318 



VOYAGE ON THE TAPAJOS. 



wounded man, supported the leg. She watched me with astonishment, 

 and, whilst I was binding up the wound with cotton soaked in alkali, 

 (salts,) she disappeared, and I saw her no more. 



" The Indian was relieved. The old Tuchao knew of it ; and, to thank 

 me for it, or rather, I believe, to test me, presented me with a calabash, in 

 which he poured a whitish and disgusting drink, exhaling a strong odor 

 of corruption. This detestable liquor was the cachiri, (masato,) a drink 

 that would make hell vomit ; but the Indians passionately love it. I 

 knew by experience that by refusing to drink I would offend this proud 

 Mahue, and that if I remained in this Malocca I should assuredly die 

 from want, because even a calabash of water would be refused me. I 

 shut my eyes and drank. 



" The cachiri is the substance of the manioc root, softened in hot 

 water, and afterwards chewed by the old women of the Malocca. They 

 spit it into great earthern pans, when it is exposed to a brisk fire until it 

 boils. It is then poured into pots and suffered to stand until a putrid 

 fermentation takes place. 



" The Indian afterwards took his parica. He beat, in a mortar of 

 sapucaia, a piece of hard paste, which is kept in a box made of a shell ; 

 poured this pulverized powder upon a dish presented by another Indian, 

 and with a long pencil of hairs of the tamandua bandeira, he spread it 

 evenly without touching it with the fingers ; then taking pipes joined 

 together, made of the quills of the gaviao real, (royal eagle,) and placing 

 it under his nose, he snuffed up with a strong inspiration all the powder 

 contained in the plate. His eyes started from his head ; his mouth con- 

 tracted ; his limbs trembled. It was fearful to see him ; he was obliged 

 to sit down, or he would have fallen; he was drunk, but this intoxication 

 lasted but five minutes; he was then gayer. 



" Afterwards, by many entreaties, I obtained from him his precious 

 parica, or rather one of them, for he possessed two. 



" At the Malocca of Taguariti, where I was the next day, the Tuchao ? 

 observing two young children returning from the woods laden with 

 sarsaparilla, covered with perspiration, and overcome, as much by the 

 burden they carried as the distance they had travelled, called them to 

 him, beat some parica, and compelled them to snuff it. 



" I then understood that a Tuchao Mahue had a paternal authority 

 in his Malocca, and treated all as his own children. He forced these 

 children to take the parica, convinced that by it they avoided fevers 

 and other diseases. And, in truth, I soon saw the children leave the 

 cabin entirely refreshed, and run playing to the brook and throw them- 

 selves in. 



