River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-05-12
4 ROMANCE OF FAMINE.
KY Professor 81. 81. smith. the Brazil
inn ENpIOrer.

luSuGSc ldIItitI, NEWLY iidIJlCd anu
seeking to better his lot, emigrated to
Brazil, and the Providence that we call
chance, led him TO the Province Of
Ceara, in the northeastern part of the
Empire There he hired little farm,
bought a score or two of cattle, and be
gan life anew as a stock farmer.
In process Of time the young couple
were blessed with five children boys
and girls The little ones were pretty
and intelligent, and they were no bur
den to the farmer, for as things go in
Brazil, Jose de Castro was very prosper,
Gus. True, he could not aspire to a
place with his rich neighbors, who
owned whole leagues of land, and
counted their herds by thousands. But
the Ceara peasants, looking up from
the depths of their own utter poverty,
regarded him with profound respect
Was not his house whitewashed and
rooted with tile instead Of palm-thatch?
Had he not an English saddle, and
three hired herdsmen? and the chill
dren-mirabile dictu-had they not shoes
every one of them?
JOse's farm was about $50 miles in
land, not far from the village of leo,
and close by one Of the great highways
which lead from the coast to the inte-
rior. In common parlance this region
is called the "sertaO," or desert, but it
would be altogether wrong to judge of
1t by that ominOuS name. True, in the
dry season it is parched and barren
looking, for then the grass on the plains
and hillsides has disappeared, and the
clumps of forests have shed their leaves
as ours do in winter; only here and
there groups of carnahuba palms keep
up a show of dusty green, or poison
Gus leo bush lures the hungry cattle.
But with the first rains every sleeping
plant starts into wide-awake life; you
can almost see the leaves grow. In n
week time the sertao is like a May
landscape in New England; and toward
the end of the rainy season, in May or
June, it is one of the most beautiful
regions in the world Ten thousands
Of pretty flowers dot the prairie land,
where the cattle feed knee deep in
rich grass; then the woods are masses
of green, and every little stream is Il
foamy torrent, and screaming parrots
and soft-voiced thrushes and fairy
winged butterflies are telling their own
stories Of overlooking happiness.
The rainy season was the busy and
happy time for Josie and his wOrkmen.
Very soon after the rains came on they
planted fields of cassava and corn, from
which they were to harvest their year
ly supplies of provisions. The herds
men, clad in leather from head to foot,
galloped here and there over the hills,
branding the young cattle, hunting for
strays, capturing the tiercest paularchs
Of the herd with their long lassos.-
Once little Nita, the pet daughter, had
an adventure that might have ended
her story before the romance had be
gun. She was sitting in the grass, max
ing necklace of pretty cotu-seeds,
when a vicious bull espied her red
dress and rushed at it down the hill,
head lowered and hoofs gathering in
cloud of dust. But the leathercla
herdsman was too quick for him; spur
ring his horse into tornado speed, he
caught the bull ut the shoulder with
his lanCe-ike vara, overturnlng the
heavy animal as deity as a skilled
wrestler throws his clumsy antagonist
by q twist of his elbow. 1t is a com
mon trick of the rdqueir0s, but 1t saved
little Ntas life; and the herdsman did
not soon forget the generous present
which Jose gave him.
In the summer the cattle were pas
tured along the dry river bed where
some patches of green fingered; there
was little danger of their strdying while
the grass lasted and the herdsmen
were almost idle. Jose often went to
the village market at leo, where he re-
ceived clothes and household utensils
L.. E l., II Il aal
Sometimes Mother Maria went with
him, sitting on the steady old family
horse, with her children in great panler
baskets slung on either sides of her.
That is q common mode OF travelling IN
the se1tao.
One evening in March, 1877, Il num-
Der of strangers were gathered at the
farmers house. They were travellers,
and had met there by accident. Like
all the country people, Jose was very
hospitable, and never begrudged a sup
per or lodging to benighted herds
man or mule-driver. The men tied
their hammocks in the great porch and
swung to and fro. chatting while they
smoked their pipes before going to
sleep.
How are your crops, farmer? r. asked
one; you ought TO do well on thiS bot
tom land.
Bad. bad" answered Jose, signing
Her we have had almost no rams;
none at all since January, and hardly
any since. planted after shower IN
February, but the field has dried up
and must try it again.
''You are as well Oft as the rest of
us" said one who had just come III
from the interior; lat Cascolha not Il
drop of rain has been seen, and the
drinking-pools are all drying up. l
know man who has lost Il dozen Of
COWS.
And /, said another. have planted
twice and failed; pray God Il may not
he 4 bad year.
The first speaker. an old man, took
up the word Il remember, he SAID,
the bad years in the 'forties, when the
herdsmen were almost ruined; and in
1925. when | was boy, 50 many cattle
died that my father had II buy cows
from other provinces; the poor people
all gather Mt the villages. and some OF
them died of hunger
A man who had not yet spoken added
a bit of information: Il have come
from FOIlJAClst, AiAN4 ttit NANAitt' Ate''' Va
dered prayers for rain in all the
churches. God alone can save us, he
added piously.
The travellers went their several ways
in the morning. but a shadow OF com
ing evil was felt mt the farmhouse
Jose watched the sky anxiously To
ward the end of the month few SHOW
ers fell and the fields were planted
again but no heavy rains followed; the
thirsty ground swallowed up the scat
tering drops and the land was LETT a.
barren rs before All through Apn
the sun shone steadily and the farm
ers face grew darker and darker. Al
through May there was the same beau
tiful relentless sky, an arch of blue
over a diving world. June came anc
tbe drouth was declared.
At first Jose felt it less than his neigh
hors. his lands were rich and even L
the end of summer the river bottom
Welded enough grass for his SINAI
herd. The river itself was, indeed
Jrv. but water could be obtained b!
holes in the channel. The farme
bought cassava and corn at leo, p4yin!