At 7 A.M., 74 Deg. at midday, and 72 Deg. in the evening.
A slave-boy belonging to Colonel Pires, having stolen and eaten some lemons
in the evening, went to the river to wash his mouth, so as not to be detected
by the flavor. An alligator seized him and carried him to an island
in the middle of the stream; there the boy grasped hold of the reeds,
and baffled all the efforts of the reptile to dislodge him,
till his companions, attracted by his cries, came in a canoe
to his assistance. The alligator at once let go his hold;
for, when out of his own element, he is cowardly. The boy had
many marks of the teeth in his abdomen and thigh, and those of the claws
on his legs and arms.
The slaves in Colonel Pires' establishments appeared more like free servants
than any I had elsewhere seen. Every thing was neat and clean,
while generally, where slaves are the only domestics,
there is an aspect of slovenliness, as if they went on the principle
of always doing as little for their masters as possible.
In the country near to this station were a large number of the ancient
burial-places of the Jinga. These are simply large mounds of stones,
with drinking and cooking vessels of rude pottery on them. Some are arranged
in a circular form, two or three yards in diameter, and shaped like a haycock.
There is not a single vestige of any inscription.
