CORUMBAHYBA 
would not dream of going a yard outside their homes 
without a revolver, a rifle, and a dagger. Even to walk 
about the village the men were all armed. 
When not in a rage or sulky, which seemed to be 
their almost constant condition, they were the most 
good-hearted people I have ever met; gentle, affectionate 
— in fact, so sentimental that it became a positive 
nuisance. If one learnt how to deal with them, which 
was not always easy, they were really delightful people 
in their enviable simplicity. 
A reflection of the people’s mentality was to be 
discovered at a glance in examining the articles that were 
for sale in the only shop in the village. There, remember, 
you were in a country which, from an agricultural point 
of view, could be made of immense value. Now, did you 
notice any implements in the shop which suggested agri¬ 
cultural pursuits of any kind whatever? No; what you 
found were patent leather dress shoes, elaborately em¬ 
broidered top-boots, fancy neckties, gaudy gilt and silver 
spurs of immense size, bottles of powerful perfumes, 
fancy soaps, mirrors, combs, and highly-coloured calicoes, 
beer, fire-water, and other such articles of luxury. 
The Corumbahyba village stood at an elevation of 
2,250 feet, in a hollow surrounded by low hills. The 
water was delicious at that place. 
As I was getting through my lunch, which I enjoyed 
thoroughly after my morning march of 23 kilometres, 
I saw, crossing the square, two murderers laden with iron 
chains, led along with a rope by two mounted men. The 
natives present laughed as they saw the poor devils 
struggle along. Not a sign of pity or care was shown by 
anybody present. 
After leaving Corumbahyba, we witnessed a pano¬ 
rama of magnificent mountain scenery from a height of 
2,550 feet, to which we had ascended. Then came a steep 
and rugged descent through a forest down to a streamlet 
59 
