CAYAVABO INDIANS. 



265 



bluish color, which is said to produce the best aguadiente. It is seldom 

 manufactured into sugar, being inferior to either of the two whites. I 

 collected cuttings of each kind. 



The Cayavabo Indians are good horsemen. When they require cat- 

 tle, a party mount horses and ride into the pampa, where they encoun- 

 ter the wild cattle. They ride round them in the most skilful manner, 

 run them into an enclosure ; from the outside of the fence they lasso 

 a beef, and haul him to a bull-ring fixed in a post. Tame, oxen are 

 kept and fed near the place where the beef is butchered. The horns of 

 a wild bull are sometimes secured to those of a tame ox, when they are 

 let loose on the plain. The ox knows the road, and naturally runs to 

 the place where he is fed at the market, and holds his wild brother, 

 while the Indian puts him to death. ( 



The boat's crew were mustered by the comisario, and in the presence 

 of the correjidor, I paid them our passage money from Exaltacion to 

 Forte do Principe da Beira, in Brazil, with the express understanding, 

 that in case there were no men there for Don Antonio's boat to take 

 me to the Amazon, they would continue with me to the town of Matto 

 Grosso. It appeared very evident that the Indians disliked leaving the 

 ehacras, preferring much more to remain and gather their harvest than 

 go on this voyage, which is seldom made by the Bolivians. They were 

 fine, stout built men, and reported to be the very best crew belonging 

 to the tribe. The correjidor gave them instructions to do whatever I 

 desired of them, and to take good care of us, as we came down the 

 mountains from where the President lived. He was also kind enough 

 to give me the choice of all the canoes in port ; the largest and best 

 one measured thirty-nine feet long, by four feet three inches beam, and 

 would carry, besides the crew, one thousand pounds weight ; the pad- 

 dles were five feet long. 



The correjidor presented a raw-hide box filled with jerked beef — 

 charque, as it is called — some corn bread, and farinha. The superin- 

 tendent of the mill sent a jug of molasses and some of his best white 

 sugar. We had appointed the 30th of August as our day of sailing, when 

 the crew came down, headed by their captain, to beg we would allow 

 them to celebrate the Fiesta de Santa Rosa, when manana — next day — 

 they would be ready to start. As there was dancing and an unusual 

 encouragement of the chicha manufacturers in town, I saw there was 

 no chance of getting off, and very unwillingly gave consent. 



While we observed the northern stars for latitude, several Indians 

 came to look on. Being shown the image of a star in the basin of 

 mercury, they appeared astonished, and inquired of Don Antonio what 



