We had an agreeable drive back in the cool evening to dinner at the
Hotel de l'Europe. The food was excellent, and included some delicious
tiny queer-shaped oysters, which are found on the mangrove-trees,
overhanging the water higher up the bay. We afterwards went to a
pleasant little reception, where we enjoyed the splendid singing of
some young Brazilian ladies, and the subsequent row off to the yacht,
in the moonlight, was not the least delightful part of the programme.
_Sunday, August 20th_.--At last a really fine day. We could now, for
the first time, thoroughly appreciate the beauties of the noble bay of
Nictheroy, though the distant Organ mountains were still hidden from
our view. In the morning, we went to church on board H.M.S. 'Volage,'
afterwards rowing across the bay to Icaraky, where we took the tramway
to Santa Rosa. On our way we again passed many charming villas and
gardens, similar to those we had admired yesterday, while the glorious
and ever-attractive tropical vegetation abounded everywhere. In spite
of the great heat, the children seemed untiring in the pursuit of
butterflies, of which they succeeded in catching many beautiful
specimens.
_Monday, August 21st_.--After an early breakfast, we started off to
have a look at the market.
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