CHAPTER XIV 
The Bororo Indians 
W HILE I was reassuring my men, an Indian 
appeared, bow and arrows in hand. He stood 
motionless, looking at us. My men, who had not 
noticed his coming, were terrified when they turned round 
and saw him. 
The Indian was a strikingly picturesque figure, with 
straight, sinewy arms and legs of wonderfully perfect 
anatomical modelling, well-shaped feet — but not small — 
and hands. He was not burdened with clothing; in fact, 
he wore nothing at all, barring a small belt round his waist 
and a fibre amulet on each arm. 
The Indian deposited his bow and arrows against a 
tree, when some other Indians arrived. He stood there 
as straight and as still as a bronze statue, his head inclined 
slightly forward in order to screen his searching eagle eyes 
from the light by the shade of his protruding brow. He 
folded his arms in a peculiar manner. His left hand was 
inserted flat under the right arm, the right hand fully 
spread flat upon his abdomen. 
The first thing I did was to take a snapshot of him 
before he moved. Then I proceeded to the interesting 
study of his features. They were indeed a great reve¬ 
lation to me. One single glance at him and his com¬ 
rades persuaded me that a theory I had long cherished 
about the aboriginal population of the South American 
continent was correct, although in contradiction to theories 
held by other people on the subject. I had always be- 
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