THE CH0C6 COUNTRY 69 



with wild flowers. The room was packed to suffocation 

 with the black forms of the populace, which glistened in 

 the dim, flickering candle-light. At first bottles of aguar- 

 diente were distributed, and every one had a number of 

 liberal-sized drinks. Then the older folks withdrew against 

 the four walls and, squatting on the floor, sang or lamented 

 as fancy dictated. The younger people divided into two 

 parties and played games around the coffin. One of them 

 was a kind of charade and, when the guessing side solved 

 the riddle, they pursued and caught the others, amid loud 

 shouts and laughter. I feared constantly that they might 

 upset the coffin. Occasionally some one would stop long 

 enough to pet or caress the dead little form, and address 

 a few terms of endearment to it, such as pobrecito, angelito, 

 or tan lindito. The revelry lasted until daylight; then a 

 procession slowly wound its way to a newly dug grave and 

 deposited its burden, leaving the only little mound visible 

 that side of the Tamana. 



Christmas was drawing near. "We were surprised to see 

 the women apparently making preparations for a celebra- 

 tion, which is most unusual in South America. They 

 worked several days cutting the weeds around the village 

 and cleaning up the place. "When we asked about it, they 

 said it was not on account of the approaching fiesta, but a 

 form of penance they performed annually in atonement 

 of their sins. Apparently the men were without blemish, 

 for they gazed upon the workers and addressed jocular 

 remarks to them from the comfortable retreat of their ham- 

 mocks, even enumerating particular misdeeds and sug- 

 gesting special forms of penance that might be effective. 



The next stage of our journey had to be performed on 

 the river. We secured a huge bongo and stalwart negro 

 paddlers, and December 21 found us speeding down-stream 

 toward Xovita. The Tamana" is a rapid stream, varying 

 between one hundred and three hundred yards in width. 

 Its bed is strewn with boulders, causing rapids easily navi- 

 gable on the downward voyage, but difficult and dangerous 



