Half an hour later it returned for us; then came many tearful farewells to the crew, and we set off.  We knew the parting had to be made, but this did not lessen our grief:  for although it is at all times hard to say good-bye for a long period to those nearest and dearest to you, it is especially so in a foreign land, with the prospect of a long voyage on both sides.  Moreover, it is extremely uncertain when we shall hear of our boy’s safe arrival; not, I fear, until we get to Valparaiso, and then only by telegram—­a long time to look forward to.  Over the next half-hour I had better draw a veil.

At two o’clock precisely, just after we had left the steamer, the starting bell rang, and the ‘Cotopaxi’ steamed away.  As she passed the yacht, all our flags were dipped and the guns fired.  Then we could see her rolling on the bar, for, calm as the water was in the bay, there was a heavy swell outside; and then, all too soon, we lost sight of her, as she sank,

    ’ ... with all we love, below the verge.’

We heard to-day that, the Saturday before our first arrival at Rio, the bar was quite impassable, even for a man-of-war, and that, although she succeeded the next day, the sea was extremely rough.

On our return to the ‘Sunbeam,’ I went to bed to rest, and the remainder of the party went ashore.  A great many visitors came on board in the course of the afternoon; some remained to dine with us.  At half-past nine we all went on shore again to a ball at the Casino, the grand public room in Rio, to which we had been invited some days ago.  It seemed a splendid place, beautifully decorated in white and gold and crimson, with frescoes and pictures let into the walls, and surrounded by galleries.  It is capable of containing fifteen hundred persons, and I believe that there were even more than that number present on the occasion of the ball given to the Duke of Edinburgh some years ago.  The arrangement of the large cloakrooms, refreshment-rooms, and passages downstairs, and the balconies and supper-rooms upstairs, is very convenient.  The ball this evening being comparatively a small affair, the lower rooms only were used, and proved amply sufficient.  There were not a great many ladies present, but amongst those we saw some were extremely pretty, and all were exquisitely dressed in the latest fashions from Paris.  The toilettes of the younger ones looked fresh and simple, while those of the married ladies displayed considerable richness and taste; for although Brazilian ladies do not go out much, and, as a rule, remain en peignoir until late in the afternoon, they never fail to exhibit great judgment in the selection of their costumes.

The floor was excellent, but the band made rather too much noise, and the dancing was different, both in style and arrangement, from what we are accustomed to at home.