SOUTH AMERICA. 67 



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 its 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 per- 

 severance, and success generally crowns his efforts. 

 The animal, after receiving the poisoned arrow, 

 seldom retreats two hundred paces before it drops. 



In passing over-land from the Essequibo to the 

 Demerara, we fell in \vith 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. KUI a wild 

 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. 



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