204 THE UPPER AMAZONS. Chap. III. 



every one else had forgotten ; just as I have known 

 lumpish labouring men in England do, when half- 

 fuddled. One cannot help reflecting, when witnessing 

 these traits of manners, on the similarity of human 

 nature everywhere, when classes are compared whose 

 state of culture and conditions of life are pretty nearly 

 the same. 



The Indians play a conspicuous part in the amuse- 

 ments at St. John's eve, and at one or two other 

 holidays which happen about that time of the year — 

 the end of June. In some of the sports the Portuguese 

 element is visible, in others the Indian ; but it must be 

 recollected that masquerading, recitative singing, and so 

 forth, are common originally to both peoples. A large 

 number of men and boys disguise themselves to repre- 

 sent different grotesque figures, animals, or persons. 

 Two or three dress themselves up as giants, with the 

 help of a tall framework. One enacts the part of the 

 Caypor, a kind of sylvan deity similar to the Curupira 

 which I have before mentioned. The belief in this 

 being seems to be common to all the tribes of the Tupi 

 stock. According to the figure they dressed up at Ega, 

 he is a bulky, misshapen monster, with red skin and 

 long shaggy red hair hanging half way down his back. 

 They believe that he has subterranean campos and 

 hunting grounds in the forest, well stocked with pacas 

 and deer. He is not at all an object of worship nor of 

 fear, except to children, being considered merely as a 

 kind of hobgoblin. Most of the masquers make them- 

 selves up as animals — bulls, deer, magoary storks, 

 jaguars, and so forth, with the aid of light frameworks 



