They now took up their quarters at a place called Brejo, rapidly increasing in numbers, principally by runaway slaves from the large cotton plantations in the neighbourhood. In the month of April 1839, this united force amounted to about 5,000 men, the principal officer, besides Raimundo, being an old Indian, known by the name of O Balaio (the basket), from his having formerly gained a livelihood by making baskets, and selling them in the streets of Cachias. Being well armed, the rebel army, as it was called, marched to Cachias with the intention of taking it; at this time there were only about twenty soldiers in the town commanded by a lieutenant, but all the inhabitants rose in arms to defend it. The rebels besieged the place for about six weeks, allowing no provisions to enter, at the end of which time, the inhabitants being in a state of starvation, and unable to hold out longer, were obliged to capitulate on the 30th of June. The terms of this capitulation were, that all the military stores in the place, amounting to 5,000 stand of arms, and 800 barrels of gunpowder, should be delivered up, and a sum equivalent to seventy per cent. on the goods of each merchant and shopkeeper be paid immediately. The prefect and several other leading men in the town also, in terms of the capitulation, were declared prisoners, and kept in close confinement for several months. As these disturbances took place principally to the north of Oeiras, I had still hopes of being able to proceed to the westward, but just as I was making preparations to leave, several persons arrived in Oeiras from Pastos Boms, a small town a little to the west of the Rio Parnahiba, exactly on the route I had intended to follow. I learned from them that a party of the rebels had been sent from Cachias to take that place, where five Portuguese and one Brazilian, who were known to be opposed to them, had been massacred, and their families robbed of all their property. News now reached Oeiras that Raimundo and his army, flushed with their success, were about to march from Cachias to take that city. The Barão de Parnahiba, who previously had been raising troops to send to the succour of Cachias, now redoubled his exertions, and the city became filled with rustic troops, undergoing the necessary process of drilling; these formed a very motley group, being of all sizes, of all colours, and variously dressed, most of them appearing in their leathern hats, jackets, and trowsers. As there were no symptoms that the rebels would soon make their threatened attack on Oeiras, about 600 of these troops were despatched early in the month of July, under the command of Major Clementino Martins, the baron’s nephew, to join others, ordered to march from Ceará and Pernambuco, to the succour of Cachias. As soon as the rebels received notice of this movement, a general sack of the town took place, by about a thousand men, who still remained there, on