56 WANDERINGS IN 



FIRST used; but this he has already planted round his 



JOURNEY. L 



-hut. The pounded fangs of the Labarri snake, 



and those of the Counacouchi, are likewise added. 

 These he commonly has in store; for when he 

 kills a snake, he generally extracts the fangs, and 

 keeps them by him. 



tiorfofthe Having thus found the necessary ingredients, 

 wourali j^ scra p e s the wourali vine and bitter root into 



poison. 



thin shavings, and puts them into a kind of 

 colander made of leaves : this he holds over an 

 earthern pot, and pours water on the shavings : 

 the liquor which comes through has the appear- 

 ance of coffee. When a sufficient quantity has 

 been procured, the shavings are thrown aside. 

 He then bruises the bulbous stalks, and squeezes 

 a proportionate quantity of their juice through 

 his hands into the pot. Lastly, the snakes' fangs, 

 ants, and pepper are bruised, and thrown into 

 it. It is then placed on a slow fire, and as it 

 boils, more of the juice of the wourali is added, 

 according as it may be found necessary, and the 

 scum is taken off with a leaf: it remains on the 

 fire till reduced to a thick sirup of a deep brown 

 colour. As soon as it has arrived at this state, 

 a few arrows are poisoned with it, to try its 

 strength. If it answer the expectations, it is 

 poured out into a calabash, or little pot of Indian 

 manufacture, which is carefully covered with a 

 couple of leaves, and over them a piece of deer's 

 skin, tied round with a cord. They keep it in 



