The Indians of Guiana. 
Translated from the Dutch of $. $. Hartsinck.* 
DESCRIPTION OF THEIR ARMS. 
=< 11E common weapons of these Nations are Bows 
MAG and Arrows, of which they well understand 
: #4 how to make use, being taught from their 
youth, discharging their arrows on high with so correét 
an aim, that on their descent they seldom miss the objeét 
they aim at. The bows are made of letter and other 
hardwood, usually 5 or 6 feet long, rounded at the out- 
side, tapering at both ends, with a cord or string. 
Their arrows of the same length are made from the 
tops of reeds ; they attach on the afterpoint of each 
arrow, which they adorn with feathers a piece of wood, 
3 or 4 inches long, to increase the velocity of the 
motion; at the other end, they fix a piece of very hard 
wood, carved on to a point, or bones rather, or stone 
points, provided with crooked hooks or with a sharp 
fish bone taken from under the fins. They are not 
satisfied with having only one point, but fix on it 3 or 5 
or even 7, which they call Posszvou, using them not only 
in war but for fishing, striking often at once as many 
fishes as there are points to the arrow. 
Many of them poison their arrows with the fruit of 
Cururu and of Pzson, sometimes with the sap of a 
certain tree which they call Pougoulay. The proof of 
their being rightly poisoned lies in their shooting an 
* Beschryving van Guiana, 1770. 
