NARCOTICS AND STIMULANTS 435 



leurs maladies, consiste a appeler certains enchan- 

 teurs, qu'ils s'imaginent avoir re^u un pouvoir 

 particulier de les guerir ; ces charlatans vont trouver 

 les malades, recitent sur eux quelque priere super- 

 stitieuse, leur promettent de jeuner pour leur 

 guerison, et de prendre un certain nombre de fois 

 par jour du tabac en fumee ; ou bien, ce qui est une 

 insigne faveur, ils sucent la partie mal affectee, 

 apres quoi ils se retirent, a condition qu'on leur 

 payera liberalement ces sortes de services " (tome 

 viii. p. 83). And at p. 339 of the same volume, 

 speaking of the enchanters of the Chiquitos, it is 

 said : " Le medecin suce ensuite la partie mal 

 affectee, et au bout de quelque temps il jette par la 

 bouche une matiere noire : Voila, dit-il, le venin 

 que j'ai tire de votre corps." 



It is not necessary to be a paye to "suck out a 

 pain. Among the Barres it is commonly practised, 

 and I have seen a fellow hang on to his comrade's 

 shoulder for half an hour together, "sucking out 

 the rheumatism." But as they know the whites 

 ridicule the practice, they avoid as much as possible 

 being surprised in it. Formerly they had pro- 

 fessional chupadores or suckers ; but in my time 

 there were none such, besides the payes, who were 

 found only among the unchristianised tribes. 



2. Tobacco.- -This was possibly the first narcotic 

 ever used in South America, and is likely to be the 

 last. In one form or another it is a prime in- 

 gredient in the medicine of the payes. Rochefort 

 says : " Each Boye has his familiar demon, whom 

 he evoques by a chant, accompanied by the smoke 

 of tobacco, whose perfume is supposed to be 

 attractive to devils" (loc. cit. p. 473). And it is 



