33 
R. Schomburgk^ Dr. Phil. 
From morning until night the fires were lighted, over which 
was placed large pots holding from forty to fiftj^ gallons, 
which contained a mess of maize and pumpkins, this being 
their nourishment, and of which they partook the whole day 
with few intermissions. Three to four old Indian 
women were constantly stirring the mess with sticks, 
in the form of small paddles, to prevent its burning, 
accompanying these movements with a monotonous mur- 
muring or humming voice. Old and young came with 
their calabashes to obtain the boiling mess with which 
they returned to their hammocks ; others were satisfied 
to impress only the bottom of the calabash into the mess, and 
to lick off the adhering stuff which became sooner cool. 
Equally disgusting was the employment of several other old 
women who were sitting round some large vessels filled with 
that thin liquid prepared from maize, with which we were 
made acquainted at our landing on the Ootinga. With 
their hands they fished out the maize from the bottom of the 
vessefi put it in their mouths, and, after chewing it, spit it 
back into the vessel. In a few hours the decoction would 
begin to ferment, accelerated, as the Indians say, by the 
saliva, but before this took place they would continue taking 
the decoction. 
The sediment remaining at the bottom was mixed with 
the cassava flour for making bread, which to some extent 
spoiled our appetite when eating such bread ; but necessity 
knows no law, and if we would not hunger we had to eat the 
bread. 
Although there were five tribes represented the utmost 
unanimity reigned, neither dispute nor quarrel interrupted 
the general rejoicing, and we six Europeans felt as secure 
amongst those 500 children of nature, who for the greatest 
part had never seen a white man, as if we had been in one of 
our cities at home. 
When the sun was declining towards the horizon, and the 
air became a little cooler, the young men began to assemble 
and to amuse us with their games and dances. Balls were 
made from the husks of the maize, and were (by the partakers 
of the game, standing in a circle) thrown in the air, and the 
one to whom the ball was thrown had, before it reached the 
ground, to send the ball back again with the flat of his hand, 
so that they remained in the air in continued dancing move- 
ments. If the ball were missed by one of the players, and 
c 
