XXVI WARLIKE WOMEN 459 
and travellers who were so unfortunate as to be 
detained there during one of these fights were glad 
to keep themselves shut up until the stony storm 
had abated ; and with reason, for there had been two 
instances, within a few years, of a white man being 
barbarously murdered by the Indians of Chasuta. 
There is, therefore, no necessity for supposing 
that the Spaniards mistook men for women, either, 
according to the Abbe Raynal, because they were 
beardless, or, according to Wallace, because they 
were long-haired; for (i) American savages are 
generally beardless ; and (2) the Spaniards had 
been for two whole years among Indians who wore 
their hair long, as they do to this day throughout 
the forest of Canelos, the scene of Orellana's 
wanderings with Gonzalo Pizarro ; nay, the prin- 
cipal tribe among them, afterwards preached to by 
the most famous of the Quito missionaries and 
martyrs, F. Rafael Ferrer, were so notorious for the 
length to which they allowed their hair to grow as 
to have got the name of Encabellados. Moreover, 
on the Amazon itself, at the village of the chief 
Aparia, we read that *'at this time four tall Indians 
came to the captain, dressed and adorned with orna- 
ments, and with their hair reaching down to the waist." 
As to the account given to Orellana by an Indian 
whom he captured some way farther down the river, 
about the whole country being subject to warlike 
women who were very rich in gold and silver, and 
had five houses of the sun plated with gold, while 
their own dwellings were of stone and their cities 
were fortified, Orellana merely repeats it as it was 
told to him, evidently, however, believing it himself ; 
nor ought we to accuse him of credulity when we 
