Chap. III. A MIRAXHA GIRL. 197 



or two after Sebastian, was very different. She was 

 brought to our house, after landing, one night in the 

 wet season, when the rain was pouring in torrents, thin 

 and haggard, drenched with wet and shivering with 

 ague. An old Indian who brought her to the door, said 

 briefly, " ecui encommenda " (here's your little parcel 

 or order), and went away. There was very little of the 

 savage in her appearance, and she was of a much 

 lighter colour than the boy. We found she was of the 

 Miranha tribe, all of whom are distinguished by a slit, 

 cut in the middle of each wing of the nose, in which 

 they wear on their holiday occasions a large button 

 made of pearly river-shell. We took the greatest care 

 of our little patient ; had the best nurses in the town, 

 fomented her daily, gave her quinine and the most 

 nourishing food ; but it was all of no avail : she sank 

 rapidly ; her liver was enormously swollen and almost 

 as hard to the touch as stone. There was something 

 uncommonly pleasing in her ways, and quite unlike 

 anything I had yet seen in Indians. Instead of being 

 dull and taciturn, she was always smiling and full of 

 talk. We had an old woman of the same tribe to attend 

 her, who explained what she said to us. She often 

 begged to be taken to the river to bathe ; asked for 

 fruit, or coveted articles she saw in the room for play- 

 things. Her native name was Oria. The last week or 

 two she could not rise from the bed we had made for 

 her in a dry corner of the room : when she wanted 

 lifting, which was very often, she would allow no one to 

 help her but me, calling me by the name of " Cariwa " 

 (white man), the only word of Tupi she seemed to 



