Chap. VI. INDIANS OF THE ISSA. 377 



beiju, or mandioca-cakes. The women are not allowed 

 to taste of the meat, but forced to content themselves 

 with sopping pieces of cake in the liquor. 



I obtained a little information here concerning the 

 inhabitants of the banks of the Issa, a stream 700 miles 

 in length, which, having its sources at the foot of the 

 volcanoes near Pasto, in New Granada, enters the 

 Amazons about twenty miles to the west of Tunantins. 

 I once met a mulatto of Pasto and his wife, who had 

 descended this river from its source to its mouth. They 

 lost all their luggage in passing the cataracts ; but 

 found, after the first fifteen days of their journey (about 

 150 miles), no more obstructions to navigation down to 

 the Solimoens. It is not so unhealthy a river as the 

 Japura ; but the natives are much less friendly to the 

 whites than those inhabiting that river. To the distance 

 of about 400 miles from Tunantins, its banks are now 

 almost destitute of inhabitants. A few half-civilised 

 and peaceable Passes, Juris, and Shumanas, are settled 

 near its mouth ; but higher up the Mariete's occupy the 

 domain, and towards the frontiers of New Granada, 

 Miranhas are the only Indians met with, whose territory 

 extends overland thence to the Japura. The Marietes 

 and Miranhas have been for many years constantly at 

 war, and the depopulation of the country is owing 

 partly to this circumstance, and partly to diseases in- 

 troduced by the whites. These wars are not carried 

 on by the whole of each tribe at once, but in a series 

 of partial hostilities between separate hordes or clans. 

 The hordes of each nation live apart ; indeed these 

 tribes have no villages, but are scattered in families 



