70 IN THE GUIANA FOREST 



has been teaching him for ages how to kill beast, 

 bird, and fish, and even how to stun some of 

 them without killing. It is true that the white 

 man has made the gun familiar to those living 

 within reach of the coast, but many an isolated 

 community has to go on in the old way. Not 

 only has he good weapons, but he supplements 

 them with the arrow poison, the wourali, which 

 kills without injuring the meat. Another poison, 

 the juice of the cassava, boiled to the consistency 

 of molasses, is used as a preservative in the well- 

 known " pepper-pot." This cassareep, however, 

 would not preserve meat for any length of time 

 without the daily sterilisation which is a necessary 

 part of the process. Fresh meat, more cassareep 

 and capsicums are added at intervals, then the 

 pot is put on the fire, with the result that it is 

 always good. The Indian has sterilised his meat 

 for ages without knowing the principle. 



In the absence of salt he has learnt how to 

 smoke his meat on a boucan, or barbecue. The 

 meat is dried over a fire, and, if necessary, it 

 may be kept good for a long time by an occa- 

 sional extra smoking. This is the same principle 

 in another form. 



Anything that will assist the huntsman 

 or tend to insure his success is of the utmost 



