strong tremors produced by the drug. I was also seized by 
periodic waves of cold, as frequently reported by the natives. 
“T next felt the tingling sensations and vibrations enter my 
head and scalp. Moving my head or hands increased the intensity 
of the sensations. The vibrations felt electric, penetrating my 
chest and back. Even then my thinking remained undisturbed 
though somewhat detached. 
‘After another hour, I began feeling sharp stomach cramps 
and occasional spasms of nausea. | wanted to vomit but could 
not. We had fasted since the previous day according to the 
curaca’s instructions. The tingling remained very intense in my 
hands and feet and my head began to ache. A bitter taste de- 
veloped in my mouth and I felt vaguely cold. 
‘*Sometime later — I was incapable of telling time at this point 
— I began to get used to the tingling sensations, which | found 
disquiting at first. I could not tell if | was becoming stronger or 
weaker. I became very dizzy with vertigo, which intensified 
precipitously. Everything started spinning to the right yet never 
seemed to move. My mind kept adjusting to the spin to set me 
right agin. There was a complete loss of muscular coordination at 
this point, and I could no longer walk or even stand up. I lay 
either prone or sat on the floor with my back against the wall for 
the rest of the night. The pains in my stomach became more 
acute. I continued to be nauseous and vertiginous and felt ex- 
tremely uncomfortable. 
‘‘During the course of the evening, the curaca went to bed. We 
did not see him for the rest of the night except for a brief 
appearance upon our departure. Since we were feeling increas- 
ingly out of sorts in this strange place, we decided to return to the 
nearby village of San Antonio where we were staying in an 
abandoned jail cell. It was very difficult to move or stand up, but 
eventually we mustered enough strength to start for home. This 
took at least an hour with Pedro and I supporting each other, 
frequently stumbling and crawling along the dark trail through 
the forest. 
**When we arrived in San Antonio, we climbed into our ham- 
mocks to rest. I lay awake for a long time, still feeling the drug in 
my body, particularly the tingling. The stomach cramps and 
vertigo began to subside, and eventually I fell asleep, completely 
exhausted both mentally and physically. The next day, I felt 
extremely weak and nearly unable to move without great dis- 
comfort. I became very dizzy if I tried to stand up or walk. I could 
not eat anything and remained in my hammock. Only after two 
full days did I begin to recover and move around without becom- 
ing dizzy.” 
My companion later noted the following effects which he 
experienced with the drug: ‘‘swollen lips and heavy tongue, 
crazy in the head, cold sweat, stomach ache, nausea and weak 
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