200 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



were conspicuous in the landscape. The only mammal I 

 saw on the walk was a rather hairy armadillo, with a flex- 

 ible tail, which I picked up and brought back to Miller — 

 it showed none of the speed of the nine-banded armadillos 

 we met on our jaguar-hunt. Judging by its actions, as 

 it trotted about before it saw me, it must be diurnal in 

 habits. It was new to the collection. 



I spent much of the afternoon by the waterfall. Under 

 the overcast sky the great cataract lost the deep green 

 and fleecy-white of the sunlit falling waters. Instead it 

 showed opaline hues and tints of topaz and amethyst. 

 At all times, and under all lights, it was majestic and 

 beautiful. 



Colonel Rondon had given the Indians various presents, 

 those for the women including calico prints, and, what they 

 especially prized, . bottles of scented oil, from Paris, for 

 their hair. The men held a dance in the late afternoon. 

 For this occasion most, but not all, of them cast aside 

 their civilized clothing, and appeared as doubtless they 

 would all have appeared had none but themselves been 

 present. They were absolutely naked except for a beaded 

 string round the waist. Most of them were spotted and 

 dashed with red paint, and on one leg wore anklets which 

 rattled. A number carried pipes through which they blew 

 a kind of deep stifled whistle in time to the dancing. One - 

 of them had his pipe leading into a huge gourd, which 

 gave out a hollow, moaning boom. Many wore two red 

 or green or yellow macaw feathers in their hair, and one 

 had a macaw feather stuck transversely through the sep- 

 tum of his nose. They circled slowly round and round, 

 chanting and stamping their feet, while the anklet rattles 



