THE MOJOS IXDIANS. 
187 
itinerant Neapolihin jeiveller that a man in his position should never 
■wear less than tvvo gold -watches, -with heavy chains. The poor fellowj 
accordingly, bought two third-rate Gen’eva watches, and other useless 
baubles, at stupendous prices ; * and , he was thereupon so pestered 
and dunned by his creditor that, in despair of otherwise satisfying him, 
he sold off his house and his herds, and aU he possessed ; and he now 
lives, a ruined man, in as poor and -wretched a condition as tho meanest 
in the Pueblo. 
Besides the correjidor and the vigario, whose offices are not always 
filled, as at Exaltaciou while we were there, the Government pays — ^it 
is stai-tling to I'ocord the fact — a schoolmaster in every' Pueblo ; and, 
poor as the teaching may he, yet one occasionally finds an Indian 
able not only to speak but also to read and write Spanish. Among 
our eighty paddlers there were two who could road Portuguese almost 
fluently, and who accej)ted with the greatest pleasure some “books for 
the young ” I had with me. Now, as tho whole library at the dis- 
posal of the Indians in the Pueblos consists of a few written prayers, 
which have descended from father to son, from the time of the Holy 
Fathers, we may conclude that, with proper help, they would become 
tolerably good scholars. 
From the same period date also the scores for the Missas Cantadas, 
fine old Sacred Music, and the musical instruments, violins, violoncellos, 
* These itedlars, or inascates (a -vrord sprung probably from the intercoui’so between 
Goa, which is still under Portuguese loile, and Southern Arabia), with their worthless 
gewgaws, ai-e absolute jdagues and nuisances in Brazil. Their peculiar style of doing 
busiuos.s is illustrated by the following authentic narrative of what happened some 
years ago in tho province of Minas, at a fazend.a on tho Bio Preto, an affluent of the 
Parahybuiia. Attended by his seiwaut and his mules, a mascate ai'rivod there one 
day, who might have founded his proposed attack on the experience he had acquhed 
in previous visits. After selluig a few trinkets, he remained, as usual, to dine with the 
family, to whom he was careful to signify his intention to start on the morrow. In the 
course of conversation with the gentleman respecting politics and the price of cotfee, 
and with tho ladies touching tlie latest Paris fashions, he suddenly stopped short, and 
took out his watch, which he kissed respectfully before opening it, and -which, having 
kis.sed it again, he returned to his pocket. The Brazilian had noticed the manoeuvre 
with amazement ; but only after some time did he ventiu-e to ask about it. Tho 
mascate, who at first feigned some embarrassment and hesitation, finally told him that 
this watch, fin invaluable family inheritance, and a. matchless talisman, contained 
a likeness of “Nossa Senhora,” which protected the wearer against disease, poverty, 
and misforlime of every kind, and that it had saved him already on a hundred 
occasions. Again reverently saluting tho precious jewel with his lips,, ho showed 
to the fazendeiro, who had been listening with distended optics, a pictiue of the Virgin 
painted on the inside of the lid (which he gave it as his own jnclgment was probably 
executed hy no less an artist than St. Luke), then re-kissod it, and carefully stowed 
1 
1 
-I 
I 
1 
