THE ACAWOIOS. C79 



tunity of assassinating him. Tliey are acquainted with several 

 poisonous plants, to which they sometimes resort to destroy 

 those whom they consider their enemies. 



Althougli the savage Indian has some idea of the power of 

 God, which he deduces from the phenomena of nature — such 

 as thunder and Ii2,htnin2^ — and believes in his £»:oodness in 

 supplying him with cassava and other provisions, yet his whole 

 worship is devoted to propitiate the malignant spirits, to avert 

 evil which might otherwise overtake him ; while he has gT:'eat 

 faith in the power of the native sorcerers, who practise on his 

 credulity. The Guaranis are the most renowned as sorcerers. 

 The huts which are set apart for the performance of their 

 superstitious rites are regarded with great veneration. They 

 believe in various spirits — some of the forests and others of 

 the water — as also in the power of charms and potions ; while 

 they have numerous legends by which they account for the 

 creation of the world, the deluge, and many natural objects — 

 some of them apparently derived from the Peruvians and Mexi- 

 cans, and other more civilized races. 



The languages spoken by different tribes are very dissimilar, 

 many common objects being called by names which have no 

 approach to each other in sound. This, however, rather proves 

 the length of time they have existed in the country, their iso- 

 lation from each other, and the admixture which has from time 

 to time taken place, than that they sprang oiiginally from dif- 

 ferent stocks. The Guarani appears to be the simplest and 

 most easily acquired of any of the languages, and is still spoken 

 as far south as tlie La Plata, as well as on the banks of the 

 Orinoco. The Arawak language is remarkable for its softness. 

 The Carib tongue, somewhat more guttural than the former, is 

 spoken in a smart, vivacious manner. " Those who speak it 



