FIRST JOURNEY. 17 



These habitations consist of from four to eight huts, 

 Indian ha- situated on about an acre of ground, which 

 bitations. they have cleared from the surrounding 

 woods. A few pappaw, cotton, and mountain cabbage- 

 trees are scattered round them. 



At one of these habitations, a small quantity of the 

 wourait poi- wourali poison was procured. It was in a 

 son - little gourd. The Indian who had it, said 



that he had killed a number of wild hogs with it, and 

 two tapirs. Appearances seemed to confirm what he 

 said ; for on one side it had been nearly taken out to 

 the bottom, at different times, which probably would 

 not have been the case had the first or second trial 

 failed. 



Its strength was proved on a middle-sized 



Its strength. 



dog. He was wounded in the thigh, in 

 order that there might be no possibility of touching a 

 vital part. In three or four minutes he began to be 

 affected, smelt at every little thing on the ground around 

 him, and looked wistfully at the wounded part. Soon 

 after this he staggered, laid himself down, and never 

 rose more. He barked once, though not as if in pain. 

 His voice was low and weak ; and in a second attempt 

 it quite failed him. He now put his head betwixt his 

 fore legs, and, raising it slowly again, he fell over on 

 his side. His eye immediately became fixed; and 

 though his extremities every now and then shot con- 

 vulsively, he never showed the least desire to raise up 

 his head. His heart fluttered much from the time he 

 laid down, and at intervals beat very strong ; then 

 stopped for a moment or two, and then beat again ; and 

 continued faintly beating several minutes after every 

 other part of his body seemed dead. 



