302 THE LOWER AMAZONS. Chap. VII. 



ing it carefully with a neatly-bordered white towel. 

 On landing with the image, a procession was formed 

 from the port to the house, and salutes fired from a 

 couple of lazarino guns, the saint being afterwards care- 

 fully deposited in the family oratorio. After a litany and 

 hymn were sung in the evening, all assembled to supper 

 around a large mat spread on a smooth terrace-like space 

 in front of the house. The meal consisted of a large 

 boiled Pirarucu, which had been harpooned for the 

 purpose in the morning, stewed and roasted turtle, 

 piles of mandioca-meal and bananas. The old lady, 

 with two young girls, showed the greatest activity in 

 waiting on the guests, Marcellino standing gravely by, 

 observing what was wanted and giving the necessary 

 orders to his wife. When all was done hard drinking 

 beofan, and soon after there was a dance, to which Penna 

 and I were invited. The liquor served was chiefly a 

 spirit distilled by the people themselves from mandioca 

 cakes. The dances were all of the same class, namely, 

 different varieties of the '' Landum," an erotic dance 

 similar to the fandango originally learnt from the Portu- 

 guese. The music was supplied by a couple of wire- 

 stringed guitars, played alternately by the young men. 

 All passed off very quietly considering the amount 

 of strong liquor drunk, and the ball was kept up until 

 sunrise the next morning. 



We visited all the houses one after the other. One of 

 them was situated in a charming spot, with a broad sandy 

 beach before it, at the entrance to the Parana-mirim do 

 Mucambo, a channel leading to an interior lake peopled 

 by savages of the Miira tribe. This seemed to be the 



