. They selected
as chiefs and sachems of the party such as bore weapons, being the
colonel, Marcoy and the two interpreters. These they clasped in a
warm, fulsome embrace: they were smeared from head to foot with rocoa
(crude arnotta), and their passage through the river having dissolved
this pigment, they printed themselves off, in this act of amity, upon
the persons and clothing of their hosts. While the white men, with a
very bad grace, were cleaning off these tokens of natural affection,
the new-comers went on to present their civilities all around. Two of
the porters they recognized at once, with their eagle eyesight, from
having relieved them of their shirts while the latter were working
out some penalty at the governor's farm of Sausipata, and proceeded to
claim a warm acquaintance on that basis; but the bearers, with equally
lively memories of the affront, responded simply with a frown and the
epithet of _Sua-sua_--double thief.

Pepe Garcia undertook a colloquy, and Aragon, not to be behindhand,
flashed a few words across the conversation, right and left as it
were, his expressions appearing to be in a different tongue from those
used by the chief interpreter, and both utterly without perceptible
resemblance to the rolling consonants and gutturals of the savages.
Marcoy imbibed a strong impression that the only terms understood in
common were the words of Spanish with which the palaver was thickly
interlarded. This was the first time the interpreters were put on
their mettle in a strictly professional sense, and the test was not
altogether triumphant. However, by a careful raising of the voice
in all difficult passages, and a wild, expressive pantomime, an
understanding was arrived at.

The visitors belonged to the tribe of Siriniris, inhabiting the space
comprised between the valleys of Ocongate and Ollachea, and extending
eastwardly as far as the twelfth degree. They lived at peace with
their neighbors, the Huat-chipayris and the Pukiris. For several days
the reports of the Christian guns (_tasa-tasa_) had advertised them
of the presence of white men in the valley, and, curious to judge of
their numbers, they had approached. They had formed a cunning escort
to the party, always faithful but never seen, since the encampment
at Maniri: every camping-ground since that particular bivouac they
faithfully described. They were, of course, in particular and direful
need of _sirutas_ and _bambas_ (knives and hatchet