NATIVE TJUBKS. 009 



feasted on their enemies taken in liattlo, whose llesli tliey tore 

 and devonred witli the avidity of wolves. Tlie men were 

 put to death, while the w unien and ehildren were preserved 

 to be sold into slavery. 



Scattered tribes still exist in different parts of the interior. 

 The dress of the women is merely a narrow strip of ]>hie 

 cloth ; and their naked bodies are smeared w^ith arnatto, which 

 gives them the appearance of bleeding from every pore. Some 

 dot their bodies and limbs over with blue s})ots. They wear 

 round the leg, just below the knee, a tight strap of cotton, 

 and another above each ankle. These are bound on when a 

 girl is young, and hinder the gi'owth of the parts by their 

 compression, while the calf, which is unconfined, ajipears in 

 consequence unnaturally large. Through the lower li}), whieli 

 they perforate, they wear two or three pins with the points 

 outwards. Should they wish to use one of them, they take 

 it out, and afterwards replace it. The men secure a cloth 

 round the loins, often of sufficient length to form a kin<l of 

 scarf; and to prevent it trailing on the ground, throw it in a 

 giaceful way over the shoulder, so that })art of it falls on the 

 bosom, while the end hano-s down tlie liack. It is often 

 ornamented with cotton tassels, an<l is the most decent and 

 serviceable, as well as the most picturesfpie, covering worn by 

 any of the native tril)es. Sometimes a coronal of ilowers sur- 

 rounds the head, which is usually adorned by a large daub of 

 arnatto on the hair above the brow; while the forehead and 

 cheeks are painted in various patterns with the same vermi- 

 ]i<jn colour, which :u\(\>i extreme ferocity to their aj>[»earance. 

 Some of the men also smear their bodies witli arnatt(^, as do 

 tlie women. They are genei-ally well-proportioned, and more 

 elegant in ligure ihan the othei- races. 'I'ln^ wuiuen arc noted 



