VII 
AT MANAOS 
253 
songs accompanying these dances were in the 
Lingoa Geral of the Indians, and were of such a 
nature as not to admit of their being decently 
translated into any European language. 
Among the female dancers were two very pretty 
Mamaluco girls, so nearly white that they might 
have passed for such in any part of the world ; the 
rest were only so-so. During the course of the 
night I danced with every one. 
Towards morning our friend Estanislas and the 
musician favoured us with the exhibition of a trick 
called Hunting the needle," which I thought 
very ingenious. It is thus performed. The 
hunter being sent out of the room, a needle is 
hidden somewhere about the person of one of the 
party. This done, the guitar begins to discourse " 
a low monotonous strain and the hunter is re- 
admitted. He strides into the middle of the room, 
crosses his arms, fixes his eyes on the ceiling, and 
seems lost in reverie. Then, apparently roused 
by the accelerated music, he commences feeling 
very carefully over his body, beginning at the 
crown of his head, as if he expected to find the 
needle concealed somewhere on himself. Arriving 
at length at the exact part where the needle is 
actually concealed on one of the company, he starts 
as if severely pricked, examines his finger, sucks 
it and shakes it as though in great pain. I soon 
found that the secret lay in the pianos and fortes of 
the music (though the air was never in the least 
changed), by means of which the two performers 
had previously concerted a set of signals. It now 
only remains to make out the person who has the 
needle. The hunter makes the circuit of the room. 
