118 



they comb their lieads twice a day, and once a 

 week wash them w ith a soap made from the bark 

 of the quillai* which keeps the hair very clean. 

 There is never to be seen on their clothes the 

 least spot or dirt. The men are likewise equally 

 as fond of cleanliness ; they never fail to comb 

 their heads every day, and are also accustomed 

 frequently to wash them. 



Bathing, as among the ancients, is in common 

 use with these people, \Vho think it necessary to 

 prieserve their health and strengthen their bodies, 

 and in order to have it convenient they are careful 

 to place their houses on the banks of rivers. In 

 warm weather they bathe themselves several 

 times a dav, and it is rare even in winter that 

 the}' do not bathe themselves at least once a day ji 

 by means of this continued exercise they become 

 excellent swimmers, and give wonderful proofs 

 of dexterity in this art. They will swim for a 

 great distance under water, and in this manner 

 cross their largest rivers, which renders them 

 some of the best divers in the world. 



The women are also fond of frequent bathing, 

 and for this purpose, select the most obscure 

 solitary places, at a great distance from the men. 

 Even on the very day of the birth of a child, 

 they take the infant to the river and wash it, and 



* Quillaia Saponaria ; it is also niucli used by the Spaniards, 

 cs{>ecially tliose who live in the country. -, 



