234 A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TEOANO. 



cacao soaked and diluted in the pure water which they said sprang from 

 cavities in the woods or mountains. 



After this anointing the priest rose; he took from their heads tlie white 

 cloths which had been placed on them, also others which they had on their 

 shoulders, where each one wore some feathers of a very beautiful Ijird and 

 some grains of cacao. One of the Chacs collected these things, after which 

 the priest cut off from the heads of the little boys that which they wore 

 fastened on them with a stone knife. Behind the priest walked his other 

 assistant, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, with a pipe with perfume, which 

 the Indians were accustomed to smoke; they made nine passes with it 

 before each child and then gave them one by one the flowers to smell and 

 the pipe to smoke. They then collected the presents which the mothers had 

 brought, and gave a little food to the children, the same amount to each 

 infant, for these presents consisted of eatables. They took one large bowl 

 filled with wine and hastily offered it to the gods, conjuring them with 

 words of devotion to accept of this feeble homage on the part of the chil- 

 dren; then calling another officer, whose title was Cayom, they gave him 

 the vessel, which he must empty at a draught; for him to stop to take 

 breath would have been wrong. 



