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Spruce says this lasts ten minutes, though from what I heard the 
time must vary with the amount taken and with the individual. 
Succeeding this phase one grows calm, drowsy, and exhausted; a 
sleep ensues, during the forepart of which wonderful mirage-like- 
visions of beauty—regular Arabian Nights’ pictures—pass before 
one, panoramic fashion, gorgeous, magnificent sights resurrected 
and composed of all one has ever thought, read of, or experienced. 
Finally, this is succeeded by a sojourn comparable to that of sin- 
ners depicted in Dore’s illustrations in Dante’s Inferno. An edu- 
cated Ecuadorian, cited by Spruce, describes the effect on himself 
as first that of an aerial voyage through charming landscapes, great 
cities, lofty towers, beautiful parks, etc. Then “I found myself 
deserted in a forest and attacked by beasts of prey, against which 
I tried to defend myself.” According to the natives I talked with, 
one sees beautiful lakes, gorgeous tropical scenery, and, when the 
wild-beast stage comes on, they again are in a fighting, courageous 
phase. 
In some parts of Brazil and Ecuador in former times, and maybe 
yet among the but slightly civilized tribes of the upper tributaries 
of the Rio Negro, the drinking of ayawasca was attended by much 
ceremony. Women were not allowed its use on pain of death, and 
no boy took it until he had reached “manhood.” Medicine men 
used it for divination purposes—to discover enemy plans, unfaith- 
ful wives, and who had bewitched a sick man. Spruce sent speci- 
mens to Kew, but apparently nothing has ever been done with them 
toward discovering the active principle. After the three phases 
mentioned above, a deep sleep ensues, and I was assured time and 
again that one awoke usually with no harmful after-effects. Oth- 
ers have told me that, under some conditions, vomiting and diar- 
rhoea may be brought on. Arrangements have been made for 
obtaining a larger supply of ayawasca and, through Dr. Rusby, 
work for the determination of the active principle will be started. 
On March 15, Dr. Mann, Mr. Pearson, and myself left Cachuela 
for New York, where we arrived April 14. On our journey 
home we made excellent connections by way of launches, the 
Madeira-Mamore R.R., the steamer “ Tupy ” of the Amazon Navi- 
gation Co. to Manaos, Bear and from there down the Amazon to 
Para and direct to New York by the Booth line S. S. “ as 
