148 



ABORIGINES. 



dancings and clapping their hands, crying out. 

 Here we are !— here we are ?^ Many tribes 

 adore the moon ; and all of them believe in a 

 bad as well as good principle, — a sort of devil 

 which resides on the earth to do them as much 

 mischief as he can. The tribes established 

 near Maynas, upon the river Amazon, believe 

 in a future state, where the soul will live under 

 the human form. They desire to be buried 

 with a hatchet, and complete set of arms, that 

 they may enter heaven victorious and trium- 

 phant, along the milky way, where their ances- 

 tors await them with abundance of food ready 

 prepared. 



The Indians of the Ucayal and Huallaga 

 receive from the tribes inhabiting the Cordil- 

 leras a number of these hatchets, which are 

 very much esteemed by them, as the following 

 anecdote will show : One came to the Jesuit 



