TAPIRS. 317 



were yellow, others blue, and some mottled with a variety of tints. 

 What could it mean ? But I knew well enough. The dogs were 

 dyed ! Yes, it is a custom among many tribes of South American 

 Indians to dye not only their own bodies, but the hairy coat of 

 their dogs, with brilliant colours obtained from vegetable juices, 

 such as the red huitoc, the yellow rocoa (annoto), and the blue of 

 the wild indigo. The light grey, often white, hair of these 

 animals favours the staining process; and the effect produced 

 pleases the eye of their savage masters. On my eye the effect 

 was strange and fantastical. I could not restrain my laughter 

 when I first scanned these curs in their fanciful coats. Picture to 

 yourself a pack of scarlet, and orange, and purple dogs ! " 



The Chief and Martinhez were armed with a light fusil and 

 rifle respectively ; the others with guns, bows and arrows, and 

 some had arrows dipped in curarie poison. They paddled up 

 the river to a place that was studded with islands and known to 

 be a favourite resort of the tapirs. The narrator was struck with 

 the appearance of the party, and observes, " No ' meet ' in the 

 hunting-field of civilized countries could have equalled us in pic- 

 turesqueness. The ubas (canoes), strung out in a long irregular 

 line, sprang up-stream in obedience to the vigorous strokes of the 

 rowers, and these sang in a sort of irregular concert as they plied 

 their paddles. The songs were improvised : they told the feats 

 of the hunters already performed, and promised others yet to be 

 done, I could hear the word ' tapira ' (tapir) often repeated. 

 The women lent their shrill voices to the chorus ; and now and 

 then interrupted the song with peals of merry laughter. The 

 strange-looking flotilla — the bronzed bodies of the Indians, more 

 than half-nude — ^their waving black hair — their blue-bead belts 

 and red cotton armlets — the bright tangas (aprons of the women) 

 — ^their massive necklaces — the macaw feathers adorning the heads 

 of the hunters — ^their odd arms and equipments — all combined to 

 form a picture which, even to me, accustomed to such sights, was 

 full of interest." 



The tracks of a tapir having been discovered on the sandy shore 

 of one of the islands, it was surrounded, and the hunt began. At 

 a given signal several hunters leaped ashore, followed by the 



