We had not travelled more than half a league in the afternoon, when we were again overtaken by rain, and although the shower lasted but half an hour, it was so heavy, that in a short time water was rushing over the roads, running like streams, and where they were of a clayey nature, especially on the declivity of the hills, they became very slippery. Having carried my poncho beneath my saddle, I put it on, when my appearance caused no little astonishment to some countrymen who passed us, that article of dress being quite unknown among them. It is, however, far superior to their leathern jackets, which are not only uncomfortably warm, by confining the natural exhalations from the body, but soon become soaked in case of rain, and are long drying, whilst with the poncho and my long boots I was nearly dry when the rain ceased. The rocks seen in the latter part of this day’s journey were a rather coarse-grained white sandstone, similar to those I met with on the coast between the Rio de San Francisco and Pernambuco. In many places this rock was exposed to a considerable extent, its only vegetation being a few species of _Cactus_ and _Bromelia_. In the wooded portions, the atmosphere was loaded with the rich perfume of the flowers of the Cashew tree (_Anacardium occidentale_), which grew in great profusion. This was the first time I met with this tree at any distance from the coast, but I afterwards found it was not uncommon in the interior. The fruit, however, or rather the thickened peduncle which forms the esculent part, is small, not being much larger than a cherry. Towards dusk we halted at a place where there were two houses, but we could not be accommodated in consequence of two large troops having taken up their quarters before our arrival. As the next habitation was nearly two leagues further, and as the roads were said to be bad, I decided on remaining here and encamping under a wide-spreading _Cæsalpinia_ which grew close by the road-side. Shortly after I had arranged everything for the night, a permission came from one of the houses to sling my hammock there, but I declined this invitation, not considering it prudent to separate myself from my luggage; this step was rendered the more necessary in consequence of a quarrel between Pedro and the guide; the latter was recommended to me as a very useful person for the journey, but he turned out to be a lazy talkative fellow, quite the reverse of Pedro, who was both active and intelligent. The quarrel originated from the guide’s refusing to attend to some duty while the horses were unloading, and, notwithstanding my interference, it ran so high that they threatened to stab each other, the usual way of settling disputes in this lawless country; on taking the horses to pasture they were still talking furiously, and I felt not a little uneasy till they returned. The evening was dark and had all the appearance of rain, but when the moon rose, it cleared up, and became a beautiful night.