Gabb] 500 [Aug. 20, 



bundle about two feet long ; enveloped in a piece of clotli of native make, 

 prepared by being painted in an allegorical manner. 



These cloths, about four feet long by tw^o wide, are painted -with a led 

 vegetable juice, in figures two to four inches long. The devices vary ac- 

 cording to the cause of the death of the individual ; whether it be from 

 fever or other disease, old age, snake bite, wounds, &c. One of these 

 cloths, in the Smithsonian museum, is painted for a person who is sup- 

 posed to have died from snake bite. 



The bones, having been tied up in the new bundle, are carried, again 

 under a pole, to the house where the feast is to be held, and are there 

 placed on a little rack overhead, out of the way of persons passing under- 

 neath. 



Everything being ready, the first installment of food cooked, the chi- 

 cha brewed, and chocolate boiled, the feast begins. 



I had the rare good fortune, not only to witness the ceremony at the 

 death of the persons mentioned above, but also to be present at the death 

 feast of the chief Santiago. That is to say, I saw all that happened on 

 the first and the last days ; the intervening thirteen or fourteen being all 

 alike ; a succession of eating, drinking, dancing ; a disgusting scene of 

 carousal and debauch that did not possess even the merit of variety. 



The feast was held in a large house, adjoining the residence of the 

 chief Birche. The house is about seventy-five feet long and forty wide ; 

 the ends being round, and the only light entering by the large doorway 

 left opeii at one end. A little rack, made of wild cane was tied up to the 

 sloping side of the house, about eight feet from the floor, and on this was 

 laid the bundle containing the disjointed skeleton of the murdered chief. 

 At a given signal, the principal singer or priest took his position on a low 

 stool, flanked by the other priests and some volunteers. All were regaled 

 with chocolate served in- little gourds. The priest began a low chant and 

 two men started twirling the stick to light the fire. As fast as one tired, 

 another took his place until the sparks glowed in the pit bored in the 

 lower stick. A yell from the priest announced this, and a piece of cotton 

 wool was ignited from the burning dust ; with this the fire-wood, pre- 

 viously prepared, was lighted and the fire placed under the remains. 

 Here it was kept up until the end of the feast. After the lighting of the 

 fire, singing and dancing began in earnest, interrupted occasionally by 

 eating and drinking. 



The dances are very similar ; the principal differences visible to an ob- 

 server are in the disposition of the dancers, whether in a circle or in one 

 or two straight lines. In the latter case, the two lines are parallel, and 

 the dancers face each other. The dancing is kept up to the " music " of 

 small drums, carved out of a solid piece of wood, with a single head, 

 made of the belly skin of the iguana ; the other end is open. The drum 

 is held under the left arm, and is beaten with the tips of the fingers of 

 the right hand. The drummers, ranged in a line, sing a monotonous 

 song, with a chorus ; the time being beaten on the drums. Sometimes a 



