42 The Sick Indian Sells His Hair Girdle. 
the morrow : but he would have to go aud look at the field before making 
a distinct promise about it, 
lOi, The disagreeable piping and chirruping of millions of Cicadae 
(Cicada grossa and 0. inanifvru ) , enough to split one's ears to pieces, 
scared us at sunrise out of our deep sleep. While our best hunters, 
accompanied b}^ the two young men, lost themselves in the savannah 
scrub, I ventured with Goodall to pay another visit to the Old People's 
Hospital, and make a more careful inspection round the place than T 
did yesterday. With the exception of one or two of the old women, who 
were squatting below the hammocks of their equally old men, where 
they were keeping the fires burning or warming a small pot with the 
remains of tht4r yesterday's meal, all were still lying abed. Just as 
the unexpected sight of the old woman had scared mc away yesterday, 
that of a not very much less aged man almost did the same thing to-day : 
his abnormally swollen liody showed clearly enough that he was 
afflicted to a considerable degrci^ witli drojjsy or some other liver- 
complaint. The imbecile l>oy wlio was squatting below the latter's 
hammock, stared vacantly into tlie glowing ashes of a small tire and 
casting his dull but timid gaze upon me, disappeared with the rapidity 
of a frightened deer into the darkest corner of the dwelling, when the 
sick man's aged wife who was sitting near him attracted our attention. 
A newly^-plaited In'oad straw-hat. prol)ably of Brazilian manufacture, 
that had got here out of its course, by what particular trade-route 
goodness only knows, was all the more noticeable as my own happened 
to be in a very bad way. The proposition I made that he should sell it to 
me ^^•as more readily agreed to than GooduJl's offer to l)ny Iiis thick 
hair-girdle (Matiipa) : this was hanging close to the liat, and by its 
bulk bore witness to tlie erstwhile valour and virile courage of the owner. 
To part with the hat was not even hard on tlie old man, and 
our bargain was soon completed. It turned out to be a very 
different matter, however, with the beloved Matupa, at the sight 
of which the moribund vital sparks seemed to draw forlorn fuel, and 
all Goodall's powers of persuasion accordingly proved fruitless. 
The alteration in the apatlietic features of the woniiin, on seeing the 
glittering beads caused the woul(ll)e Imyer to alter his plan and address 
the spouse, who, dazed with vanity, now tried to convince her husband 
that she indeed wanted H\e Iteads while he had no further use for the 
Matupa. Still, the parting was too hard, and sadly gazing at the "irdle 
out and in, he shook his head, Icept hi^ wife in suspense, and told her 
to hang it up in its old place: tlie disaT»pointed woman peevishly did so, 
at the sarnie timle returning Goodall the beads already received. The 
determined purchaser thereupon added a few other knick-knacks to Hie 
lieads with the result tliat the capitulations between man and v/ife were 
immediately renewed: these ended by the sick man letting the Matupa 
lie taken down, having it placed in his hand, pressing it to his face, and 
tlien giving it to his wife who, absolutely radiant with joy, handed it over 
to Goodall. Without so much as glancing at the articles which his 
wife had received and was holding in front of him, the invalid turned on 
Iiis back, and hid his face in the folds of his hammock. 
