TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



243 



By no means inclined to conversation, he sleeps 

 during a part of the day; plays, when not occupied 

 in the chase, with his domestic animals ; or sits gaz- 

 ing intently without thought, sometimes frightened, 

 as in a dream, by fanciful images. Chained to the 

 present, he hardly ever raises his eyes to the starry 

 firmament. Yet he is actuated by a certain awe of 

 some constellations, as of every thing that indicates 

 a spiritual connection of things. His chief atten- 

 tion, however, is not directed to the sun, but to the 

 moon ; according to which he calculates time, and 

 from which he is used to deduce good and evil. 

 As all that is. good passes without notice by him, 

 and only what is disagreeable makes an impression 

 on him ; he acknowledges no cause of good, or no 

 God, but only an evil principle, which meets him 

 sometimes in the form of a lizard ; of a man with 

 stag's feet; of a crocodile, or an ounce ; sometimes 

 transforms itself into a swamp, &c., leads him astray, 

 vexes him, brings him into difficulty and danger, 

 and even kills him. 



They ascribe a direct intercourse with the 

 demons to their Pqje^ who is acquainted with many 

 powerful herbs, appears to be at the same time 

 their priest and physician, and contrives to main- 

 tain his credit among them by all kinds of conjur- 

 ing tricks. In extraordinary cases he is applied to 

 for . his advice, which he gives after consulting the 

 demons ; for which purpose he generally chooses 



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