Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

io6 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP.
horrible sight. They unceasingly applied the cow -skin straps,
making the blood spurt in all directions and sprinkling my
clothes, though I took care to keep at a respectful distance. In
the church a little below the altar was extended a mat, and on
the mat a crucifix laid on a cushion, with a cup by its side
to receive contributions of penitents. As the latter advanced in
their turn they knelt down and kissed the crucifix, beating themselves
with redoubled energy. At the same moment their wives
or mothers, who walked by their side, dropped each an egg into
the cup. Whilst this was doing, the Sacristan chanted a
Miserere. Each Indian, after kissing the crucifix, walked out
of the church, in the order he entered, nor suspended the
flagellation until reaching his own house. The value of an act
of penitence like this may be estimated by the fact that every one
of the penitents was intoxicated. They believed, however, that
it would ensure their safe return from the perilous voyage, or, at
any rate, should they be killed by the Infidels, their souls would
be immediately received into glory. Many white men would
have kept their beds for a month after such a punishment, but
our penitents sat down to their oars before noon on Monday (the
next day but one) without showing any inconvenience from their
wounds. They have an idea that the beating after the application
of the scarifiers drives out the coagulated blood from the wounds
and prevents any formation of pus.
and on the
[On April 6 they left La Laguna,
7th entered the Marafion, and though the distance
up that river to the mouth of the Pastasa is only
about 25 miles, they did not reach the latter
till the iith. On the afternoon of the /th they
came upon a small village of six huts, where the
remnant of the pueblo of Santander on the Pastasa
had established themselves. Here they learnt that
five men of San Antonio (a village just above
the mouth of the Pastasa) went into the forest to
cut palm-leaves, and never returned, but remnants
of their clothes had been found, showing that they
had been murdered by the savage Huambisas.
On the morning of the Qth the travellers came
to the deserted pueblo of Shiruri, half a day below
the mouth of the Pastasa. There were about a