BOTH] OMENS, CHARMS, TALISMANS 277 



somewhere between 4 and 5 a. m.: should a young person hear it 

 buzzing lie (or slie) must immediately get out of the hammock, on 

 penalty of having pains all over the body. The .Vi-awaks of the 

 Pomeroon beheve that if a candle fly, Pyrophorus noctilunis (koko-i) 

 is seen coming into the house, it may mean three things: supposing 

 it falls to the ground, this indicates the near death of one of the 

 imnalcs: if it falls into the fire, this shows that a deer has sent it 

 along lo fetch a light for him; but if it settles down under the roof, 

 the arrival of a stranger is to be expected. The bite of a certain ant 

 is lucky (Sect. 223). 



225. The Candle-fly saved the Lost Hunter (C) 



Five men formed themselves into a hunting party, and went out into the forest. 

 At nightfall they built themselves a banab, and next morning they all started in' 

 different directions to scour the neighborhood. Late in the afternoon they had 

 returned to the resting place, all except one. Three of the four said, "Our friend is 

 either lost or a tiger has eaten him," but when they discussed the matter further, 

 they remembered tliat they had seen no tracks of a tiger throughout the district. 

 The head-man was tlierefore right when he said, "No. He must be h)st." Tliis 

 was really what had liapi)ened to the fifth man. who, penetrating deep into the forest, 

 was overtaken b\- the darkness, wliicli made him miss the track. He wandered on 

 and on, and laid liimself down under a tree. By and by, a Pu-yu [candle-fly] came 

 along and asked him what he was doing all alone there: when it learned that he had 

 lost liimself, it offered to show liim the way. But the man doubted how such a little 

 thing could holj) him, and it was only when the Candle-fly told liim that it intended 

 warming itself at the very fire which his four friends had made at the banab, that 

 he agreed to follow it. .Vnd as the two approached the camping-ground, they heard 

 the voices of people talking. "Listen!" said the little Fly: "That's where your 

 people are. We are going there." When they at last reached the shed, the Candle- 

 fjy flew in ahead, and told the four men tliat it was bringing them their lost com- 

 panion; the latter then came in, and his four friends were right glad to see him. 



226. The only example of plant life in connection with omens arid 

 auguries so far met with is that recorded by Bernau: "Marriage is 

 frecjuently contracted by parents for their children when infants; 

 and trees are planted by the re.spective parties in witness thereof: 

 it is considered a bad omen if either tree should happen to wither 

 as in that case the party is sure to die" (Be, 59). 



227. The Guiana Indian voluntarily submits to various painful 

 ordeals or preparatory charms, previous to setting out on, and with 

 the object of winning success in, the chase. He believes in priming 

 himself whenever his hunting powers appear to be impaired, and may 

 spend some two or three months or more in the process; during this 

 period he abstains from salt and peppers, also perhaps from sugar. 

 The ordeals apparently consist in the "mortification of the flesh" 

 by scarification, etc., and its irritation with various frogs, toads, 

 caterpillars, ants, or by special nose-stringing apparatus. I pur- 

 posely use the term "apparently" because their real signification 



