Cuap. IV. THE FOREST-SPIRIT (CURUPIRA.) 71 
lucos, which, I believe, has been chiefly derived from their Indian 
forefathers, although a little of it may have been copied from the 
Portuguese. 
A little distance from the house were the open sheds under which 
the farinha for the use of the establishment was manufactured. In the 
centre of each shed stood the shallow pans, made of clay and built over 
ovens, where the meal is roasted. A long flexible cylinder made of the 
peel of a marantaceous plant, plaited into the proper form, hung 
suspended from a beam ; it is in this that the pulp of the mandioca is 
pressed, and from it the juice, which is of a highly poisonous nature, 
although the pulp is wholesome food, runs into pans placed beneath to 
receive it. A wooden trough, such as is used in all these places for 
receiving the pulp before the poisonous matter is extracted, stood on 
the ground, and from the posts hung the long wicker-work baskets, or 
aturas, in which the women carry the roots from the roca or clearing ; 
a broad ribbon made from the inner bark of the monguba tree is attached 
to the rims of the baskets, and is passed round the forehead of the 
carriers, to relieve their backs in supporting the heavy load. Around 
the shed were planted a number of banana and other fruit trees ; 
amongst them were the never-failing capsicum-pepper bushes, brilliant 
as holly trees at Christmas time, with their fiery-red fruit, and lemon 
trees ; the one supplying the pungent, the other the acid, for sauce to 
the perpetual meal of fish. There is never in such places any appear- 
ance of careful cultivation, no garden or orchard; the useful trees are 
surrounded by weeds and bushes, and close behind rises the everlasting 
forest. 
There were other strangers under Senhor Joaquim’s roof besides 
myself, mulattos, Mamelucos, and Indians, so we formed altogether a 
large party. Houses occur at rare intervals in this wild country, and 
hospitality is freely given to the few passing travellers. After a frugal 
supper, a large wood fire was lighted in the middle of the shed, and all 
turned into their hammocks and began to converse. A few of the party 
soon dropped asleep; others, however, kept awake until a very late 
hour telling stories. Some related adventures which had happened 
to them whilst hunting or fishing; others recounted myths about the 
Curupira, and other demons or spirits of the forest. They were all 
very appropriate to the time and place, for now and then a yell or 
a shriek resounded through the gloomy wilderness around the shed. 
One old parchment-faced fellow, with a skin the colour of mahogany, 
seemed to be a capital storyteller; but I was sorry I did not know 
enough of the language to follow him in all the details which he gave. 
Amongst other things he related an adventure he had once had with a 
jaguar. He got up from his hammock in the course of the narrative 
to give it the greater effect by means of gestures ; he seized a bow and 
a large taquara arrow, to show how he slew the beast, imitated its hoarse 
growl, and danced about the fire like a demon. 
In descending the river we landed frequently, and Mr. Wallace and I 
lost no chance of adding to our collection ; so that before the end of 
our journey we had got together a very considerable number of birds, 
insects, and shells, chiefly taken, however, in the low country. Leaving 
