264 TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



tao, with a handsome dress. It was laughable to 

 see what an impression, a brilliant uniform made 

 upon these simple people. One of them was 

 dressed up in it, with a gold-laced hat, and the 

 looking-glass held before him. Astonished and 

 proud he gazed sometimes on himself, and some- 

 times on his image, and felt the new coat and the 

 looking-glass on all sides ; though he could not 

 explain this magic image, a feeling of complacency 

 and pride seemed to triumph over all his doubts. 

 From this moment his resolutioii was taken, and he 

 was happy to accompany us. He soon grew used 

 to us, remained with us a great part of the jour- 

 ney, and received from us, for his attachment, the 

 name of Custodio. 



On the 17th of April, we left Guidowald; the 

 fear that the Indians would obtain information of 

 the skeleton which we had taken with us, and 

 make a hostile attack upon us, accelerated our 

 resolution and our steps, to return from these dark 

 forests into the cheerful campos. We had already 

 proceeded a good distance from the Presidio de 

 S. Joao Baptista, when we suddenly met in the 

 thickest part of the wood, a body of thirty or forty 

 Indians, who were marching in single troops, 

 men, women, and children, with bag and baggage, 

 in order, as we learnt in the sequel, to attend a 

 drinking feast, a few leagues to the south. Scarcely 

 had they perceived us when they immediately 

 halted, looked at us irresolutely, and then hid 

 themselves singly behind trees, the men with their 



