by certain old men, ceremonious in the extreme, and not less by old women called catalonas—­witches, superstitious creatures, diviners, and casters of lots—­who were esteemed and so thoroughly believed that whatever they said, although lies, was taken as an infallible oracle.  The manner of their sacrifices (which they called by the name maganitos), on meeting to make them in the place that we have spoken of above, was none other than that, having prepared an unclean animal, very well grown—­or for lack of it, a large cock—­they offered it to the devil by means of one of those witches, with peculiar and curious ceremonies.  For, dancing to the sound of a bell, she took in her hands a small idol, made to imitate the form in which the father of deceit was wont to appear to them at times; it was of human form, with very ugly features, and a long beard.  She spoke certain words to it, invoking its presence, whereupon the iniquitous spirit came, and entered into her miserable body in order to dictate to her the deceits that are its custom in such acts.  After having declared their false notions to those present, they ate the animal or bird, and they drank to intoxication, whereupon the wicked sacrifice was brought to an end.  Besides that adoration which they gave to the devil, they revered several false gods—­one, in especial, called bathala mey capal, whose false genealogies and fabulous deeds they celebrated in certain tunes and verses like hymns.  Their whole religion was based on those songs, and they were passed on from generation to generation, and were sung in their feasts and most solemn assemblies.  Those who were ignorant of the teachings of Mahomet adored not less the sun, the moon, the rainbow, birds, and animals—­but especially the cayman or crocodile; a blue bird closely resembling the thrush; the crow; rocks placed on the shores of the sea, and those that they see in the sea, such as sunken rocks and shoals. [35]

Their ancestors also enjoyed that worship, and more especially those who had been famous in arms, and in the virtues native to their mode of belief; and they believed that reward was the lot of the good, and punishment that of the wicked.  From this arose among them the knowledge of the immortality of the soul.  Accordingly, when anyone died, they bathed the body and buried it with benzoin, storax, and other aromatic substances, and clothed it then in the best of its possessions.  Before burying the body, they bewailed it for the space of three days.  They anointed the bodies of those of high rank with certain confections, which kept it from corruption better than do our unguents of Europa.  They did not bury them except in the lower part of their houses, having placed and deposited them in a coffin of incorruptible wood.  They placed some bits of gold in the mouth, and on the body the best jewels that they had.  To that preparation they added a box of clothing, which they placed near them, and every day they carried