242 
A JOURXEY IX ECUADOR 
coarsely fat, and disfigured b}'’ black streaks across their faces 
arms, and breasts. They wear an embroidered cloth of their 
own manufacture tied around the waist and reaching to the knee, 
and the men wear a garment like swimming trunks, made of the 
same material. 
Boiled plantain lieaten into cakes between two flat stones con- 
stituted supper and breakfast. After supi)er the women engaged 
in weaving cloth from shreds of i)lantain fiber, and through this 
embroidered long pieces of cotton dyed by rolling cotton in 
natural l)lues and reds through the cloth like wax-ends. This 
cloth, all hand-made, was when completed extremely hand- 
some, reminding one of the figures and coloring of German em- 
broidery. The men amused themselves lolling in hammocks or 
])laying on the marimba, an instrument made of upright pieces 
of bamboo with pieces of hard wood laid across them, in tone like 
a xyloplione. Sometimes they played minor chords on another 
instrument like a harp. A fire of a sort of resinous wood served 
to light up the scene until night fell black and damp, and we 
were lulled to sleep by the crackling flight of large beetles and 
the occasional hoarse bark of a tree-frog or lizard. 
p]arly the next morning we visited the trapiclie or sugar-cane 
press of the chief. Here two huge wooden rollers set close to- 
gether pressed the cane stalks and large metal ve.ssels received 
the juice. Distilling pots were placed convenient!}’' near. All 
the apparatus had apparently been in use for many years. 
These natives make light and swift canoes and leaf-shape pad- 
dles, and are also skillful in weaving hats, fans, and hammocks 
from the many-colored rushes and grasses. From the “ pita ’’ 
they make fish nets and lines, and by whipping a small stream, 
diving, and keeping the net close to the bottom they inclose the 
fish in a small space, when men, women, and children have great 
sjjort in spearing them. Besides this, the men are skillful fisher- 
men, and when the river is high an Indian can often be seen, with 
one hand holding his pole and the other propelling and guiding 
his canoe in a manner worthy of the most scientific sportsman. 
They also make a sort of vegetable cloth by beating otf the out- 
side covering of strips of Tanajaqua bark, which afterwards by 
repeated washings becomes pliable. 
By some means of rapid signaling our ])rogress up the river 
was anticipated, but thanks to the kind office of our friend, the 
gobernador, although not altogether hospitably received, we were 
still permitted to pass along without question. Along the whole 
