384 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



whereof you speak/' said the cacique, " are there any Spaniards? " 

 " Assuredly/' answered the missionary, " but only good ones." " The 

 best of them were good for nothing," replied Ilatuey, " and I desire 

 not to go where I may be in danger of meeting with one of that 

 horrid tribe." 



" Les grands mangeurs de viande sont en general cruels et f eroces, 

 plus que les autres hommes; cette observation est de tous les lieux," 

 writes Rousseau, and the difference in the disposition of the Arro- 

 wauks and Caribs bears out the truth of the remark. The Arrowauks 

 had little animal food, with the exception of fish, a few birds, rep- 

 tiles, and insects; but the Carib larders were kept well furnished 

 with human flesh, and even if an expedition had failed to bring 

 back men prisoners for the table (women were not eaten), they had 

 preserves of children taken in former raids, and fattened up till they 

 were plump enough to be irresistible to any cannibal palate. 



But though on festival occasions they no doubt gorged them- 

 selves both with meat and drink, as a rule, like Indians in general, 

 they were very abstemious. Indeed, the Spaniards, although the 

 most abstemious of Europeans, to the Indians " whose abstemious- 

 ness," says an old writer, " exceeded that of the most mortified her- 

 mit " appeared excessively voracious. ' So surprised were they at 

 the appetites of the Spaniards one of whom was supposed to con- 

 sume as much as ten Indians that the islanders were of opinion that 

 the Spaniards must have come among them in quest of food, their 

 own country not producing enough to satisfy such immoderate appe- 

 tites a conclusion which Carib manners and customs would cer- 

 tainly assist in forming. 



Both Arrowauks and Caribs were fond of smoking. They in- 

 toxicated themselves with tobacco, which they called cohiba, draw- 

 ing up the fumes by a tube through the nostrils. A dream coming 

 during the ensuing intoxication was regarded as an inspiration. 



Though usually shorter than the Arrowauks, the Caribs were 

 strong and muscular, active and lithe. To our eyes their appear- 

 ance would have been anything but pleasing. In their cheeks and 

 ears they made deep incisions, which were rendered conspicuous by 

 being stained black; their faces and bodies were painted red with 

 annotto, and round their eyes they were distinguished by circles of 

 black and white. Some of the greater dandies pierced the cartilage 

 of the nose, and inserted therein the bone of a fish, a piece of tortoise 

 shell, or a parrot's feather. Instead of shells they strung together 

 the teeth of their enemies slain in battle, whenever such could be 

 obtained, and wore them round their arms and legs. Their arrows 

 were usually poisoned, and when attacking an enemy by night the 

 arrows were often tipped with cotton dipped in oil and set alight, in 



