360 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



the rivers in very large dugouts all of a piece, like great boats ; these 

 form their navies against other tribes. Their weapons are lances and 

 throwing darts, which they call estolica, like tournament darts ; they 

 have small round shields of tapir leather. 



1088. In this country the hills get low and from here downstream 

 it is level prairie land, called San Juan de Los Llanos. Below the 

 union of these two rivers they are joined by the Rio de Saqueta ; 

 the island between this river and the Purumayu will be some 50 

 leagues across, and in length from that point of union to that with 

 the San Miguel, over 100 leagues. Within those bounds of length 

 and width there is not a league of waste land ; it is all occupied in 

 the form of settlements or small villages every half league, or quarter 

 or less, some only a gunshot apart, by clans. Each village has 10, 

 15, 20, or 30 houses ; each house has 5 or 6 family fireplaces, or more ; 

 these people are all clothed and very intelligent. Both men and women 

 have their heads clipped crown-fashion, like friars. Their weapons 

 are lances and darts of palm wood with fishbone points ; they put 

 poison on them, but it is not deadly, merely paralyzing the wounded 

 person for 24 hours. The shields they use are made of thick, heavy 

 planking, over a yard across. They are very industrious folk ; they 

 use stone axes and cut down very thick trees with them. They plant 

 crops and raise much corn, beans, peanuts, and other cereals and 

 vegetables in abundance ; they make cassava of wild yucca ; they eat 

 meat and fish, which are to be found in abundance in those provinces. 



1089. When they go out to battle, they march in troops, and in 

 one battalion of their squadrons they take along many Indians loaded 

 with bundles of throwing darts to be handed to those who have 

 disposed of those they brought with them. In each of their villages 

 there is a drum, and when they call to arms on it, in an instant it is 

 known 100 leagues around, for that is the way they notify one another. 



1090. Their custom is to burn dead bodies and give the ashes to 

 the bravest to drink ; they receive them willingly and assemble for 

 this all their relatives, friends, and neighbors. They are all of one 

 language, though of different provinces ; some call themselves Neguas, 

 others Seiios, others Tamas, others Acanecos, others Atuares, and 

 there are still other tribes. 



1091. From these last river junctions going downstream toward 

 the E., NE. and SE., there are large settlements behind a low Cor- 

 dillera, which comes to an end above these junctions ; they say there 

 is very great wealth of gold and silver there, and that at its foot 

 there is one village or city which has over 3 leagues of habitations, 

 and the great majority of its inhabitants are silversmiths, who turn 



