WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 131 



pronoimcecl polluted, and abandoned ever after. He who 

 makes the poison must eat nothing that morning, and 

 must continue fasting as long as the operation lasts. Tlie 

 pot in which it is boiled must be a new one, and must 

 never have held anything before, otherwise the poison 

 would be deficient in strength : add to this, that the 

 operator must take particular care not to expose himself 

 to the vapour which arises from it while on the fire. 



Though this and other precautions are taken, such as 

 frequently w^ashing the face and hands, still the Indians 

 think that it affects the health ; and the operator either is, 

 or, what is more probable, supposes himself to be, sick for 

 some days after. 



Thus is appears that the making the wourali-poison is 

 considered as a gloomy and mysterious operation; and it 

 would seem that they imagine it affects others as well as 

 him who boils it ; for an Indian agreed one evening to 

 make some for me, but the next morning he declined 

 having anything to do with it, alleging that his wife was 

 with child ! 



Here it might be asked, are all the ingredients just 

 mentioned necessary, in order to produce the w^ourali- 

 poison ? Though our opinions and conjectures may mili- 

 tate against the absolute necessity of some of them, still 

 it would be hardly fair to pronounce them added by the 

 hand of superstition, till proof positive can be obtained. 



We might argue on the subject, and, by bringing forward 

 instances of Indian superstition, draw our conclusion by 

 inference, and still remain in doubt on this head. You 

 know superstition to be the offspring of ignorance, and of 

 course that it takes up its abode amongst the rudest tribes 

 of uncivilized man. It even too often resides with man in 

 his more enlightened state. 



The Augustan, age furnishes numerous examples. A 



K 2 



