224 TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



to content ourselves with admiring them at the 

 unattainable height at which they were placed. 



Towards noon we were near the Aldea do Morro 

 Grande, where several families of the Coroados 

 reside, and by the advice of our soldier we entered 

 a side path leading to them, having left our mules 

 and arms at the neighbouring fazenda of a white 

 colonist. Nothing but confidence in the expe- 

 rience of our guide, could have induced us to 

 proceed in the narrow and intricate path, till we 

 at length came out of a thicket to a rather lighter 

 spot by the side of a stream, in which we per-" 

 ceived a naked Indian woman, painted with all 

 kinds of figures of a dark blue colour. She was 

 employed in pouring water over herself, and on 

 our appearance she was as much astonished as we. 

 Her black shining hair hung like a cloak over her 

 reddish brown shoulders, and various drawings and 

 figures difficult to be explained, ornamented her 

 face and breast. On the cheek she had a circle 

 and over that two strokes ; under the nose several 

 marks resembling an M ; from the corners of the 

 mouth to the middle of the cheek were two pa- 

 rallel lines, and below them on both sides many 

 straight stripes ; below and between her breasts 

 there were some connected segments of circles, 

 and down her arms the figure of a snake was de- 

 picted. This beauty wore no ornaments, except 

 a necklace of monkeys' teeth. Scarcely had she 



