be provided with a letter of introduction the situation in gardens are good it contains among other luxuries a drawing room with a delightful swimming bath for ladies and another for gentlemen a mountain stream is turned into two large square reservoirs where you can to sport yourself under the shade of bananas and palm trees while orange trees, deturas poinsettias and other plants in full bloom drop their vibrant flowers into the crystal water there is also a nice little bathing house with a douche outside and the general arrangements seem really perfect the views from the walks around the hotel and in the forest above are beautiful as indeed they are from every eminence in the neighborhood of Rio during the morning the weather cleared sufficiently for us to go down to the boulders huge masses of rock either of the glacial period or else thrown out from some mighty volcano into the valley here they form great caverns and caves overhung with creepers and so blocked up at the entrance that is difficult to find a way into them the effect of the alternate darkness and light amid twisted creepers some like gigantic snakes others neatly coiled in true manifold fashion is very striking and fantastic every crevice is full of ferns and orchids and curious plants while moths and butterflies flit about in every direction imagine if you can scarlet butterflies gaily spotted yellow butterflies with orange edgings butterflies with dark blue velvety looking upper wings the under surface studded with bright owl-like peacock eyes gray atlas moths and crowning beauty of all metallic blue butterflies which are positively dazzling even when seen in a shop dead imagine what they must be like as they dart hither and thither reflecting the bright sunshine from their wings or enveloped in the somber shade of a forest most of them measure from 2 to 10 inches in length from wing to wing and many others flit about equally remarkable for their beauty though not so large swallow tails of various colors with tails almost as long in proportion to their bodies as those of their feathered namesakes godparents and 88s with the figures 88 plainly marked on the reverse side of their rich blue or crimson wings in fact if nature could by any possibility be gaudy one might almost say that she is so in this part of the world from the boulders we went down a kind of natural staircase in the rock to the small cascade which owing to the recent rains appeared to the best advantage the black rocks and thick vegetation forming a fine background to the sheet of flowing white water and foam our way lay first through some castor oil plantations and then along the side of a stream fringed with rare ferns scarlet begonias and gray ajaratum we returned to the hotel too late for the general luncheon and after a short rest went out for a gallop in the direction of the peak of t'chuka past the large waterfall the ladies mile and grays view the forest is government property the roads are therefore excellent and are in many places planted with flowers and shrubs gray or even here it seems a waste of money however for there is hardly anyone to make use of the wide roads and the forest would appear quite as beautiful in its pristine luxuriance to our eyes the addition of flowers from other countries is no improvement though the feeling is otherwise here more than once I have had a bouquet of common stocks given to me as a grand present while orchids, gardenias, stiffenatus, large purple pink and white azaleas orange blossom and roses are found in unheated profusion Wednesday, August 30th once more a wet morning but as it cleared towards noon we ordered horses and some luncheon and went up to Pedro Bonito the ride was pleasant enough at first but as we mounted higher and higher we got into the clouds and lost the view finally there seemed nothing for it but to halt near the top under a grove of orange trees lunch in the pouring rain and return without having reached the summit Friday, September 1st at three o'clock this morning when I awoke I saw at last a bright clear sky and at five finding that there was every prospect of a beautiful sunrise we sent for horses ate our early breakfast and set off for the peak of Tejuca step by step we climbed first through the grounds of the hotel then through the forest till we reached the bamboos a favorite halting place by the side of a stream near which grow the troughs the graceful trees which lend their name to the spot it was very beautiful in the hillside forest with a new prospect opening out at every step and set in an ever varying natural framework of foliage and flowers there was not sufficient time to linger however as we would feign have done in the cool and shady paths occasionally illumined by the bright rays of the sun shining through the foliage of noble palms the fronds of tree ferns and the spiral colored creepers before reaching the top of the peak there are 29 wooden and 96 stone steps to be ascended at the foot of which we tied our horses an iron chain is hung by the side to assist you without which it would be rather giddy work for the steps are steep and there is a sheer precipice on one side of them arrived at the top the scene was glorious on every side mountains beyond mountains stretch far away into the distance and one can see as far north as Cape Frio and southwards as far as Rio Grande de Sul well beneath lies the bay of Rio with its innumerable islands islets and indentations all too soon we had to scramble down again and mount our horses for a hurried return to the hotel there being barely time for lunch and a scramble to the yacht Monday September 4th we were all up very early this morning super intending the preparations for our eldest boys departure for England the yacht had been gaily dressed with flags in honor of the anniversary of the emperor's wedding day but it must be confessed that our own feelings were hardly in accordance with these external symbols of joy breakfast was a melancholy meal and I fear that the visitors from the village were not very well entertained after breakfast we went to shore to the market to get a couple of lion monkeys which had been kept for us and which tab was to take home with him to present to the zoological gardens at one o'clock the steam launch from the village came alongside and embarked the luggage and servants half an hour later it returned for us then came many tearful farewells to the crew and we set off we knew the parting had to be made but this did not lessen our grief for although it is at all times hard to say goodbye for a long period to those nearest and dearest to you it is especially so in a foreign land with the prospect of a long voyage on both sides it was extremely uncertain when we shall hear of our boys safe arrival not I fear until we get to Valparaiso and then only by Telegram a long time to look forward to over the next half hour I had better draw a veil at two o'clock precisely just after we had left the steamer the starting bell rang and the caudipaxi steamed away as she passed the yacht all our flags were dipped and the guns fired then we could see her rolling on the bar for calm there was in the bay there was a heavy swell outside and then all too soon we lost sight of her as she sank with all we love below the verge we heard today that the Saturday before our first arrival at Rio the bar was quite impassable even for our man of war and that although she succeeded the next day the sea was extremely rough on our return to the sunbeam I went to bed to rest and the remainder of the party went to shore a great many visitors came on board in the course of the afternoon some remained to dine with us at half past nine we all went on shore again to a ball at the casino the grand public room in Rio to which we had been invited some days ago it seemed a splendid place beautifully decorated in white and gold and crimson with frescoes and pictures let into the walls and surrounded by galleries it is capable of containing 1500 persons and I believe that there were even more than that number present on the occasion of the ball in the Duke of Edinburgh some years ago the arrangement of the large cloak rooms refreshment rooms and passages downstairs and the balconies and supper rooms upstairs is very convenient the ball this evening being comparatively a small affair the lower rooms only were used and proved amply sufficient there were not a great many ladies present but amongst those we saw some were extremely pretty and all were exquisitely dressed in the latest fashions from Paris the toilettes of the younger ones were fresh and simple while those of the married ladies displayed considerable richness and taste for although Brazilian ladies do not go out much and as a rule remain in Pinroir until late in the afternoon they never fail to exhibit great judgment in the selection of their costumes the floor was excellent but the band made rather too much noise and the dancing was different both in style and arrangement from what we are accustomed to at home the time had now come to say farewell to the many kind friends whom we have met here and who have made life so pleasant to us during the last three weeks in order that we might return to the yacht to complete our preparation for an early start the last leave takings were soon over and with mutually expressed hopes that we might air long meet some of our friends in England Tom and I drove off in the bright moonlight to the key where our boat was waiting for us the other members of our party found so irresistible that they were unable to tear themselves away until a much later hour End of Chapter 4