IN THE JUNGLE 



fresh. To be sure some had rather withered away; 

 but even wool will shrink. We saw some grass 

 skirts, like the Sunday-school pictures. 



At noon we stopped under a tree by a little stream 

 for lunch. Before long a dozen women were lined 

 up in front of us staring at Billy with all their might. 

 She nodded and smiled at them. Thereupon they 

 sent one of their number away. The messenger 

 returned after a few moments carrying a bunch of 

 the small eating bananas which she laid at our feet. 

 Billy fished some beads out of her saddle bags, and 

 presented them. Friendly relations having been 

 thus fully established, two or three of the women 

 scurried hastily away, to return a few moments later 

 each with her small child. To these infants they 

 carefully and earnestly pointed out Billy and her 

 wonders, talking in a tongue unknown to us. The 

 admonition undoubtedly ran something like this: 



"Now, my child, look well at this: for when you 

 get to be a very old person you will be able to look 

 back at the day when with your own eyes you be- 

 held a white woman. See all the strange things she 

 wears — and hasn^t she a funny face?" 



We offered these bung-eyed and totally naked 

 youngsters various bribes in the way of beads, the 

 tinfoil from chocolate, and even a small piece of the 

 chocolate itself. Most of them howled and hid their 



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