wounded the animal, and with its blood anointed the sick
person, as well as some of the others among the bystanders. Then it
was divided and cleaned, in order that it might be eaten. The catalona
looked at the entrails, and making wry faces and shaking her feet and
hands, acted as if she were out of her senses--foaming at the mouth,
either because she was incarnate as the devil, or because she so
feigned so that credit might be given her. In this way she prophesied
what would happen to the sick man, either adverse or propitious. If it
were propitious, there was great feasting; and if adverse, means were
not lacking to her to evade it--as they were also not lacking in case
that her prophecy was not fulfilled. If the sick man died, she consoled
them all by saying that their gods had elected him as one of their
anitos, because of his prowess and merits; and she began to commend
herself to this saint, and made them all commend themselves to him, and
everything ended in drunkenness and rejoicing. Then the catalona took
all the gifts, which all had offered her according to their custom,
and returned home, wealthier, but not with more reputation; for those
who exercised that office among the Indians were held in no estimation,
for they were considered lazy persons who lived by the toil of others.

439. When the sick person died, he was followed by the lamentation
of his relatives and friends and even by other and hired mourners,
who had that as their trade. In their lamentation they inserted a
melancholy song, with innumerable extravagant things in praise of the
dead. They bathed, smoked, and shrouded the corpse, and some embalmed
it in the manner of the Hebrews, with certain aromatic liquors;
and thus did they bury it, with all due respect.

440. The grave of the poor was a hole which was dug under the house
itself, and was called silong. The rich and influential were kept
unburied for three days, amid the weeping and singing. A box or coffin
was made out of one piece, which was the dug-out trunk of a tree;
and the cover was tightly fitted on, so that no air could enter. There
they buried the deceased, adorned with rich jewels and sheets of gold,
especially upon his mouth. As the coffins were usually of incorruptible
wood, which was used for this purpose, in this way some bodies have
been found uncorrupted after many years.

441. The coffin with the body was placed in one of three places,
according to the direction of the d