The next day, before we left this romantic place, I devoted some time to an examination of the refuse-hillocks contiguous to the diamond-works, but found nothing among the heaps of quartzose stones, which had been washed when this place was more in repute. I here noticed a thin stratum below the roots of the grass, which I had elsewhere seen, but never so distinctly characteristic. It is called _bergalhão_, and consists of quartz pebbles, generally angular, and not unfrequently large beds of solid quartz not more than four or five inches thick. This stratum does not appear to have been formed at the same time, or by the same means as the _cascalho_, from which it is invariably separated by a stratum of vegetable earth unequal in thickness; it has more the appearance of a thin bed of quartz subsequently shattered into innumerable fragments.
Having taken leave of the administrator, I proceeded through a continuation of mountains and sterile country, very thinly inhabited. I stopt at one of the best of the few miserable houses on the road to procure some refreshment. There was a half-starved cat in the door-way, the sight of which plainly evinced to me what I had to expect. Poor animal, thought I, the habitation in which thou existest, will not afford maintenance for a mouse, much less for thee! While musing on this picture of distress and famine, a poor meagre woman came to the door, of whom I requested a little water, which she brought me, and while I was drinking it she began to implore charity. Her countenance had already expressed what her tongue now uttered: I gave her the few provisions my soldiers had with them, together with a small piece of money, and took leave;—the last words I heard from her were those of gratitude.
Ere we arrived at this place, we had seen Tejuco at full twelve miles’ distance, and were now much nearer. We crossed two rapid rivulets, one of them called Rio Negro, the waters of which were of a very black color, and afterwards passed a guard-house, or register, called Milho Verde, situated near a stream of the same name, formerly much noted for diamonds. Here a band of soldiers are stationed, who are always on the alert, riding after and examining passengers. The country is extremely rough, and destitute of vegetation, covered in all directions with grit-stone rocks full of rounded quartzose pebbles. We rode two miles along the Corvinho de St. Francisco, which runs through the ravine at the foot of the mountain on the side of which Tejuco is built, presenting much the same appearance as Villa Rica. I entered the town, and took up my abode at the best inn, which contained some neat rooms, and afforded tolerable accommodations.