f "9 ) 



a view to hide their own fear, for we mud not be- 

 lieve them to be entirely exempt from it. Young 

 perfons do it, in order to conceal their youth, which 

 makes them lefs efteemed by the old foldiers, 

 or their palenefs after fome difeafe which they 

 would be afraid would be taken for the effecl of 

 their want of courage. They do it likewife in or- 

 der to improve their good looks ; in which cafe 

 the colours are more lively and in greater variety : 

 they alfo paint the prifoners who are condemned 

 to die, for what reafon I know not ; this is per- 

 haps done to adorn the viclim who is about to be 

 facrificed to the god of war. Laftly, they paint 

 dead perfons and expofe them covered with their 

 fined robes, and this, no doubt, that they may 

 conceal the dead palenefs which disfigures them. 



The colours made ufe of on thefe occafions are 

 the fame employed in dying their fkins, and are 

 drawn from certain earths and from the barks of 

 trees. Thefe are not very lively, but are very dif- 

 ficult to efface. The men add to thefe ornaments 

 fome down of fwans or other birds, which they fcat- 

 ter over their hair, which is befmeared with fat, by 

 way of powder. To this they add feathers of all 

 colours, and tufts of hair of different animals, all 

 placed in a very grotefque manner. The difpofi- 

 tion of their hair fometimes brifcling on one fide 

 and lying flat on the other, or dreffed in a thoufand 

 odd ways ; with pendants in their ears and fome- 

 times in their nofirils, a large fheil of porcelain 

 hanging from their neck or on their breaft, crowns 

 of feathers, with the claws, talons or heads of birds 

 of prey, fmall deer horns all thefe are fo many 

 eflential articles in their drefs. But whatever is of 

 an extraordinary value, is always employed in a- 

 dorning their captives when thefe wretches make 

 I 4 their 



