204 
THE UPPEE AMAZONS. 
Chap. III. 
every one else had forgotten ; just as I have known 
lumpish labouring men in England do, when half- 
fuddled. One cannot help reflecting, when witnessing 
these traits of manners, on the similarity of human 
nature everywhere, when classes are compared whose 
state of culture and conditions of life are pretty nearly 
the same. 
The Indians play a conspicuous part in the amuse- 
ments at St. John's eve, and at one or two other 
holidays which happen about that time of the year — 
the end of J une. In some of the sports the Portuguese 
element is visible, in others the Indian ; but it must be 
recollected that masquerading, recitative singing, and so 
forth, are common originally to both peoples. A large 
number of men and boys disguise themselves to repre- 
sent different grotesque figures, animals, or persons. ^ 
Two or three dress themselves up as giants, with the 
help of a tall framework. One enacts the part of the 
Caypor, a kind of sylvan deity similar to the Cunipira 
which I have before mentioned. The belief in this 
being seems to be common to all the tribes of the Tupi 
stock. According to the figure they dressed up at Ega, 
he is a bulky, misshapen monster, with red skin and 
long shaggy red hair hanging half way down his back. 
They believe that he has subterranean campos and 
hunting grounds in the forest, well stocked with pacas 
and deer. He is not at all an object of worship nor of 
fear, except to children, being considered merely as a 
kind of hobgoblin. Most of the masquers make them- 
selves up as animals — bulls, deer, magoary storks, 
jaguars, and so forth, with the aid of light frameworks 
