310 TiMEHRI. 



vanished without leaving a trace. Their dignity had been 

 deeply wounded. Without food, and without having 

 as yet received the shghtest reward for their previous 

 services, they had started back for Mappi during the 

 night ; they rather chose to suffer hunger, privation and 

 trouble than to live any longer with him who had ren- 

 dered them ridiculous. 



The following day brought us the long expe6led arrival 



of our Serekongs. Headed by their chief, a venerable old 



man with long snow white hair, they entered our village. 



Curiosity had driven the hoary chieftain to undertake 



the long and troublesome journey in order to see the 



Paranaghieris, in spite of his old age, which betra)fed 



itself especially in his emaciated body and wrinkled 



skin, far less so in the faded colour of his hair, for this 



sign of old age I had hitherto noticed in but one individual 



and a bald head I have never seen even with the 



oldest of Indians. The men had tidily combed back 



their long hair and plaited it into a long tail, which gave 



them an entirely Chinese look. But for this way of 



dressing their hair and some strange chara6lers which 



they had painted on their bodies, they resembled in 



physique the Macusis and Arekunas. It was the 



same with the women, several of whom had brought 



over sick children, which they brought to us soon after 



their arrival, so that we might breathe on their faces and 



bodies and in this way restore them to health. Curiously 



enough, the breath is considered with them as well as 



with the Orientals as the emanation of the innermost 



faculties of the soul and mind ! Our persons, and instru. 



ments and tools were, of course, alsoobjeftsof the greatest 



astonishment and admiration to them— more than every- 



