ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 



1015 



while a part of ihem repress the 

 enemy's iinput'uosity, the rest gain 

 the forest by the otiicr outlet, and, 

 having dlTidecI themselves into two 

 "wings, maintain a<ivantageousIy the 

 defence of the place. With the 

 same view, deep excavations are 

 made in the centre of the half moon, 

 and, in other parts, brambles and 

 stones are heaped together, and co- 

 vered over wifh earth and palm- 

 leaves, to the end that, by entang- 

 ling the feet of the incautious in 

 their progress, they may be pre- 

 vented from advancing with promp- 

 titude. At a certain distance, 

 drums made oi' hollow trunks are 

 suspended from the trees : being 

 slighily secured in the ground, the 

 passage of the enemy disengnefes 

 the cord, and the noise they make 

 in their fall gives notice of tJie dan- 

 ger. As all these Indians are, 

 however, of the same stamp, they 

 are acquainted with and deride these 

 stratagems. 



"As soon as the invaders imagine 

 themselves near to the populations 

 they mean to assault, they halt, 

 and dispose themselves in a column. 

 The general now harangues them a 

 second time, and intiauxes their 

 courage. They then proceed to 

 adjfflSt carefully the llatitos, or 

 plumes, as' well as the collars and 

 bracelets, prepiring their weapons, 

 and rashii'g inipe.iuously on each 

 other, with a view to render them, 

 selves formidable. After these 

 preliminaries, ti'.ey send out thei.- 

 scouts to rcconuoilre the ground 

 and the trees, and to ascertain the 

 path by which they may proceed 

 with security. Having found it, 

 they advance with the utmost 

 silence, towards the dweHing:;, 

 which they assail with a terrible 

 war-whoo^i, maiming and decapi- 



tating all they encounter, with the 

 exception of the children, whom 

 they lead into captivity. After 

 having satiated themselves with the 

 spilling of human blood, and having 

 plundered Avhatever is within their 

 reach, more especially the heads of 

 those they have slain, they return 

 victoriously to their homes* The 

 invaded sometimes stand on the 

 defensive; but usually those who 

 atlack are the vanquishers. Their 

 most common practice, therefore, 

 is to fly to the forest, and having 

 assembled there, to proceed to the 

 encounter of the invading foe, 

 whose progress they arrest. Hav- 

 ing in their turn become the assail- 

 ants, the issue of the contest is 

 frequently so much in their favour, 

 that they do not leave any one of 

 the adversaries to carry to his nation 

 the tidings of the defeat. But 

 whether their attempt be prosperous 

 or unsuccessful, they complete the 

 destrncSiion of the town which the 

 enemy had assaulted, and remove to 

 another part. 



" If those whp engage in an ex- 

 pedition of this nature succeed in all 

 the stratagems of the Warfare, they 

 dispati'h a messenger to their natioa 

 to announce their viftories. The 

 instant these are made known, all 

 vho remained behind, the women 

 more particularly, collect, together, 

 and sally forth to meet the war- 

 riors, bestowing on them welcomes 

 and encomiums in proportion to 

 the number of heads each brings 

 with him, and reprehending and de- 

 riding him who comes without them. 

 This operates so powerfully on 

 these barbarians, that ihey wouki 

 sulfer death sooner than enter their 

 house without the head of an 

 enemy, or some othcrextraordinary 

 token of their prowess. Those 

 3T 4 whd> 



