The Priest Believes That He Has Only To Perform The Rite In Order To Gain Another Soul For Heaven, And

Afterwards gives himself very little concern, either about the instruction or the manners and morals of his converts. These, it

Is true, are called Christians, or _tamed savages_, but live in the same heathen manner that they previously did. Thus, for instance, they contract marriages for indefinite periods; elect their Caciques (chiefs) from the strongest and finest men; follow all their old customs on the occasion of marriages and deaths, just the same as before baptism.

Their language is very poor: they are said, for example, only to be able to count one and two, and are therefore obliged, when they desire to express a larger number, to repeat these two figures continually. Furthermore, for _today, to-morrow_, and _yesterday_, they possess only the word _day_, and express their more particular meaning by signs; for _today_, they say _day_, and feel their head, or point upwards; for _to-morrow_, they again use the word _day_, and point their fingers in a straightforward direction; and for _yesterday_, they use the same word, and point behind them.

The Puris are said to be peculiarly adapted for tracking runaway negroes, as their organs of smell are very highly developed. They smell the trace of the fugitive on the leaves of the trees; and if the negro does not succeed in reaching some stream, in which he can either walk or swim for a considerable distance, it is asserted that he can very seldom escape the Indian engaged in pursuit of him. These savages are also readily employed in felling timber, and cultivating Indian corn, manioc, etc., as they are very industrious, and think themselves well paid with a little tobacco, brandy, or coloured cloth.

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Words from 27538 to 27838 of 187810