534 



the animal at their tables. The flesh of mon- 

 keys is so lean and dry, that Mr. Bonpland has 

 preserved in his collections at Paris an arm and 

 hand, which had been broiled over the fire at 

 Esmeralda ; and no smell arises from them after 

 a great number of years. 



We saw the Indians dance. The monotony 

 of this dance is increased by the women not 

 daring to take a part in it. The men, young 

 and old, form a circle, holding each other's 

 hands ; and turn sometimes to the right, some- 

 times to the left, for whole hours, with silent 

 gravity. Most frequently the dancers themselves 

 are the musicians. Feeble sounds, drawn from 

 a series of reeds of different lengths, form a slow 

 and plaintive accompaniment. The first dan- 

 cer, to mark the time, bends both knees in a 

 kind of cadence. Sometimes they all make a 

 pause in their places, and execute little oscilla- 

 tory movements, bending the body from one 

 side to the other. These reeds ranged in a line, 

 and fastened together, resemble the pipe of 

 Pan, as we find it represented in the bacchana- 

 lian processions on Grecian vases. To unite 

 reeds of different lengths, and make them sound 

 in succession by passing them before the lips, 

 is a simple idea, and naturally presented itself 

 to every nation. We were surprised to see with 

 what promptitude the young Indians construct- 

 ed and tuned these pipes, when they found 



