ew both
into a large earthen pot to boil; there, another woman was applying
an herb-poultice to her husband's wounds.

Over it all hung a thick, odoriferous smoke, gradually finding its
way out through the central opening in the roof.

This was a feast, indeed, such as few white men, I believe, have
witnessed.

That night and the next day, and the following four days, great
quantities of _chicha_ were drunk and much meat was consumed to
celebrate the great victory, the greatest in the annals of the
Mangeromas of Rio Branco.

Earthen vessels and jars were used in the cooking of food. The red clay
(Tabatinga clay) found abundantly in these regions formed a superior
material for these utensils. They were always decorated symbolically
with juices of the scarlet _urucu_ and the black _genipapa_. Even
when not burned into the clay, these were permanent colours.

Men and women wore their hair long and untrimmed as far as I could
observe. The older and more experienced of the tribesmen would have
quite elaborate head-gear, consisting of a band of _mutum_ plumes,
interspersed with parrot-tail feathers, while the younger hunters wore
nothing but a band of the _mutum_ plumes. The body was uncovered,
save by a narrow strip of bark encircling the waist. A broad piece,
woven of several bark-strips into a sort of mat, protected the lower
anterior part of the abdomen. The women wore no clothing whatever.

Their colour was remarkably light. Probably nothing can designate this
better than the statement that if a Mangeroma were placed alongside
of an Italian, no difference would be noticeable. Their cheek-bones
were not as high as is usual with tribes found on the Amazon; they
seemed to come from a different race. Their eyes were set straight
without any tendency to the Mongolian slanting that characterises
the Peruvian _caboclos_ and the tribes of the northern affluents. The
women had unusually large feet, while those of the men were small and
well-shaped. The general appearance of a young Mangeroma was that of
a well-proportioned athlete, standing about five feet ten in his bare
feet. No moccasins, nor any other protection for the feet, were worn.

The supply of wourahli poison had run low and three wourahli men were
to go out in the forest to collect poison plants, a journey which
would require several days to complete. This occasion was set as the
time of my departure.

It was a rainy morning when I wrapped my few belongings