Butte record., 1855-09-22

and horribly dlshgured by what Is called
the bulpis, species of syphilitic leprosy,
which is almost universal on the coast,
and which, with the aid of rum, has al
ready reduced the population to one half
what it was twenty years ago. This
disgusting disease is held in such terror
BY the Indians of the interior, that they
have prohibited all sexual relations be-
tween their people and the Sambos Of
the coast, under the pealty of death.
Around the pitpan were stationed a
number of women, with palm branches,
to keep off the flies, which swarmed
around the already fostering corpse
Their frizzled hair started from their
heads like the snakes on the brow of the
fabled Gorgon, and they swayed their
bodies to and fro, keeping kind of tread
mill step to the measure of the doleful
tum-tum. With the exception of the
men who beat the drum and blew the
pipe, these women appeared to be the
only persons at all interested in the pro-
ceedlngs. The rest were standing in
groups, or squatted at the roots Of the
palm-trees. Twas beginning to get tired
of the performance, when, with sud
denness which startled even the women
around the corpse, four men, entirely
naked excepting cloth wrapped round
their loins, and daubed over with vari-
ously -colored CLAWS, rushed from the in
terror of one of the huts, and hastily
fastening piece of rope to the half of
the p'tpan containing the corpse, dashed
away toward the woods, dragging it after
them, like sledge The women with
the Gorgoh heads, and the men with the
drum and trumpet, followed them on the
run, each keeping time on his respective
instrument. The spectators all hurried
after, in confused mass, while a big
negro, catching up the remaining half of
the pitpan, placed it on his head, and
trotted behind the crowd.
"The men bearing the corpse entered
the woods, and the mass of the specta-
tors, jostling each other in the narrow
path, kept up the same rapid pace. At
the distance of perhaps two hundred
yards, there was an open space, covered
with low, dank, tangled underbrush, /,
still wet from the rain of the preceding
night, which, although unmarked by any
sign, [ took to be the burial place. When
[ came up, the half of the pitpan con-
tanning the body had been put in shall
low trench. The other half was then
inverted over it. The Gorgon headed
women threw in their palm branches,
and the painted negroes rapidly filed in
the earth. While this was going on,
some men were collecting sticks and
palm branches, with which a little hut
was hastily built over the grave. In this
was placed an earthen vessel, filled with
water. The turtle-spear of the dead
man was stuck deep in the ground at his
head, and fantastic fellow, with an old
musket, discharged three or four rounds
over the spot.
"This done, the entire crowd started
back in the same manner it had come
No sooner, however, did the painted men
reach the village, than, seizing some
heavy machets, they commenced cutting
down the palm trees which stood around
the hut that had been occupied by the
dead Sambo Il was done silently, in
the most hasty manner, and when finish
ed, they ran down to the river, and plung
eG ont of sight in the water--a kind OF
lustration or purifying rite. They re-
mained in the water few moments, then
hurried back to the hut from which they
had issued, and disappeared"
The story of the British protectorate
over the Mosquitoes is comical one: As
early as 1857, one of their chiefs was
taken to Jamaica for the purpose of hav-
ing him place his country under the pro-
lection of England. A cooked hat was
given him, together with a commission
appointing him King eff the Mosquitoes.
His Majesty, however, pulled off his
European clothes, ran away from his
new friends and protectors, and climbed
a tree. In 1740, the English procured
'scession" of the country. and sent some
troops over from Jamaica to take pos
ses ion. This claim was, however, for.
mally abandoned in 1888. When the
country passed from under Spanish rule
into the hands of the feeble South Ameri.
oan Republics, the British again renewed