1851.] RESIDENCE AT JAVITA. 255 
rollers, were dragged by twenty or thirty men to the 
spot, placed in a proper position over the marsh or 
stream, propped and wedged securely, and the upper 
siuface roughed with the axe to make the footing more 
sure. In this way eight or ten of these bridges were 
made in a few days, and the whole road put in com- 
plete order. This work is done by order of the Com- 
missario Geral at Sao Pernando, without any kind of 
payment, or even rations, and with the greatest cheer- 
fulness and good humour. 
The men of Javita when at work wear only the 
‘‘tanga,’’ in other respects being entirely naked. The 
women wear usually a large wrapping dress passing over 
the left shoulder but leaving the right arm perfectly 
free, and hanging loosely over their whole person. On 
Sundays and festivals they have well-made cotton gowns, 
and the men a shirt and trowsers. Here exists the 
same custom as at Sao Carlos, of the girls and boys 
assembling morning and evening at the church to sing 
a hymn or psalm. The village is kept remarkably clean 
and free from weeds by regular weekly hoeings and 
weedings, to which the people are called by the Capitaos, 
who are the executive officers under the Commissario. 
My ever^pgs were very dull, having few to converse 
with, and no books. Now and then I would talk a 
little with the Commissario, but our stock of topics was 
soon exhausted. One or two evenings I went to their 
festas, when they had made a quantity of “ xirac’’ — the 
caxiri of the Brazilian Indians — and were very merry. 
They had a number of peculiar monotonous dances, ao 
companied by strange figures and contortions. The 
