“Not to mintion,” added Barney, “a juicy steak of Igu Anny, an’ a tender chop o’ Army Dillo.”

CHAPTER XIII

MARTIN AND BARNEY CONTINUE THEIR TRAVELS, AND SEE STRANGE THINGS—­AMONG OTHERS, THEY SEE LIVING JEWELS—­THEY GO TO SEE A FESTA—­THEY FIGHT AND RUN AWAY

Martin Rattler and Barney O’Flannagan soon after this began to entertain a desire to travel further into the interior of Brazil, and behold with their own eyes the wonders of which they had heard so much from their kind and hospitable friend the hermit.  Martin was especially anxious to see the great river Amazon, about which he entertained the most romantic ideas,—­as well he might, for there is not such another river in the world for size, and for the many curious things connected with its waters and its banks.  Barney, too, was smitten with an intense desire to visit the diamond mines, which he fancied must be the most brilliant and beautiful sight in the whole world; and when Martin asked him what sort of place he expected to see, he used to say that he “pictur’d in his mind a great many deep and lofty caverns, windin’ in an’ out an’ round about, with the sides and the floors and the ceilin’s all of a blaze with glittering di’monds, an’ top’zes, an’ purls, an’ what not; with Naiggurs be the dozen picking them up in handfuls.  An’ sure,” he would add, “if we was wance there, we could fill our pockets in no time, an’ then, hooray for ould Ireland! an’ live like Imperors for ivermore.”

“But you forget, Barney, the account the hermit has given us of the mines.  He evidently does not think that much is to be made of them.”

“Och! niver mind the hermit.  There’s always good luck attends Barney O’Flanngan; an’ sure if nobody wint for fear they would git nothing, all the di’monds that iver came out o’ the mines would be lyin’ there still; an’ didn’t he tell us there was wan got only a short time since, worth I don’t know how many thousand pounds?  Arrah! if I don’t go to the mines an’ git one the size o’ me head, I’ll let ye rig me out with a long tail an’ set me adrift in the woods for a blue-faced monkey.”

It so happened that this was the time when the hermit was in the habit of setting out on one of his trading trips; and when Martin told him of the desire that he and Barney entertained to visit the interior, he told them that he would be happy to take them along with him, provided they would act the part of muleteers.  To this they readily agreed, being only too glad of an opportunity of making some return to their friend, who refused to accept any payment for his hospitality, although Barney earnestly begged of him to accept of his watch, which was the only object of value he was possessed of,—­and that wasn’t worth much, being made of pinch-beck, and utterly incapable of going!  Moreover, he relieved their minds, by telling them that they would easily obtain employment as canoe-men on the Amazon, for men were very difficult to be got on that river to man the boats; and if they could stand the heat, and were willing to work like Indians, they might travel as far as they pleased.  To which Martin replied, in his ignorance, that he thought he could stand anything; and Barney roundly asserted that, having been burnt to a cinder long ago in the “East Injies,” it was impossible to overdo him any more.