Page:A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro.djvu/274

 242 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [March,

the case. I was of -course anxious to purchase articles to which such curious customs belong, and spoke to the Tushaua on the subject. He at length promised to sell them me on my return, stipulating that they were to be embarked at some distance from the village, that there might be no danger of their being seen by the women.

On the morning previous to that on which we were to leave, two more of our Indians who had received full payment on starting, were discovered to have left us. They had taken possession of a canoe, and absconded in the night ; leaving me no remedy, but the chance of finding them in their houses on my return, and the still more remote chance of their having anything to pay me with.

The Indians here have but little characteristic distinction from those below. The women wear more beads around their necks and arms. The lower lip is often pierced, and two or three little strings of white beads inserted ; but as the nations are so mixed by inter-marriages, this custom is probably derived from the Tucanos. Some of the women and children wore two garters, one above the ankle and one below the knee — swelling out the calf enormously, which they consider a very great beauty. I did not see here so many long tails of hair ; most of the men having probably been to the Rio Negro with some trader, and thence worn their hair like Christians ; or perhaps because the last Tushaua was a " homen muito civilizado " (a very well-bred person).

After four days' delay, we at length started, with a com- paratively small complement of Indians, but with some extra men to assist us in passing several caxoeiras, which occur near at hand. These are the " Pirewa " (Wound), " Uacoroua " (Goat-sucker), "Maniwara" (White Ant), "Matapi" (Fish- trap), "Amana" (Rain), " Tapiracunga " (Tapir's head), "Tapi'ra eura" (Tapir's mouth), and "Jacare" (Alligator). Three of these were very bad, the canoe having to be unloaded entirely, and pulled over the dry and uneven rocks. The last was the highest j the river rushing furiously about twenty feet down a rugged slope of rock. The loading and unloading of the canoe three or four times in the course of as many hours, is a great annoyance. Baskets of farinha and salt, of mandiocca- cakes and pacovas, are strewn about. Panellas are often broken ; and when there comes a shower of rain, everything