Across Nhambiquara Land 241 



friendly, good-natured — ^at least superficially — ^and very 

 inquisitive. In feasting, the long reeds thrust through 

 holes in their lips did not seem to bother them, and they 

 laughed at the suggestion- of removing them; evidently 

 to have done so would have been rather bad manners — 

 like using a knife as an aid in eating ice-cream. They 

 held two- or three dances, and we were again struck by 

 the rhythm and weird, haunting melody of their chant- 

 ing. After supper they danced beside the camp-fire ; and 

 finally, to their delight, most of the members of our own 

 party, Americans and Brazilians, enthusiastically joined 

 the dance, while the colonel and I furnished an apprecia- 

 tive and applauding audience. Next morning, when we 

 were awakened by the chattering and screaming of the 

 numerous macaws, parrots, and parakeets, we found that 

 nearly all the Indians, men and women, were gathered 

 outside the tent. As far as clothing was concerned, they 

 were in the condition of Adam and Eve before the fall. 

 One of the women carried a little squirrel monkey. She 

 put it up the big tree some distance from the tents ; and 

 when she called, it came scampering to her across the 

 grass, ran up her, and clung to her neck. They would 

 have liked to pilfer; but as they had no clothes it was 

 difficult for them to conceal anj^hing. One of the women 

 was observed to take a fork ; but as she did not possess a 

 rag of clothing of any kind all she could do was to try to 

 bury the fork in the sand and then sit on it ; and it was 

 reclaimed without difficulty. One or two of the children 

 wore necklaces and bracelets made of the polished wood 

 of the tucum palm, and of the molars of small rodents. 

 Next day's march led us across a hilly country of good 



