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IRAÇÉMA.
9

my friends, and thus I strayed to the prairies of the Tabajáras."

"It was some bad spirit of the forest that blinded the pale-face warrior in the darkness of the woods," replied the old man.

The Cauâm[1] chirped at the other end of the valley. Night had set in.

CHAPTER IV.

The Pagé shook the Maraca-rattle[2] and left the cabin, but the stranger remained not alone.

Iraçéma returned with the maidens summoned to serve the guest of Araken and the warriors who came to obey him.

"May happiness rock the White Warrior՚s hammock during the night, and may the sun bring light to his eyes and joy to his soul."

Thus saying, Iraçéma՚s lip trembled, and the tear stood in her eye.

"Thou leavest me then?" asked Martim.

"The most beautiful virgins[3] of the great Taba remain with the warrior."

"The daughter of Araken was mistaken in bring-
ing them here for the guest of the Pagé."

"Iraçéma may not wait upon the stranger. It is she who guards the secret of the Juréma[4] and the

  1. ↑ Cauâm, a bird of evil omen, which feeds on serpents, and chirps its own name.
  2. ↑ Maracá, an instrument used in the religious and war-like ceremonies of the Indians ; a kind of loud rattle.
  3. ↑ As mais bellas mulheres. Any Indian՚s idea of complete hospitality.
  4. ↑ Jurěma, a kind of acacia with thick foliage. It has a bitter fruit and acrid smell, and, mixed with the pulp of its own leaves and other ingredients, it made a kind of hasheesh, which is said to have produced vivid and happy dreams. The making of this dram was kept secret by the Pagés.
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