60 TIMEHRI. 
Marriages of most of them take place without cere- 
monies. At Cayenne, when a giri has made choice of a 
young man, she offers him drink, and a little fuel to 
light a fire under his hammock, should he refuse this, it 
is a sign he does not like her, if on the contrary he 
accepts it, the marriage is settled. 
On the same day the girl hangs her hammock close 
to that of her future husband, they sleep with each other, 
and the marriage is thus consummated; the next 
day the new married wife provides meat and drink 
for her husband, and takes housekeeping in hand; the 
son is then obliged to fish, hunt, and procure every- 
thing for his father-in-law, he meddling himself with 
nothing, the son-in-law obliged to do everything, 
When, with the Arawaks and Caraibs, an Indian 
wants to marry, everything is arranged between the 
girl and her parents, their family and friends come to- 
gether, when the father, or one of the nearest relatives, 
counsels the Bridegroom “‘ fo ¢ake care of his wife, to 
go datly hunting and fishing, and look well after his pro- 
vision grounds, in order therewith to provide the house- 
keeping,’’ counselling the Bride ‘‘ that she will respec? 
and be faithful to her husband, place every day when 
he comes home, meat and drink before him, and take 
proper care of everything,’’ when the ceremony is closed 
with singing, dancing and drinking; the Bridegroom 
taking his new wife, who sometimes is but 11 or 12 years 
old, to his hut, when the marriage is consummated. 
With the Guaykinos and Palencos greater ceremonies are 
observed. ‘These make their daughters fast for 40 days, 
before marrying, entertaining the idea that when they are 
in their dangerous days, everything they touch gets 
