280 



INDIAN AND OTHER 



that as soon as the dying man is suffocated by the closing of 

 the mouth, nostrils, &c. and wrapt up in the covering of his 

 bed, the most circumspedl Indian, whether male or female, 

 takes him in the arms in the best manner possible, and gives 

 a gentle shriek, which echoes to the bitter lamentations of the 

 immediate relatives, and to the cries of a thousand old women 

 colle6ted for the occasion. As long as this dismal howl sub- 

 sists, the latter are subjedted to a constant fatigue, raising the 

 palm of the hand to wipe away the tears, and lowering it to 

 dry it on the ground. . The result of this alternate a6lion is, 

 that a circle of earth, which gives them a most hideous ap- 

 pearance, is collected about the eye-lids and brows ; and they 

 do not wash themselves until the mourning is over. These 

 first clamours conclude by several good pots of masato'^, to 

 assuage the thirst of sorrow ; and the company next proceed 

 to make a great clatter among ^he utensiJs of the deceased : 

 some break the kettles, and others the earthen pots, while 

 others, again, burn the apparel, to the end that his memory 

 may be the sooner forgotten. If the defunct has been a cacique, 

 or powerful warrior, his exequies are performed after the man- 

 ner of the Romans : they last for many days, all the people 

 weeping in concert for a considerable space of time, at day- 

 break, at noon, in the evening, and at midnight. When the 

 appointed hour arrives, the mournful music begins in front of 

 the house of the wife and relatives, the heroical deeds of the 



* To procure this drink, they boil a certain quantity of yucas, and having re- 

 duced them into a paste, or meal, moisten it with saliva, leaving it to ferment for 

 three days. By the addition of water, it becomes a very powerful and intoxicating 

 liquor. 



deceased 



