A GOLD MINE IX THE WILDERNESS. 181 



scrutiny. We rarely saw the Indian men at home; they 

 were off hunting, or fishing, or perhaps employed by the 

 mine as woodcutters. The women were always busy, cook- 

 ing, planting cassava, spinning cotton, weaving hammocks 

 and baskets and bead aprons, necklaces and bracelets. We 

 could never resist the temptation to stop and make friends 

 with them. The gift of a cigarette won their hearts and we 

 invariably found them very gentle and kindly. Their cos- 

 tumes were extraordinary. Those who had been presented 

 with the garments of civilization proudly wore them, though 

 they were nothing more than short, loose slips. Bui the 

 majority wore their native dress consisting chiefly of beads; 

 certainly far more healthful and suitable for them than the 

 unaccustomed clothing given them by the missionaries. The 

 children were lovable little pieces of bronze, very smooth 

 and glossy. They would often come softly up and slip their 

 small hands in ours, looking up at us with shy wonder. 



In one of the huts we watched with amusement the wee-est 

 of Indian girls trying to drive away a huge rooster who was 

 pervading the hut. The child could not have been more than 

 two years old but she was already thorough'}- feminine, 

 waving her small arms valiantly at the intruder and then 

 running away terrified to bury her head in her mother's 

 hammock, until she could summon courage for another 

 attack upon the enemy. 



As time went on and news of our arrival spread, Indians 

 from huts far distant in the forest made expeditions to come 

 and look at us; as curious about us as was the small boy 

 living up on the Essequibo River who saved up his "bits" 

 and took a long journey down the river to see a horse. He 

 had heard that there were such creatures but he wished 

 to investigate for himself. So tours were made to see us and 

 we were inspected by wondering eyes to whom white women 

 were as strange as were horses to the little "bush" lad. 



