232 
EXCURSIONS AROUND EGA. Char IV, 
At length we arrived at our journey's end. We 
were then in a very dense and gloomy part of the forest : 
we could see, however, the dry land on both sides of 
the creek, and to our right a small sunny opening 
appeared, the landing-place to the native dwellings. 
The water was deep close to the bank, and a clean path- 
way ascended from the shady port to the buildings, 
which were about a furlong distant. My friend Car- 
dozo was godfather to a grandchild of Pedro-uassu, 
whose daughter had married an Indian settled in Ega. 
He had sent word to the old man that he intended to 
visit him : we were therefore expected. 
As we landed, Pedro-uassu himself came down to the 
port to receive us ; our arrival having been announced by 
the barking of dogs. He was a tall and thin old man, 
with a serious, but benignant expression of countenance, 
and a manner much freer from shyness and distrust than 
is usual with Indians. He was clad in a shirt of coarse 
cotton cloth, dyed with murishi, and trowsers of the 
same material turned up to the knee. His features 
were sharply delineated— more so than in any Indian 
face I had yet seen ; the lips thin and the nose rather 
high and compressed. A large, square, blue-black 
tattooed patch occupied the middle of his face, which, 
as well as the other exposed parts of his body, was 
of a light reddish-tan colour, instead of the usual 
coppery-brown hue. He walked with an upright, slow 
gait, and on reaching us saluted Cardozo with the air 
of a man who wished it to be understood that he was 
dealing with an equal. My friend introduced me, and I 
was welcomed in the same grave, ceremonious manner. 
