194 WANDERINGS IN 



THIRD Carib, and Macoushi. They live in small ham- 



JOURNEY. ^ * 



lets, which consist of a few huts, never exceeding 

 twelve in number. These huts are always in the 

 forest, near a river or some creek. They are open 

 on all sides, (except those of the Macoushi,) and 

 covered with a species of palm leaf. 

 Their ham- Their principal furniture is the hammock. It 

 serves them both for chair and bed. It is com- 

 monly made of cotton; though those of the Warows 

 are formed from the seta tree. At night they 

 always make a fire close to it. The heat keeps 

 them warm, and the smoke drives away the 

 mosquitos and sand-flies. You sometimes find a 

 table in the hut; but it was not made by the 

 Indians, but by some negro, or mulatto car- 

 penter. 



Occupa- They cut down about an acre or two of the 

 trees which surround the huts, and there plant 

 pepper, papaws, sweet and bitter cassava, plan- 

 tains, sweet potatoes, yams, pine-apples, and silk- 

 grass. Besides these, they generally have a few 

 acres in some fertile part of the forest for their 

 cassava, which is as bread to them. They make 

 earthen pots to boil their provisions in ; and they 

 get from the white men flat circular plates of 

 iron, on which they bake their cassava. They 

 have to grate the cassava before it is pressed, 

 preparatory to baking; and those Indians who 

 are too far in the wilds to procure graters from 

 the white men, make use of a flat piece of wood, 



