138 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the shape of a two-edged sword. It is rather a tedious 

 operation to make one of these arrows complete ; and as 

 the Indian is not famed for industry, except when pressed 

 by hunger, he has hit upon a plan of preserving his arrows 

 which deserves notice. 



About a quarter of an inch above the part where the 

 Coucourite spike is fixed into the square hole, he cuts it 

 half through ; and thus, when it has entered the animal, 

 the weight of the arrow causes it to break off there, by 

 which means the arrow falls to the ground uninjured ; so 

 that, should this be the only arrow he happens to have 

 with him, and should another shot immediately occur, 

 he has only to take another poisoned spike out of "his 

 little bamboo box, fit it on his arrow, and send it to its 

 destination. 



Thus armed with deadly poison, and hungry as the 

 hyaena, he ranges through the forest in quest of the wild 

 beasts' track. No hound can act a surer part. Without 

 clothes to fetter him, or shoes to bind his feet, he observes 

 the footsteps of the game, where an European eye could 

 not discern the smallest vestige. He pursues it through 

 all its turns and windings, with astonishing perseverance, 

 and success generally crowns his efforts. The animal, after 

 receiving the poisoned arrow, seldom retreats two hundred 

 paces before it drops. 



In passing overland from the Essequibo to the Demerara 

 we fell in with a herd of wild hogs. Though encumbered 

 with baggage, and fatigued with a hard day's walk, an 

 Indian got his bow ready, and let fly a poisoned arrow at 

 one of them. It entered the cheek-bone and broke off. 

 The wild hog was found quite dead about one hundred and 

 seventy paces from the place where he had been shot. He 

 afforded us an excellent and wholesome supper. 



Thus the savage of Guiana, independent of the common 



