THE DISCOVERY OF GUIANA a.d. 



1595. 



oque, in his enterprize of Guiana : the fourth are called 



Aroras, and are as blacke as Negros, but have smooth ^roras a 



haire, and these are very valiant, or rather desperate ^^^f^P^°P^^ 

 ■i J 1 y -' ^ ^1 . ustns; vene- 



people, and have the most strong poyson on their rnom arrowes. 



arrowes, and most dangerous of all nations, of which 



poyson I will speake somewhat being a digression not 



unnecessary. 



There was nothing whereof I was more curious, then 

 to finde out the true remedies of these poysoned arrowes : 

 for besides the mortalitie of the wound they make, the 

 partie shotte indureth the most insufferable torment in 

 the world, and abideth a most ugly and lamentable 

 death, sometimes dying starke mad, sometimes their 

 bowels breaking out of their bellies : which are pre- 

 sently discoloured as blacke as pitch, and so unsavoury, 

 as no man can endure to cure, or to attend them. And 

 it is more strange to know, that in all this time there 

 was never Spaniard either by gift or torment that could 

 atteine to the true knowledge of the cure, although 

 they have martyred and put to invented torture I 

 know not how many of them. But every one of these 

 Indians know it not, no not one among thousands, but 

 their soothsayers and priestes, who doe conceale it, and 

 onely teach it but from the father to the sonne. 



Those medicines which are vulgar, and serve for the 

 ordinarie poyson, are made of the juice of a roote 

 called Tupara : the same also quencheth marveilously 

 the heate of burning feavers, and healeth inward wounds, 

 and broken veines, that bleed within the body. But I 

 was more beholding to the Guianians then any other : The juke of 

 for Anthonio de Berreo tolde mee that hee could never garlike good 

 attaine to the knowledge thereof, and yet they taught ^S^^^^^^ °^^^- 

 mee the best way of healing as well thereof, as of all speedy drink- 

 other poysons. Some of the Spaniards have bene cured ing to be 

 in ordinary wounds, of the common poysoned arrowes avoided of 

 with the juice of garlike : but this is a generall rule ^^^^ ^j^J\- u 

 for all men that shall hereafter travel the Indies where poisoned 

 poisoned arrowes are used, that they must abstaine from arrows. 



397 



