1S51.] RESIDENCE AT J A VITA* 175 



other. The men cut down all overhanging or fallen trees 

 which obstructed the way, and cleared off all the brushwood 

 and weeds which were growing up on the sides. The women 

 and girls and boys carried these away, and swept clean with 

 their switch brooms all the dead leaves and twigs, till the 

 whole looked quite neat and respectable. To clear up a road 

 five miles in length in this manner was no trifle, but they 

 accomplished it easily and very thoroughly in two days. 



A little while after the men again turned out, to make new 

 bridges in several places where they had become decayed. 

 This was rather a laborious task. Large trees had to be cut 

 down, often some distance from the spot; they were then 

 roughly squared or flattened on top and bottom, and with 

 cords of withes and creepers, and with numerous long sticks 

 and logs placed beneath for rollers, were dragged by twenty 

 or thirty men to the spot, placed in a proper position over the 

 marsh or stream, propped and wedged securely, and the upper 

 surface roughed with the axe to make the footing more sure. 

 In this way eight or ten of these bridges were made in a few days, 

 and the whole road put in complete order. This work is done 

 by order of the Commissario Geral at Sao Fernando, without 

 any kind of payment, or even rations, and with the greatest 

 cheerfulness and good humour. 



The men of Javita when at work wear only the " tanga," in 

 other respects being entirely naked. The women wear usually 

 a large wrapping dress passing over the left shoulder but leaving 

 the right arm perfectly free, and hanging loosely over their 

 whole person. On Sundays and festivals they have well-made 

 cotton gowns, and the men a shirt and trousers. Here exists 

 the same custom as at Sao Carlos, of the girls and boys assem- 

 bling morning and evening at the. church to sing a hymn or 

 psalm. The village is kept remarkably clean and free from 

 weeds by regular weekly hoeings and weedings, to which the 

 people are called by the Capitaos, who are the executive officers 

 under the Commissario. 



My evenings were very dull, having few to converse with, 

 and no books. Now and then I would talk a little with the 

 Commissario, but our stock of topics was soon exhausted. 

 One or two evenings I went to their festas, when they had 

 made a quantity of "xirac " the caxiri of the Brazilian Indians 

 and were very merry. They had a number of peculiar 



