Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-11-11

OF the same. They sometimes
fasten macaw feathers on their
arms and legs, and stick them in
circles or bands around their
heads Their breasts or stomachs
and faces are all tattooed, and
their appearance is never to be
forgotten. This tattooing has
been called the baptism in blood,
but it is nothing to another bap-
tism in fire that the young Man
drucan boy goes through when
he is about is years Of age. /
have never heard Of anything like
it among any other class of saw
ages, and it may amuse you.
When the boy wants to become
man a pair Of gloves is prepared
for him which consists Of two
pieces Of palm-tres bark. the
pitch being all scraped out,
though left at one end. These
gloves are then filed with red
and black ants, who bite and
sting most viclously. When the
gloves are well filled the candi.
dates for manly honors pulls
them on, and dare not show the
white feather. If he does no
maiden will ever look upon him,
nor will he be allowed to 60 to
battle, but is an outcast and des-
pissed man. He boldly pulls them
on, and, amid the music of flies
and drums, be must dance before
every hut in the village. Then
the ants put in their work; they
bite and sting like mad; over and
over again they insert their tiny
aud poisonous fangs into his soft
flesh, and in this dreadful agony
he keeps on until he has danced
before every door. His eyes be I.
come bloodshot, his face pale, his
veins swell, cold perspiration rolls
off his body and out OF every pore.
Exhausted, he sinks, and then
comes the time for congratula-
ton. The gloves are torn of, he
mas gone through the fiery ordeal,
and is justly entitled to the ap-
pIause Of the fair. The tattooed
maidens run up and embrace him,
cling and hang about him. but hs
il in no mood for amorous dsl-
lance, and, breaking away from
the arms that entwine and en-
brace him. bis hands burning
with fiery agony. be plunges into
the river and cools for . time the
stinging sensation. His blood is
now cooled, and he is ct candi-
date for the smile Of a Mandrucan
maiden. For with savages, as
with the children of civilization,
none but the brave deserve the
fair"
"What do they live upona'
"The Brazil nuts, which are
common to all the forests of the
country, furnish them with food
and they are great fish eaters.
Sometimes they eat a steak from
Q monati, but their delicacy is
fried monkey. They shoot them
with their arrows as they Jump
from limb to limb Of the trees,
and kindling huge log FIRE, suf :
fer it to burn long enough to make
q bed Of red-hot Goals. Then
they form a sort Of CRATE, or,
more properly, q gridiron Of green
wood sapplings, and lay the mon
key on. alive and chattering with
terror. They sings off his hail
and scorch him pretty we'll, then
eat him, insides and all. Some
times they do not take time
enough to build the gridiron, but,
sharpening stick at both ends,
ram one end into the ground and
the other through the monkey. &C
that his carcass leans over ths
blaze. The monkey looks as Il
he was alive, appearing in q sit
ting position. his long tail laying
slong the sapling. One of ths
saddest sights is to see q young
monkey who has been captured
along with its mother, when shs
has been burned and chafrec
pretty near to a baked crust, re-
cognixe the form Of his beloved
parent, and whining plaintivoly
rush up and embrace the charre(
remains Of his mother. 1t is ,
sight that would well nigh maxi
a crocodile weep. but the savag'
Mandrucan grin with demonia'
delight at such an outburst 0
monkey grief =
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