252 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



built. It was the custom of the officials in going up or 

 down the river to stop at each of these stations and place 

 beads, ' knives, and trinkets on the benches as a peace- 

 offering to the Indians; but so reticent had been the latter 

 that not one of the articles had hitherto been touched. 

 Great was our surprise and joy to find that aU the precious 

 offerings had been removed, and that the Indians them- 

 selves had left a number of tokens of friendship in return. 

 They were arrows six feet long, beautifully adorned with 

 the bright-colored feathers of trogons, toucans, and other 

 birds; parcels of Brazil nuts neatly done up in leaves; a 

 few ears of maize, a feather head-dress, and a small pottery 

 bowl. We collected all these treasures and left many more 

 presents in exchange. 



As we neared one of the last stations the sound of loud 

 hallooing came from the forest on our right. We swung 

 the great batelao toward the shore. We landed, but no 

 sooner had we climbed to the top of the steep bank than we 

 realized how cleverly had been arranged the plan by the 

 Indians to effect a meeting with the mysterious strangers 

 who were passing through their country. Following a wide 

 path that led into the dense forest for a distance of twenty 

 yards, we suddenly came upon a small, swift stream that 

 sped through a dark tunnel-like opening under the dense 

 canopy of leaves and branches. As we stared in blank 

 amazement into the impenetrable tangle of vegetation on 

 the other side of the stream, there emerged from the forest 

 four nude, bronze figures, gesticulating wildly and chatter- 

 ing in a strange jargon which, of course, we could not vmder- 

 stand; they were of good build, though inferior in physique 

 to the Nhambiquaras we had seen on the chapadMo, and not 

 over five feet tall, with long, straight hair, and, remarkable 

 though it is, the tangled hair of two of them was of a de- 

 cided auburn color. Their bodies were plentifully be- 

 smeared with dark-bluish paint, applied in queer zigzag de- 

 signs and giving a grotesque effect. No wilder scene can 

 be imagined than the quartet of naked, trembling savages 



