CUSTOMS OF THE CREOLES. 



247 



sugar ; her house was kept in neat order ; she was constantly employed 

 weaving cotton hamacs, table-cloths, sheets, and bed-spreads ; she wore 

 two gold chains round her neck, to which were suspended a silver cross 

 and a medal ; she wore ear-rings of pure native gold, and on Sundays a 

 very respectable man-like black beaver hat ; she was a strict church 

 woman, and kept Cayuba in that direction, who sometimes shyed off or 

 overslept himself in the hamac, which was slung across the room. 



The Indian men take to the European fancy of dress. On Sundays, 

 before the authorities call upon the prefect, they take off the " camecita," 

 and put on trousers, coat, vest, boots, and hat ; each one carries a cane, 

 the signal of his office. On such occasions they walk with the most 

 amusing air of importance. Cloth clothes are very different from their 

 usual cool dress, though they undergo the greatest amount of warming 

 rather than take them off before sun-set. All the discarded black beaver 

 hats, which have been battered and bent on the road down the moun- 

 tains, find a market here. All the queer-looking black frock and swal- 

 low-tailed dress-coats, that are made in the country, seem to have con- 

 centrated and are displayed before the public on state occasions, in this 

 place. The native dress, worn by the Indians, is well adapted to the 

 women, but the men work quite as awkwardly in camecitas as they ap- 

 pear in thick cloth clothes. • 



Cayuba was kind enough to send us milk and fruits ; when I asked 

 him what I should present him in return, he said, " a black silk hand- 

 kerchief." He was fitted out complete. The interest Indians expressed 

 in sketches of their country, their town, or themselves, was remarkable. 

 Cayuba was much surprised at daguerreotype likenesses of two ladies. 

 He came to my room next day with a party of old men and his wife, 

 to request they might be shown the women " of my tribe." He looked 

 at the pictures, then at his wife, saying he would like to swap her off 

 for the original of that likeness ; and then turned to me and said — 

 "Have you got plenty of them there V pointing to the north, and look- 

 ing very intent. 



Before the break of day the whole population, except the Creoles, are 

 upon their feet ; as day dawns, drummers, fifers, and fiddlers, assemble 

 at the church, and beat reveille. The church bells are hung under the 

 roof of a small steeple near by ; as they ring, the Indians flock to morn- 

 ing prayers. The year round this form is gone through, as it was ori- 

 ginally established by the Jesuits. While kneeling in church, the music 

 commingles with their songs of praise, as the morning sun throws his 

 light upon the city. 



Every evening the same ceremony, as the sun%escends over the An- 



