246 Through the BraziHan Wilderness 



straight down for about eight, feet, and then laterally for 

 about fifteen feet, to a kind of chamber. The animal 

 dug hard to escape, but when taken and put on the sur- 

 face of the ground it moved slowly and awkwardly. It 

 showed vicious courage. In looks it closely resembled 

 our pocket gophers, but it had no pockets. This was 

 one of the most interesting small mammals that we 

 secured. 



After breakfast at Bonofacio a number of Nhambi- 

 quaras — ^men, women, and children — strolled in. The 

 men gave us an exhibition of not very good archery; 

 when the bow was bent, it was at first held so that the 

 arrow pointed straight upwards and was then lowered 

 so that the arrow was aimed at the target. Several of the 

 women had been taken from other tribes, after their hus- 

 bands or fathers had been killed ; for the Nhambiquaras 

 are light-hearted robbers and murderers. Two or three 

 miserable dogs accompanied them, half-starved and 

 mangy, but each decorated with a collar of beads. The 

 headmen had three or four wives apiece, and the women 

 were the burden-bearers, but apparently were not badly 

 treated. Most of them were dirty, although well-fed 

 looking, and their features were of a low type ; but some, 

 especially among the children, were quite attractive. 



From Bonofacio we went about seven miles, across a 

 rolling prairie dotted with trees and clumps of shrub. 

 There, on February. 24, we joined Amilcar, who was 

 camped by a brook which flowed into the Duvida. We 

 were only some six miles from our place of embarkation 

 on the Duvida, and we divided our party and our be- 

 longings, Amilcar, Miller, Mello, and Oliveira were to 



