NATIVE HUNTING METHODS 125 



monster. There is a grand struggle before the catch 

 is landed, but the skilled fisherman is usually the 

 conqueror. 



But it is not everywhere that the man dares such a 

 feat. The cayman is often present, ready to snap him 

 up, the electric eel may paralyse his limbs, the sting 

 ray pierce and lacerate his feet, and several other 

 fishes with razor-like or spiky teeth want to cut and 

 mutilate him. * 



The Indian takes his bow and fish -arrows to look 

 for arapaima. His arrows are ingeniously arranged 

 so that when the fish dives the shaft is loosened from 

 the head and a long cord is unwound, but not detached 

 from head or shaft. The fisherman stands up on one 

 of the boulders, which are often quite slippery, and 

 carefully watches for a sign of the fish. He draws 

 his bow, and on the faintest ripple ' swish ' goes the 

 arrow and the fish is struck. Down goes the arapaima, 

 but soon the arrow -shaft is seen floating and bobbing 

 up and down, following the monster in all its struggles. 

 Presently it comes up and is again shot, until at last, 

 weakened by loss of blood, it is either drawn in by 

 one of the lines or fetched by swimming. 



When the water is not so low shooting is also some- 

 times possible. Then a party will be arranged to 

 go out in several corials. These corials are the ordinary 

 dug-out craft, what we should call ' cranky.' It has 

 been our bitter experience to travel in one of these for 

 several hours, but never again do we wish to suffer such 

 an inconvenience. You have to sit on the bottom with 

 your legs cramped, and dare not move for fear the 

 craft may turn over. Yet the Indian can do anything 

 he likes with it. You see him going down the less 



