70 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



a controversy over which of the two tribes was the more noble ; this 

 gave rise to impassioned enmity between them. The Aruacas wear 

 tonsures like friars ; the Caribs grow their hair long, to the waist. 

 After clashing on the occasion referred to, and others, in a naval 

 battle in the year of 1596 they each brought up for the purpose all 

 their troops and forces. The Carib, being more powerful, his tribe 

 counting over 400,000 Indians, assembled 120 dugouts; the Aruaca, 

 being courageous, was not frightened by the Carib's strength, and 

 with only the 60 dugouts he got together, set out after him up the 

 rivers ; and for many days one force kept hunting the other without 

 being able to find it, the channels being so numerous, so large, and 

 so winding, as e.g., the great River Orinoco. After a long search, one 

 night the Aruaca descried the Carib fleet within sight of the sea, at 

 the mouth of the Guaini, which is where the battle took place ; and 

 when the Aruaca had realized, from the numerous lights to be seen, 

 that it could only be the Carib enemy, he crossed to the other side of 

 the river and immediately sent him a message by one of his captains 

 so that the Carib might know that he had arrived in search of him, 

 and that he should choose the spot for fighting the battle, since he 

 wanted to give him that privilege. 



182. The Carib Tocaurama, General of that people, sent word to 

 the Aruaca that it suited him right there at the mouth of the Guaini, 

 where they were. At dawn the next day they put their navies in 

 battle array; the Aruaca being the more skillful and courageous, 

 arranged his forces in unison and with all his men well posted and 

 prepared, and with a boldly strategic plan of attack, so that when the 

 two forces clashed, within 2 hours after the beginning of the fight, 

 the Aruaca had captured 40 of the Carib dugouts, and among them 

 the Admiral's, with General Tocaurama himself ; and when General 

 Aramaya wanted to kill his captive, the latter begged him for his life, 

 admitting that Aramaya was the more valiant, and adding that with 

 this admission he would become his tributary and would pay him 

 homage, and that every year on the day of the battle, in such and 

 such a moon (which is their way of reckoning) he would send him 

 a dugout loaded with hammocks, cassava, cotton, and six women 

 slaves, as an acknowledgment of his subordination and vassalage ; 

 whereupon he granted him his life, and Tocaurama and his Caribs 

 became tributary to the tribe of the Aruacas. Later Aramaya died 

 and left a son in his stead, by name Liranzo, as brave as his father, 

 and the present ruler of the Aruacas, and feared and respected by 

 the Caribs. These Aruacas used to be very friendly and loyal de- 

 pendents of the Spaniards; but they apportioned them unwisely, 



