ROTH] _ WAR AND WARFARE 593 
Their ordinary food is the human flesh of their enemies, whom they 
hunt and persecute, not so much for the sake of encouraging war, 
but to appease their hunger (G, 1, 250). Even the true mainland 
Arawak enslaved, killed, or ate their prisoners. For this there is 
the authority of Van Berkel, an eyewitness on the Berbice in the 
middle half of the seventeenth century. If they catch females who 
are neither young nor pretty, such as they judge suitable to gratify 
their passions on, although they consequently nevertheless remain 
slaves, they slay them straight away; but if they are somewhat 
handsome they are delivered into the custody of other women, to 
wit, those who travel with them. As to the children, be they boys or 
girls, they are let live according as their fancy takes them. If they 
are pleasant of countenance, they may expect a hard domestic service, 
yet their lives are spared; but if they have captured a somewhat 
large number of prisoners, some of them are put to death for sport. 
But unfortunate is he, married or single, who, finding no chance for 
escape or of fighting to the death, happens to fall alive into his ene- 
ries’ hands, because, in order to tyrannize over him, and to attain 
their object in a horrible way, there can not be any cruelties imagi- 
nable which they do not practice. ... The fleet of which we have 
.just spoken brought with them on their return two youths from 
the enemy vanquished [Carib on the Corentyn]. They traveled at 
night silently past the fort [Nassau, River Berbice], and had the 
same so well looked after that there was not the slightest chance 
of escape. These unfortunate wretches who had thus been captured 
on a fighting expedition were confined and shackled for about three 
weeks, during which time they were provided with good food and 
drink. In the interval, to while away the time somewhat in this 
iniserable state they plait a pegall, or little basket used locally for 
a box. The prisoners are guarded by night, and in view of the fact 
that somebody is going to be burnt, the women prepare a quantity 
of drink called pernou. . .. On the day before he is to die I have 
on more than one occasion seen with my own eyes that they enter- 
tain him genteelly with food and drink, so that he might yet go 
hearty to his death. After midday everybody sneers at him as they 
take him from house to house, on which occasion he may receive 
quite unexpectedly a blow on the head from which the blood will 
flow, accompanied with the remark, ‘“ Your friends have done just 
the same to ours.” When the sun is about to set a captain in- 
quires whether he can see the sun quite clearly, whereupon, having 
answered “ Yes,” the captain says, “ You shall never see it again! ” 
This is his sentence. I have seen them leading to execution one 
who, being sufficiently proud not to lose heart by any threats or 
fear of subsequent torture, gave reply to the captain who passed 
