AND AMONG THE BOTOCUDOS. 



309 



they wither, they fall off, and cover the ground under the trees. The 

 large trunk of these trees is filled with a very juicy, soft pith, in 

 which are found the larvae of several large insects, which are sought 

 by the Botocudos, roasted on a wooden spit, and eagerly devoured. 

 If an incision is made in the tree, a quantity of clammy juice, or 

 resin, exudes. In this wilderness a little solitary path led to the hills, 

 where a party of Botocudos resides : many of them often visit this 

 station, and work for a time, if food is given them in return for 

 their labour. 



The distance to the Quartel by land is about half a league : the 

 way is alternately up and down hill through the forest, which is a 

 great obstacle to the conveyance of goods, which must all be carried 

 on men's shoulders. The Quartel do Salto lies on the river, in a 

 rather broad part of the valley, where the water being low, a naked 

 stony flat appeared, bordering the narrow stream on both sides. The 

 buildings are of clay, covered with large, long pieces of the bark of 

 the pao ftarco. The commandant, a subaltern officer and man of 

 colour, received me well, and gave me a room in one of the buildings. 

 He had only a couple of soldiers here, the rest having gone up to 

 Minas with some boats ; all the rooms left vacant were now filled 

 with Botocudos, who are allowed to make use of them, for the sake of 

 remaining on good terms with them. Here I found Captain June^s 

 wife, an old woman, who also went stark naked, and had remained 

 behind when the rest of the company proceeded to the Cachoeirinha. 

 Besides this ugly hag, we found here other very well made Botocudos, 

 some of whom were very handsomely painted after their fashion. 

 Some had left the body of its natural colour, and merely painted the 

 face as low as the mouth, of a bright red, with uruc6 ; others had 

 painted the whole body black, leaving only the face, hands, and feet 



