For many weeks our adventurers continued to ascend the Amazon, sometimes sailing before the wind; at other times, when it fell calm, pushing the montaria up the current by means of long poles, or advancing more easily with the paddles.  Occasionally they halted for a day at the residence of a wealthy cacao planter, in order to sell him some merchandise; for which purpose the canoe was unloaded, and the bales were opened out for his inspection.  Most of these planters were Brazilians, a few were Yankee adventurers, and one or two were Scotch and English; but nearly all had married Brazilian ladies, who, with their daughters, proved good customers to the old trader.  Some of these ladies were extremely “purty craturs,” as Barney expressed it; but most of them were totally uneducated and very ignorant,—­not knowing half so much as a child of seven or eight years old in more favoured lands.  They were very fond of fine dresses and ornaments, of which considerable supplies were sent to them from Europe and the United States, in exchange for the valuable produce of their country.  But, although their dresses were fine and themselves elegant, their houses were generally very poor affairs—­made of wood and thatched with broad leaves; and it was no uncommon thing to see a lady, who seemed from her gay dress to be fitted for a drawing-room, seated on an earthen floor.  But there were all sorts of extremes in this strange land; for at the next place they came to, perhaps, they found a population of Negroes and Indians, and most of the grown-up people were half naked, while all the children were entirely so.

At one plantation, where they resolved to spend a few days, the owner had a pond which was much frequented by alligators.  These he was in the habit of hunting periodically, for the sake of their fat, which he converted into oil.  At the time of their arrival, he was on the eve of starting on a hunting expedition to the lake, which was about eight miles distant; so Barney and Martin determined to go and “see the fun,” as the latter said.

“Martin, lad,” remarked Barney, as they followed the Negro slave who had been sent by Senhor Antonio, the planter, to conduct them to the lake, while he remained behind for an hour or two to examine the bales of the old trader; “this is the quarest country, I believe, that iver was made; what with bastes, and varmints, and riptiles, and traes, and bushes, and rivers, it bates all creation.”

“Certainly it does, Barney; and it is a pity there are so few people in it who know how to make use of the things that are scattered all around them.  I’m inclined to think the hermit was right when he said that they wanted the Bible.  They are too far sunk in laziness and idleness to be raised up by anything else.  Just look,” continued Martin, glancing round, “what a wonderful place this is!  It seems as if all the birds and curious trees in Brazil had congregated here to meet us.”