THE ACAWOIOS. 677 



spects, agree in many others. They are in general indolent, and 

 find clothing unnecessary ; they have little to provide beyond 

 their daily food, and thus spend much of their time in their 

 hammocks, leaving the women to labour in the plantations 

 and attend to their domestic concerns. They are, perhaps, more 

 apathetic in manner than reality, having great control over 

 their feelings. Like the whole race, their senses are extremely 

 acute, and kept in constant exercise by following game or 

 tracking an enemy through the forest. They are keen ob- 

 servers of natural objects, and have a considerable knowledge 

 of medicinal and poisonous plants, as well as of the habits of 

 the animals, birds, reptiles, and insects which inhabit their 

 country. They observe the virtue of hospitality, and are fond 

 of paying visits to their friends at a distance expecting to be 

 treated in the same way. Theft is unusual among them ; and 

 so great is their love of liberty that they can seldom be in- 

 duced to follow the customs of civilized life. 



Drunkenness drives them often to fearful excesses most of 

 their quarrels springing from that cause. Their dances, though 

 in a certain degree graceful, consist chiefly in stamping on 

 the ground, balancing on one foot, and staggering in different 

 attitudes as if intoxicated the music being generally monoton- 

 ous and dismal. Mr. Brett describes a curious trial of strength 

 which the Guaranis exercise at their drinking bouts. Each 

 of the antagonists is furnished with a shield made of strips of 

 the mauritia, cut into equal lengths, and firmly lashed across a 

 frame three or four feet in height, but somewhat less in width, 

 and slightly bending downwards. The front of each shield is 

 painted in various colours with some peculiar device, while fas- 

 tened to the upper edge are elastic stems adorned with coloured 

 tassels and streamers. Each champion grasps the edges of his 



