Across Nhambiquara Land 209 



zonian rivers, but we were obliged to cut down every- 

 thing that was not absolutely indispensable. 



Before leaving we prepared for shipment back to the 

 museum some of the bigger skins, and also some of the 

 weapons and utensils of the Indians, which Kermit had 

 collected. These included woven fillets, and fillets made 

 of macaw feathers, for use in the dances ; woven belts ; 

 a gourd in which the sacred drink is offered to the god 

 Enoerey ; wickerwork baskets ; flutes or pipes ; anklet rat- 

 tles; hammocks; a belt of the kind used by the women in 

 carrying the babies, with the weaving-frame. All these 

 were Parecis articles. He also secured from the Nham- 

 biquaras wickerwork baskets of a different type and 

 bows and arrows. The bows were seven feet long and 

 the arrows five feet. There were blunt-headed arrows 

 for birds, arrows with long, sharp wooden blades for 

 tapir, deer, and other mammals; and the poisoned war- 

 arrows, with sharp barbs, poison-coated and bound on by 

 fine thongs, and with a long, hollow wooden guard to slip 

 over the entire point and protect it until the time came 

 to use it. When people talk glibly of "idle" savages they 

 ignore the immense labor entailed by many of their in- 

 dustries, and the really extraordinary amount of work 

 they accomplish by the skilful use of their primitive and 

 ineffective tools. 



It was not until early in the afternoon that we started 

 into the "sertao," * as Brazilians call the wilderness. We 

 drove with us a herd of oxen for food. After going 

 about fifteen miles we camped beside the swampy head- 



* Pronounced "sairtown," as nearly as, with our preposterous 

 methods of spelling and pronunciation, I can render it. 



