WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 127 



it mixes with the blood ; and others again have maintained 

 that it is not strong enough to kill an animal of the 

 size and strength of a man. The first have erred by- 

 lending a too willing ear to the marvellous, and be- 

 lieving assertions without sufficient proof. The follow- 

 ing short story points out the necessity of a cautious 

 examination. 



One day, on asking an Indian if he thought the poison 

 would kill a man, he replied, that they always go to battle 

 with it ; that he was standing by when an Indian was 

 shot with a poisoned arrow, and that he expired almost 

 immediately. Not wishing to dispute this apparently 

 satisfactory information, the subject was dropped. How- 

 ever, about an hour after, having purposely asked him in 

 what part of the body the said Indian was wounded, he 

 answered without hesitation, that the arrow entered 

 betwixt his shoulders, and passed quite through his heart. 

 Was it the w^eapon, or the strength of the poison, that 

 brought on immediate dissolution in this case ? Of course 

 the weapon. 



The second have been misled by disappointment, 

 caused by neglect in keeping the poisoned arrows, or by 

 not knowing how to use them, or by trying inferior poison. 

 If the arrows are not kept dry, the poison loses its 

 strength ; and in wet or damp weather it turns mouldy, 

 and becomes quite soft. In shooting an arrow in this 

 state, upon examining tlie place where it has entered, 

 it will be observed that, though the arrow has pene- 

 trated deep into the flesh, stiU by far the greatest part 

 of the poison has shrunk back, and thus, instead of enter- 

 ing with the arrow, it has remained collected at the 

 mouth of the wound. In this case the arrow might as 

 well have not been poisoned. Probably, it was to this 

 that a gentleman, some time ago, owed his disappointment. 



