"Sometimes of gold, but more often of silver or of some cheaper metal," replied the woman. "Chains of animals' teeth and shell were also common.
"You would have laughed to see how the men used to smoke tobacco," continued the old woman. "Instead of a cigar, or even a pipe, long strips of tobacco leaf were wound into a roll two or three feet long and as large as your wrist.
"A boy would light one end of the roll and burn it to a coal, wetting the leaf next the fire to keep it from wasting too fast. The lighted end he put in his mouth and blew smoke through the roll into the face of each man in the company, no matter how many of them. Then they, sitting down as usual, with their hands made a kind of funnel around their mouths and noses. Into this they received the smoke as it was blown upon them, snuffing it greedily and strongly as long as they could hold their breath. It seemed to give them great pleasure."
"I don't think I should have liked the boy's task," said Vasco.
"Did the boys go hunting when you were young?" asked Alfeo.
"Oh, yes. They did not have guns for weapons, but used bows and arrows. They could shoot very straight with them, too. Just wait a moment and I will prove that to you."
The old woman hobbled to a chest in the corner of the room and took therefrom an old bamboo cane.
"Do you see the cleft in the end of that cane?" she asked.
"Yes, I do," answered Alfeo.
"Well, that was split by an arrow shot at twenty paces by my oldest brother when he was only eight years old."