CHAPTER III. EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF RIO JANEIRO.
THE WATERFALLS NEAR TESCHUKA - BOA VISTA - THE BOTANICAL GARDENS AND
THEIR ENVIRONS - THE CORCOVADO MOUNTAINS, 2,253 FEET ABOVE THE LEVEL
OF THE SEA - PALACES OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY - THE NEWLY-FOUNDED GERMAN
COLONY OF PETROPOLIS - ATTEMPT AT MURDER, BY A MARROON NEGRO.
An excursion to the waterfalls near Teschuka, to Boa Vista, and the
Botanical Gardens, is one of the most interesting near the city; but
it requires two days, as it takes a long time to see the Botanical
Gardens alone.
Count Berchthold and myself proceeded as far as Andaracky (four
miles) in an omnibus, and then continued our journey on foot,
between patches of wood and low hills. Elegant country houses are
situated upon the eminences and along the high road, at short
distances from each other.
When we had walked four miles, a path to the right conducted us to a
small waterfall, neither very high nor well supplied, but still the
most considerable one in the vicinity of Rio Janeiro. We then
returned to the high road, and in half an hour reached a little
elevated plain, whence the eye ranged over a valley of the most
remarkable description, one portion of it being in a state of wild
chaotic confusion, and the other resembling a blooming garden. In
the former were strewed masses of broken granite, from which, in
some places, larger blocks reared their heads, like so many
Collossi; while in others large fragments of rocks lay towering one
above the other; in the second portion stood the finest fruit trees
in the midst of luxuriant pastures. This romantic valley is
enclosed on three sides by noble mountains, the fourth being open,
and disclosing a full view of the sea.
In this valley we found a small venda, where we recruited ourselves
with bread and wine, and then continued our excursion to the so-
called "Great Waterfall," with which we were less astonished than we
had been with the smaller one. A very shallow sheet of water flowed
down over a broad but nowise precipitous ledge of rock into the
valley beneath.
After making our way through the valley, we came to the Porto
Massalu, where a number of trunks of trees, hollowed out and lying
before the few huts situated in the bay, apprized us that the
inhabitants were fishermen. We hired one of these beautiful
conveyances to carry us across the little bay. The passage did not
take more than a quarter of an hour at the most, and for this, as
strangers, we were compelled to pay two thousand reis (4s.).
We had now at one moment to wade through plains of sand, and the
next to clamber over the rocks by wretched paths.
