88 



MARACAS. 



with many Indians, but none of the members 

 of it were of that cast. When the heads of the 

 families were from home, the young females 

 were in the habit of meeting to amuse them- 

 selves. On one of these occasions, an Indian 

 girl carried one of her companions into the hut 

 in which she and her parents dwelt, and on this 

 playmate questioning her, from girlish curiosity, 

 about several gourds which were hanging up in 

 the room, she appeared much alarmed, and 

 said, " You must not look that way, those are 

 maracds, which my father and mother generally 

 put into their chest, but they have to-day for- 

 gotten them." Notwithstanding her entreaties 

 to the contrary, her companion took hold of 

 one of the gourds, and moving it quickly dis- 

 covered that there were pebbles within ; they 

 had handles to them, and tufts of hair upon the 

 top, and they were cut and carved in divers un- 

 usual forms. Here this matter ended, but soon 

 afterwards several of the mulatto women agreed 

 to watch the Indians, for they knew that they 

 often danced in their huts with closed doors ; 

 this was an uncommon practice, and incon- 

 venient too, for the open air is much pleasanter. 

 They had soon an opportunity of witnessing out' 

 of these meetings. The huts are constructed of 

 coco-leaves, and through these they managed 

 to obtain a view of what was going forwards. 

 There was a large earthen pot in the centre ; 



