TORTOISES 21 



dinner ? Indians are, as a rule, poor shots with a gun, 

 yet they rarely miss. I have never seen Isidor or any of 

 the others attempt to fire at a bird on the wing. "Why 

 should one fire at birds flying, with a chance of missing, 

 when they can be stalked and potted with certainty at 

 short distances ? Powder and shot are commodities too 

 valuable to be wasted in practising difficult shots. But if 

 the Indian be but a poor marksman with a shot-gun, he 

 more than makes up for his lack of skill by his ability as 

 a tracker and hunter. No Indian thinks of wasting a 

 shot until he gets to within but a few yards of his victim. 



We made a hasty meal off biscuits and tea, and con- 

 tinued our tramp towards Turagua. The leaves of the 

 undergrowth were dripping with water from the previous 

 night's shower, and we were soon wet to the skin. 

 Almost immediately after leaving our camping-place we 

 got to a part of the forest which the Indians told me had 

 taken them nearly two days to cut through, although I 

 do not suppose that this belt of matted vegetation could 

 have been more than a couple of miles wide. Of the 

 extent of its length we were ignorant. These belts or 

 tracts of tangled creepers and bush are called bejucales. 



While getting through this hejucale I almost trod on 

 a very large coral snake. The Indians begged me not to 

 kill it. I was surprised at this, because these same men 

 did not appear to have any scruples about destroying 

 other snakes. Tortoises are abundant all over this 

 region. The Indians captured several, which they tied 

 with creepers to the branches of small trees by the side of 

 the track they had cut, to be taken on their return. At 

 La Prision these tortoises are kept in enclosures, and 

 eaten on special occasions. During times of continued 

 drought numbers of these reptiles are caught by the men 



