ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO 131 



peaceful view as with a protecting hand which would 

 shield it from the terrors of the frigid Andes on one side, 

 and the steaming Atrato lowlands on the other. In this 

 garden spot we decided to remain, but our arrival was 

 nearly marked by a tragedy. On account of the noonday 

 heat I had tucked a towel under my hat which, hanging 

 down in the back provided, in a measure, protection from 

 the hot sun. One of our peons, in a spirit of fun, told several 

 small boys we chanced to meet that I was the bishop come 

 to pay the town a visit; the urchins rushed into the road and 

 prostrated themselves at my horse's feet, imploring a bene- 

 diction. Fortunately the animal took fright at this unusual 

 occurrence and bolted to one side before it could be re- 

 strained, narrowly avoiding trampling the kneeling forms in 

 its path. 



At Dabeiba we made the acquaintance of a tribe of in- 

 teresting Indians — the Cunas. They lived in banana-leaf 

 huts, scattered over a wide area, but spent most of the time 

 in town, looking into open doorways, begging for rum, or 

 standing in silent groups on the street corners. They are 

 a short, well-knit people of a dark-brown color. When in 

 the forest they wear a breech-cloth only; but the priest has 

 provided them with large muslin sheets that they promptly 

 dyed a dirty-brown hue with achiote seeds, which they wear 

 while in town. They also wore heavy necklaces of silver 

 coins, and bimches of weeds tied about the neck for charms. 

 At first sight it appeared as if they had no teeth, but fm-ther 

 scrutiny revealed the fact that their dental equipment was 

 perfect, though colored black from the juice of a fruit which 

 they chew continuously. The body is hberally besmeared 

 with grease — especially before they enter the river to bathe, 

 so that the water rolls off as from a duck's back. One of 

 the men was entirely covered with star-shaped marks of a 

 deep-blue color which had been stamped on with a die 

 made of wood. They spoke practically no Spanish, but 

 were a friendly lof^and enjoyed being, photographed. 



In order to reach the best hunting-ground, it was neces- 



