Her costume was composed of a piece of stuff streaked with various
colours, which enveloped her rather tightly from the chest to the foot,
fastened at the hips by a large girdle, called ayulate, of a crimson
colour. This girdle is white in the case of young girls, and they only
abandon it when they marry. Pinia-Pai was neither painted nor tattooed;
her long black hair, arranged in the Brazilian style, fell nearly to
the ground; little silver beads, threaded, forming a kind of chaplet,
encircled her neck; metal plates attached to her breast half-concealed
her bosom, and large semicircles of gold were suspended to her ears.
With this picturesque costume this young woman was not wanting in a
certain piquant grace, and was calculated, as indeed was the fact, to
appear charming to the captain.
With a celerity full of respect, White Star had in an instant garnished
the table with dishes, the abundance of which made up for the frugality
of the repast, for it consisted only of meat, fruits, boiled fish, and
meat dried in the sun, and roasted on hot coals.
Diogo, on the invitation of the chief, proceeded to do honour to this
improvised repast, of which he had begun to feel the want.
The chief, although taking no part in the repast, excited his guest
to eat, and the captain, whose appetite appeared to increase as he
proceeded, did not need any pressing to vigorously attack all the
dishes.
Moreover, apart from the hunger Diogo felt, he knew that not to eat
much, when one is invited to the table of a chief, is considered by the
latter as wanting in politeness, and almost a mark of contempt.
However, a time arrived when, notwithstanding all his good will, he was
obliged to stop.
Emavidi Chaime, who had followed with interest the prowess accomplished
by his guest, appeared charmed. He then offered him some tobacco in a
long pipe of palm leaves, rolled together, and the two men proceeded to
emit large puffs of smoke in each other's faces.
When her presence was no longer necessary, White Star had discreetly
withdrawn into another apartment of the cottage, making a sign to her
slaves to follow her.
A considerable lapse of time now elapsed, without a single word being
exchanged. The nature of the Indians is contemplative, and has much in
common with that of the Orientals. Tobacco produces on them the effect
of a narcotic, and if it does not completely send them to sleep, it at
least plunges them for a considerable time into a kind of somnolent
ecstasy.
It was Emavidi Chaime who first broke silence.
"My brother, the Grand Sarigue, is the bearer of a message from Tarou
Niom to me?" said he.
"Yes," answered Diogo.
"Is this message personal, or is it addressed to the other captains of
the nation, and to the grand council?"
"It is only for my brother, Emavidi Chaime."
"Epoï, does my brother think proper to communicate it to me at once, or
does he prefer to wait and take some hours of repose?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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