326 
TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. \_October, 
When I was in Bolivia/’ said he, there were se- 
veral nations of very warlike Indians, who plundered 
and murdered travellers on the way to St^, Cruz. The 
President sent the soldiers after them, and spent much 
money in powder and ball, but with very little effect.^, 
The small-pox was in the city at the time, and the ^ 
clothes of all who died of it were ordered to be bmmt, 
to prevent infection. One day conversing with his Ex- 
cellency about the Indians, I put him up to a much 
cheaper way than powder and ball for exterminating 
them, ' Instead of burning the clothes/ said I, ' just 
order them to be put in the way of the Indians : they 
are sure to take possession of them, and they’ll die off 
like wildfire.’ He followed my advice, and in a few 
months there was no more heard of the depredations 
of the Indians. Pour or five nations were totally de- 
stroyed.” “ Eor,” added he, “ the bixiga plays the devil 
among the Indians.” I could hardly help a shudder 
at this cool account of such a cold-blooded massacre, 
but said nothing, consoling myself with the idea that it 
was probably one of the ingenious fabrications of Erei 
Joze’s fertile brain ; though it showed that he would look 
upon the reality as a very politic and laudable action. 
At Pedreiro I bought a couple of fine turtles, and 
staid half a day to kill and cook one. It was very fat, 
so we fried almost all the meat and put it in a large 
pot with the oil, as it keeps a long time, and, boiled up 
with a little rice, makes an excellent dinner when fish . 
are not be had. The insides, all of which are eatable, 
together with the meat adhering to the upper and lower 
shell, and some of the eggs (of which there were near two ^ 
ll 
^if.- 
