Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

May 18^7. religious ceremony, 01 stamped upon different parts of fier body, rubbing tlie paint, and marking tlie crosses afresh, after every stamp was made. Tlie men, after having marked themselves in a similar man- ner (to do which some stripped to the waist and covered all their body with impressions), proceeded to do the same to the boys, who were not permitted to perform this part of the ceremony themselves. Manuel, Maria's husband, who seemed to be her chief assistant on the occasion, then took from the folds of the sacred wrapper an awl, and with it pierced either the arms or ears of all the party ; each of whom presented in turn, pinched up between the finger and thumb, that portion of flesh which was to be perforated. The object evidently was to lose blood, and those from whom the blood flowed freely showed marks of satisfaction, while some whose wounds bled but little underwent the operation a second time. • When Manuel had finished, he gave the awl to Maria, Avho pierced his arm, and then, with great solemnity and care, mut- tering and talking to herself in Spanish (not two words of which could I catch, although I knelt down close to her and listened with the greatest attention), she removed two or three wrappers, and exposed to our view a small figure, carved in wood, representing a dead person, stretched out. After ex- posing the image, to which all paid the greatest attention, and contemplating it for some moments in silence, Maria began to descant upon the virtues of her Christ, telling us it had a good heart ('bucn corazon'), and that it was very fond of tobacco. " Mucho quiere mi Cristo tabaco, da me mas," (my Christ loves tobacco very much, give me some). Such an appeal, on such an occasion, I could not refuse ; and after agreeing with her in praise of the figure, I said I would send on board for some. Having gained her point, she began to talk to herself for some minutes, during which she looked up, after repeating the words " muy bueno es mi Cristo, muy bueno corazon tiene," and slowly and solemnly packed up the figure, deposit- ing it in the place Avhence it had been taken. This ceremony ended, the traffic, which had been suspended, recommenced with redoubled activity.