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clandestine communications which it favors with 

 the Portugueze possessions. The Tomo lies 

 near the Rio Guaicia (Xie), and the mission of 

 Torno sometimes receives by that way fugitive 

 Indians from the lower Guainia. We did not 

 enter the mission, but father Zea related to us 

 with a smile, that the Indians of Tomo and 

 Maroa had been one day in full insurrection, 

 because an attempt was made, to force them to 

 dance the famous dance of the devils. The mis- 

 sionary had taken a fancy, to have the ceremo- 

 nies by which the piaches, who are at once 

 priests, physicians, and conjurors, evoke the evil 

 spirit, Iolokiamo, represented in a burlesque 

 manner. He thought, that the dance of the 

 devils would be an excellent means of proving 

 to the neophytes, that Iolokiamo had no longer 

 any power over them. Some young Indians, 

 confiding in the promises of the missionary, con- 

 sented to act the devils, and were already deco- 

 rated with black and yellow plumes, and jaguar 

 skins with long sweeping tails. The place where 

 the church stands was surrounded by the sol- 

 diers who are distributed in the missions, in 

 order to add more effect to the counsels of the 

 monks ; and those Indians, who were not en- 

 tirely satisfied with respect to the consequences 

 of the dance, and the impotency of the evil spirit, 

 were brought to the festivity. The party of the 

 ancient and most timid however prevailed; all 



