ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
account reproduce in print, and without them much of the 
point of the legends would be lost. So that, with the 
confusion and disorder of ideas of the Bororos, their 
peculiar ways of expression, and the mutilation necessary 
so as not to shock the public, the legends were hardly 
worth reproducing. Still, I shall give here one or two 
of the more interesting legends, which can be reproduced 
almost in their entirety. 
“ The sun and moon (two brothers, according to the 
Bororos) while hunting together began to play with 
arrows with blunt heads, such as those used by Bororos 
for catching birds alive. They hit each other in fun, but 
at last the sun shot one arrow with too much force and 
the moon died from the effects of the wound. The sun, 
unconcerned, left his dying brother and continued hunt¬ 
ing; but afterwards returned with medicinal leaves which 
he placed on the wound of the moon. According to 
Bororo fashion, he even covered the dying brother entirely 
with leaves, when he saw his approaching end. When he 
discovered that the moon was dead, he became frightened 
and left. That is why the moon, which when alive was 
once as bright as the sun, is now of less splendour. It is 
because it is dead, and the sun is still alive.” 
The Bororos firmly believed that formerly the world 
was peopled by monkeys. This was rather an interesting 
legend, as it would point out that the Bororos, in any 
case, were aware that the world was once inhabited by a 
hairy race, which they called monkeys. It is quite 
remarkable that a similar legend was found among many 
of the tribes of the Philippine Islands and Sulu Archi¬ 
pelago, and along the coast of the Eastern Asiatic 
continent. The Bororos stated that they learnt from 
monkeys how to make a fire. Monkeys were their 
ancestors. The whole world was peopled by monkeys in 
those days. Monkeys made canoes, too. 
“ One day a monkey and a hare went fishing together 
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