bright-looking.  What the men lacked in clothes they made up in their hair, for they wore it long and some of them had it done up in the most absolute Psyche knots.  Such earrings as we saw were worn in the upper cartilage of the ear.  It may be remarked, too, that the women had a contented and satisfied air, as though sure of their power and position; we found this to be the case generally throughout the Mountain Country.

The purpose of the visit being to cultivate pleasant relations with and receive the confidence of these shy people, the real business of the day was soon opened.  Mr. Worcester took his place in the shade of his shack, and proceeded to the distribution of red calico, beads, combs, mirrors, and other small stuff, the people coming up by rancherias (settlements or villages); none of the highlanders seem to have any conception of tribal organization, a condition no doubt due to the absence of communications.  A cabecilla, or head man, would receive two meters, his wife one, and others smaller measures.  This sort of thing was carefully studied out, so far as rank was concerned, for it would never do to give a common person even approximately as much as a cabecilla.  One rancheria would take all red beads, another white, another blue, and so on.  Not once did I see a trace of greediness or even eagerness, though interest was marked.  The whole thing was conducted in the most orderly fashion, the various rancherias awaiting their turn with exemplary patience. [17]

The issue over, dancing began.  In this only men and boys took part, to the music of small rude fiddles, tuned in fifths, [18] played by the men, and of a queer instrument consisting of two or three joints of bamboo with strings stretched over bridges, beaten with little sticks by the women.  The fiddles must be of European origin.  The orchestra, seven or eight all told, sat in the shade, surrounded by an admiring crowd.  Among them was a damsel holding a civilized umbrella over her head, whereof the stick and the rib-points were coquettishly decorated with white horse-hair tied in little brushes, doubtless furnished by our white pony.

The dancing at once fixed our attention.  Two or three men, though usually only two, took position on the little terreplein below the shack, and began a slow movement, taking very short, formal, staccato steps in a circle against the sun.  Keeping back to back and side to side, they maintained the whole body in a tense, rigid posture with the chest out, head up and thrown back, abdomen drawn in, right hand straight out, the left also, holding a shield, eyes glazed and fixed, knees bent forward.  Between the steps, the dancers would stand in this strained, tense position, then move forward a few inches, and so on around the circle.  After a little of this business, for that is just what it was, the next part came on, a simulation of fighting:  and, as everything before was as stiff, strained, and rigid as it was