Chap. III. 
A MIRANHA girl. 
197 
or two after Sebastian, was very different. She was 
brought to our house, after landing, one night in the 
wet season, when the rain was pouring in torrents, thin 
and haggard, drenched with wet and shivering with 
ague. An old Indian who brought her to the door, said 
briefly, "ecui encommenda " (here's your little parcel 
or order), and went away. There was very little of the 
savage in her appearance, and she was of a much 
lighter colour than the boy. We found she was of the 
Miranha tribe, all of whom are distinguished by a slit, 
cut in the middle of each wing of the nose, in which 
they wear on their holiday occasions a large button 
made of pearly river-shell. We took the greatest care 
of our little patient ; had the best nurses in the town, 
fomented her daily, gave her quinine and the most 
nourishing food ; but it was all of no avail : she sank 
rapidly ; her liver was enormously swollen and almost 
as hard to the touch as stone. There was something 
uncommonly pleasing in her ways, and quite unlike 
anything I had yet seen in Indians. Instead of being 
dull and taciturn, she was always smiling and full of 
talk. We had an old woman of the same tribe to attend 
her, who explained what she said to us. She often 
begged to be taken to the river to bathe ; asked for 
fruit, or coveted articles she saw in the room for play- 
things. Her native name was Oria. The last week or 
two she could not rise from the bed we had made for 
her in a dry corner of the room : when she wanted 
lifting, which was very often, she would allow no one to 
help her but me, calling me by the name of " Cariwa " 
(white man), the only word of Tupi she seemed to 
