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dence here they have become considerably reduced in number. 

 The causes are various, as for example, the incessant murders for 

 the sake of revenge, few births, and being shot down. Of the 

 last, several cases came to our knowledge in years gone by, and 

 we have also been told by white people, and especially by the natives 

 themselves. Latterly nothing of the kind has occurred. 



Their hair is not woolly, like that of Negroes, but straight ; in 

 a few cases the ends are slightly curled ; it is dark-colored, and 

 but rarely fair. In a state of nature it hangs down uncombed 

 and confusedly, hence their repulsive appearance. Usually they 

 tie it up into a top-knot with string made of the hair of rats, so 

 that it forms a sort of a short thick queue. Being anointed with 

 grease, covered with dust, and unkempt, their hair gets matted 

 into ball-like masses. A few have fine beards and whiskers, but 

 the latter is generally the best developed. As though under 

 some solemn vow, they will allow no razor to touch their beards. 

 The moustache is cut, but formerly, whilst this was being done,, 

 they held fast their hair and beard with both hands. The mouth 

 is wide, the jaws somewhat prominent, but not the chin ; the lips 

 are certainly thick, but not nearly so protruding as those of the 

 Negroes ; the forehead rather recedes backwards ; the upper part 

 of the nose is dejDressed, causing the lower forehead to project, 

 whilst the tip is broad and thick, and the round nostrils are 

 widely separated. The cheek-bones are prominent, and the eyes 

 are sunken, the white parts being dull and of a bluish tinge. The 

 body on the whole is slender and well built, although there are a 

 few who are stout and broad. 



Blind and half-blind persons are numerous, caused by eye- 

 diseases, which prevail at the change of the season after the great 

 heat. The halt, and the deaf and the dumb, are also to be found. 

 A kind of climatic fever prevails usually at the end of the sum- 

 mer, which prostrates one after another. The scars on the faces 

 of some afford evidence that smallpox affected them some 16 or 

 18 years ago. They call the disease " Fajiia." Some are said to 

 have died of it. Little children are often subject to diseases of the 

 throat, which prove occasionally fatal. The worst disease among 

 the natives is syphilis, with which everyone is more or less tainted. 

 From the first we have had to treat this disease, and several 

 of the natives have died of it. The disease appears to be be- 

 coming more prevalent, due probably to general prostitution. 

 Owing to this disease few children are either born or are then sa 

 delicate, that when grown up they have not the stamina of the 

 white inhabitants, though the latter are exotics to the climate. 

 There is certainly no great future for this people. 



