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TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO, 



\June^ 



Strange groups in every variety of posture scattered about the 

 great house, I longed for a skilful painter to do justice to a 

 scene so novel, picturesque, and interesting. 



A number of fires were also made outside the house, and the 

 young men and boys amused themselves by jumping over 

 them when flaming furiously, an operation which, with their 

 naked bodies, appeared somewhat hazardous. Having been 

 now looking on about three hours, we went to bid adieu to the 

 Tushaua, previous to retiring to our house, as I did not feel 

 much inclined to stay with them all night. We found him 

 with a few visitors, smoking, which on these occasions is per- 

 formed in a very ceremonious manner. The cigar is eight or 

 ten inches long and an inch in diameter, made of tobacco 

 pounded and dried, and enclosed in a cylinder made of a large 

 leaf spirally twisted. It is placed in a cigar-holder about two 

 feet long, like a great two-pronged fork. The bottom is pointed, 

 so that when not in use it can be stuck in the ground. This 

 cigar was offered to us, and Senhor L. took a few whiffs for us 

 both, as he is a confirmed smoker. The caxiri was exceed- 

 ingly good (although the mandiocca-cake of which it is made 

 is chewed by a parcel of old women), and I much pleased the 

 lady of the Tushaua by emptying the calabash she offered me, 

 and pronouncing it to be " purangarete " (excellent). We then 

 said Ere" (adieu), and groped our way down the rough path 

 to our river-side house, to be sung to sleep by the hoarse 

 murmur of the cataract. The next morning the dance was 

 still going on, but, as the caxiri was nearly finished, it termi- 

 nated about nine o'clock, and the various guests took their leave. 



During the dance, Bernardo, an Indian of Sao Jeronymo, 

 arrived from the Rio Apaporis. Senhor L. had sent a message 

 to him by his son (who had come with us) to procure some 

 Indian boys and girls for him, and he now came to talk over 

 the business. The procuring consists in making an attack on 

 some malocca of another nation, and capturing all that do 

 not escape or are not killed. Senhor T. has frequently been 

 on these expeditions, and has had some narrow escapes from 

 lances and poisoned arrows. At Ananarapicoma there was an 

 Indian dreadfully scarred all over one shoulder and part of his 

 back, the effects of a discharge of B.B. shot which Senhor L. 

 had given him, just as he was in the act of turning with his 

 bow and arrow : they are now excellent friends, and do business 



