1/71- ROUND THE WOULD. 3f>l 



which the Dutch call Bosch men, and these live en- 

 tirely by plunder, or rather by theft ; for they never 

 attack their neighbours openly, but steal the cattle 

 privately in the night. They are armed however to 

 defend themselves, if they happen to be detected, 

 with lances or assagays, and arrows, which they know 

 how to poison by various ways, some with the juice 

 of herbs, and some with the venom of the serpent, 

 called Cobra di Capelo ; in the hands of these people 

 a stone also is a very formidable weapon, for they 

 can throw it w T ith such force and exactness as re- 

 peatedly to hit a dollar at the distance of a hundred 

 paces. As a defence against these freebooters, the 

 other Indians train up bulls, which they place round 

 their towns in the night, and which, upon the ap- 

 proach of either man or beast, will assemble and 

 oppose them, till they hear the voice of their masters 

 encouraging them to fight, or calling them off, which 

 they obey with the same docility as a dog. 



Some nations have the art of melting and pre- 

 paring copper, which is found among them, probably 

 native ; and of this they make broad plates, which 

 they wear as ornaments upon their foreheads. Some 

 of them also know how to harden bits of iron, which 

 they procure from the Dutch, and form into knives, 

 so as to give them a temper superior to that of any 

 they can buy. 



The chiefs, many of whom are possessors of very 

 numerous herds of cattle, are generally clad in the 

 skins of lions, tygers, or zebras, to which they add 

 fringes, and other ornaments, in a very good taste. 

 Both sexes frequently anoint the body with grease, 

 but never use any that is rancid or foetid, if fresh 

 can be had. Mutton suet and butter are generally 

 used for this purpose ; butter is preferred, which 

 they make by shaking the milk in a bag made of the 

 skin of some beast. 



We were told that the priest certainly gives the 

 nuptial benediction, by sprinkling the bride and 

 bridegroom with his urine. But the Dutch univer- 

 sally declared that the women never wrapped the 



