232 EXCURSIONS AROCJND EGA. Chap. IV. 



At length we arrived at our journey's end. We 

 were then in a very dense and gloomy part of the forest : 

 we could see, however, the dry land on both sides of 

 the creek, and to our right a small sunny opening 

 appeared, the landing-place to the native dwellings. 

 The water was deep close to the bank, and a clean path- 

 way ascended from the shady port to the buildings, 

 which were about a furlong distant. My friend Car- 

 dozo was godfather to a grandchild of Pedro-uassu, 

 whose daughter had married an Indian settled in Ega. 

 He had sent word to the old man that he intended to 

 visit him : we were therefore expected. 



As we landed, Pedro-uassu himself came down to the 

 port to receive us ; our arrival having been announced by 

 the barking of dogs. He was a tall and thin old man, 

 with a serious, but benignant expression of countenance, 

 and a manner much freer from shyness and distrust than 

 is usual with Indians. He was clad in a shirt of coarse 

 cotton cloth, dyed with murishi, and trowsers of the 

 same material turned up to the knee. His features 

 were sharply delineated — more so than in any Indian 

 face I had yet seen ; the lips thin and the nose rather 

 high and compressed. A large, square, blue-black 

 tattooed patch occupied the middle of his face, which, 

 as well as the other exposed parts of his body, was 

 of a light reddish-tan colour, instead of the usual 

 coppery-brown hue. He walked with an upright, slow 

 gait, and on reaching us saluted Cardozo with the air 

 of a man who wished it to be understood that he was 

 dealing with an equal. My friend introduced me, and I 

 was welcomed in the same grave, ceremonious manner. 



