52 ARTS AND CRAFTS OF GUIANA INDIANS [ETH, ANN. 38 
serve the least sign of pain they cancel his application, and he is 
not allowed to enter for the two ordeals (eaamenes) which remain. 
But granted that he has passed the test successfully, he is greeted 
with shouts, applause, and congratulations, and then everybody gets 
drunk. The necessary period having elapsed for his wounds, ete., 
to heal, the candidate’s next step is to get another lot of maize beer 
(chicha), when a date is fixed for the meeting of the chapter 
(cabildo). Slang in a cotton hammock and completely covered in 
its folds, he is tied up with three strands—one at the head, a second 
at his feet, and a third around his middle. Each captain then raises 
the folds of the hammock at the sides and drops within it a caneful 
of vicious ants. If the victim heaves so much as a sigh or makes 
the slightest involuntary movement, though the insects be biting his 
eyelashes or other parts equally delicate, he is considered to have 
failed. Otherwise he is correspondingly congratulated upon having 
passed. The third ordeal, which might be described as something in- 
fernal, is carried out as follows: The judges (magistrados) and peo- 
ple generally having been assembled, a hurdle woven of small canes 
large enough for the candidate to rest on and covered with a varying 
number of plantain leaves, is hung about a yard from the ground. 
Lying on his back upon this rack or scaffold, a hollow cane stem 
about a yard in length is put in his mouth to breathe through. He is 
then covered from head to foot, both on top and at the sides, with 
plantain leaves, care being taken that those covering the head and 
chest are broken through to make room for and are tied to the above- 
mentioned cane, which is fixed vertically. When completely coy- 
ered and enveloped in this mass of leaves they start a fire below the 
hurdle. This is called a mild, slow (manso) fire, because the flames 
only just lick the frame, but in reality it gives a decided roasting 
(notable color) to the unfortunate sufferer. In the meantime some 
of the leaders (ménistros) are busied in stirring up the fire, others 
in diminishing it; some are very carefully watching to see if the 
victim moves or not, while others again are keeping an eye on the 
cane to see by the breathing whether the patient is weak or strong. 
After an appointed time the leaves are quickly removed. If they 
find him dead, everything comes to a close with mournful lamenta- 
tion, but if alive all are jubilant, there is a lot of shouting, and the 
proceedings terminate with drinks to the health of the new captain 
(G, 1, 92). 
748. In the country of Wiapoco [Oyapok River, Cayenne], where 
the selection was held at their drunken feasts (JW, 345), to be ad- 
vanced to the dignity of captain one must endure without the least 
stirring of the body nine extraordinary strokes with a holly wand 
from every captain, and that three several times. But that is not all; 
