and cool It with half a gourd. When it is very foamy, they drink it as hot as they can stand it. From the time they take this tea out of the vessel until they drink it, they shout, asking who wants to drink. When the women hear these shouts they stand still without daring to move. Even if they are carrying a heavy load they do not dare move. If by chance a woman moves during this time, they shame her and beat her and very angrily pour out the brew they were about to drink. They vomit the beverage that they have drunk, quite easily and without embarrassment. They give the following reason for their custom, saying that if a woman within earshot moves when they want to drink, something terrible enters their body through the tea and soon thereafter causes them to die. The whole time that the water is boiling, the vessel is supposed to be covered. If by chance it is uncovered and a woman passes by, they throw it out and do not drink any of it. The tea is yellow and they drink it for three days without eating. Each day each person drinks one arroba and a half of it.

When the women are menstruating they gather only their own food, because no one else would eat what they brought. During the time I spent with these people I saw one wicked thing, and that was a man married to another man. These are womanish, impotent men who cover their bodies like women and do women's tasks. They shoot bows and carry heavy loads. Among these people we saw many of these womanish men, who are more robust and taller than other men and who carry heavy loads.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

How We Moved On and Were Welcomed