Читать книгу The Rocks and Rivers of British Columbia - Walter Moberly - Страница 5

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Taking my quarters up at an hotel that fronts the Plaza, I heard that yellow fever was raging. Then, as soon as the sun’s rays were fading, I took a stroll. The city was greatly disappointing—its streets are narrow, the stores and houses of a very inferior description, and I mistook the Emperor’s town residence for a jail. It was impossible to get a light cooling drink, and I concluded that if some one from Niagara Falls would undertake the business he would make a fortune. I saw some disgusting cases of what I supposed to be elephantiasis, as the parts affected were greatly swollen. Retiring early to bed, the fleas gave me not a moment’s peace, and I was quickly obliged to change quarters for the night to a chair. I afterwards visited the market and rather admired the tropical fruits, as well as the tall and well-formed negresses, with their white dresses and turbans, who attend there. At the time of my visit I understood the slave trade was stopped as far as the importation of fresh slaves was concerned, but the old supply were still in slavery. It was amusing to see the strings of negroes performing work that in our cities is done with drays. They generally packed the loads on their heads. I took a trip to the small town of Botafoga, where there are some very pretty private residences and quantities of flower. With the doctor of our ship I paid a visit to the Botanical Gardens, and could not but admire the fine avenues of trees. We went to the top of the “Coco Vada” overlooking the city and harbour, and commanding a beautiful and extensive view. Up this mountain the Emperor has built a good road, and it is well shaded with trees. My next visit was to an old and interesting monastery, where I tried to make out the epitaphs on the large flag stones that cover the remains of the venerable fathers.

Hearing that the Emperor and Empress and Court were going to attend a service in a very pretty church, I went too. The shabby cavalry escort was surprising. Two rows of negro soldiers, about ten feet apart, with blue coats and brass buttons, armed with flint-lock muskets and fixed bayonets, stationed themselves along the aisle, and the Emperor, Empress, and Court walked up to the altar. The Emperor is a fine, tall looking man; the Empress appeared to me rather short and stout. The court dresses were very pretty and tastefully worn. The hospital was the next building visited; it is capitally managed, and has fine airy wards.

I was told a melancholy story. A Scotch gentleman had a large plantation in Brazil, and he brought out his young wife to his hacienda. One day when visiting a distant part of his estate, as he was travelling along a bush road in the heat of the day, everything still and motionless, he was astonished to see something swinging from the limb of a tree backwards and forwards across the road. He approached, and there to his surprise lay an enormous serpent. With his rifle he shot it through the head, and wishing to save the skin, dragged it back to his hacienda with the lasso. Thinking to astonish his wife, he coiled the serpent up in the drawing-room, taking it in through one of the glass doors that opened on to the verandah. He then called his wife and went into another room. Presently he heard some terrific screams and rushed in to find his wife in convulsions on the floor, and in a few minutes she was a corpse. Two small punctures were found on her breast, and a day or two afterwards one of his slaves discovered the mate of the dead serpent lying under the verandah, leading to the supposition that it followed the trail of its dead comrade, and reaching the room just when the unfortunate lady entered, killed her.

The heat was so great that the short time I remained in Rio was principally occupied in smoking cigars and drinking brandy and water to keep away the yellow fever, which had become very bad.

The Doctor and myself having supplied ourselves with a good supply of port wine in long-necked bottles and some other luxuries, went aboard ship, and hung all the bottles with strings to battens in his surgery.