NO. 4 NEW ORU;iNAL I'.OSCANA IIAKKINCJTON I9 



brand — for it is obvious that the Devil, entering into the use of 

 reason, wished to have them marked Hke slaves, which was accom- 

 plished in this manner: They took a species of herb or grass, this 

 they pounded and crushed until it became like tinder, and put it on 

 the place where they were to be branded (which was on their arms 

 and thighs) in the figure which he [the boy J was to have, lighted it, 

 and let it burn until it was consumed. We must consider that the 

 Ivarn soon raised a blister and made a sore. This they left until it 

 healed, without putting any remedy on, and the place remained scarred 

 permanently. Others instead of the grass used dry tule, and others 

 the dung or manure of jackrabbits or cottontail rabbits. 



The cause or reason which they allege for branding themselves 

 thus was that they believed tliat with this mark they have more 

 strength in the arm and better pulse for handling the bow, and that 

 Chinigchinix wished it thus and so commanded, in order that they 

 might conquer their enemies, and that he who was not branded with 

 this sign, which they called pofcttsc, would always be unfortunate 

 and beaten, like a despicable man and one having little strength. 



The boys, in addition to what has been mentioned, had to sufifer 

 still other martyrdoms in order to become men and be able to present 

 themselves among the rest. It was their custom, after the mark had 

 been put on them, when they were bigger boys, to whip them with 

 nettles and to put ants on them, and this was done in order to make 

 them more robust and stronger, and it was done as follows : In the 

 summer time at about the months of July and August when the 

 nettles are in season and the fiercest they took some bunches of 

 them and with these began to whip the boys on their legs, thighs, 

 butts, shoulders and arms. After this sacrifice, having been well 

 lashed with nettles, they placed the patient on a nest of fierce ants, 

 and another one was stirring them up to make them still fiercer, and 

 since the patient had no more clothes on than what he brought from 

 the belly of his mother, we can imagine in what condition he must 

 have been, after having been thoroughly lashed with nettles, as a 

 result of those fierce ants, which even cause fever. And so great 

 was their patience, that they seemed like dead, without a groan or 

 movement. These were the ones called cured. There were some who 

 suffered this torture several times over, and many went through it 

 alone or with some companion, for they believed that when thus 

 cured, they were from that time on more agile, and that the arrows 

 of their enemies could not harm them. 



They also deprived the youths from getting close to the fire, in order 

 that they might learn to sufifer and to harden themselves to the in- 



