Travels in the Brazils. 



63 



the storm ; at other times, the man lies tranquilly stretched 

 in his hammock, while the woman keeps up the fire and 

 roasts a piece of flesh on a pointed stick. Fire, called Pot^ 

 by the Puris, is one of the chief necessaries of life to all the 

 Brazilian tribes; and they never let it go out even in the 

 night, because, being destitute of clothing, they would sink 

 under the cold without it, and because it keeps off all wild 

 beasts. They leave these huts w^ithout regret when the sur- 

 rounding country ceases to afford them sufficient nourishment, 

 and remove to places where more animals of chase are to be 

 found. Their game, when prepared for food, has a very dis- 

 gusting 'appearance, as they tear it asunder, half raw, with 

 their strong white teeth, and the skin is not taken off', but 

 only singed black. They also tear to pieces the flesh of their 

 enemies out of revenge ; but there remains no trace among 

 the TapuyaSf of the east coast at least, of their eating their 

 dead, in order to shew the last mark of affection towards 

 them, as some old authors declare.* The Portuguese main- 

 tain, and with apparent probability, that they consume the 

 flesh of their enemies, but this they would never confess, and 

 in their replies to our questions on the subject, ascribed the 

 custom only to the Botocundos. Mawe, the English tra\ eller, 

 relates, that at Canto Gallo they eat unplucked fowls ; but 

 this I never witnessed among savages, and here they even gut 

 them ; so that it must have been a mistake of Mr. Mawe.f 



As soon as we reached the huts a traffic commenced. We 

 presented the women with rosaries of which they are very 

 fond, though they tear off* the cross and laugh at the sacred 

 relic of the Catholic Church. They also delight in woollen 

 caps, knives, and red handkerchiefs; the women are highly 

 pleased with mirrors; but scissars they do not value at all. In 

 return they willingly gave us a great many bows, arrows, and 

 carriage-baskets. These baskets are composed of green palm- 

 leaves; which exhibit when they lie upon their back a bottom 

 of wicker-work, and on the sides is a high rim ; above they are 

 generally open, and only laced over at certain distances with 

 string or bass. The savages bring a great number of balls of 

 wax for sale, which they collect from the wild bees. They 

 use this wax, which is of a dark-brown colour, in preparing 

 their arrows and bows, and also in forming candles, which 

 they sell to the Portuguese. These candles burn veiy well, 

 and are made by winding a wick of cotton round a thin piece 

 of wax, and rolling the whole firmly together. They set a 



* Southeys Hist, of Brazil, Vol, X. p. 379. t Mawe's Travels, &c. p. 121. 



