342 TIMEHRI. 
but as this did not satisfy his great ambition he endea- 
voured to make himself chief over all the Indian tribes of 
British Guiana. For this purpose he sent messengers 
inviting all of themtoa great assembly which he intended 
to hold at the commencement of the dry season, at 
which he told them they would hear wonderful things 
and obtain the means of putting themselves on an 
equality with the white people. They must engage to 
forget all their quarrels for the time and bring offerings 
to the mighty Piaiman. 
The fame of this man, who was only twenty-five years 
of age, was so great, that nearly all except those who 
were Christians accepted the invitation, coming from 
even the most remote parts of the country. Thus it 
happened that in this Kukenaam valley at the time 
appointed nearly a thousand Indians of all the Guiana 
tribes were gathered together. Here they ereGted huts 
and waited the pleasure of the great Piaiman and the 
fulfilment of his magnificent promises. Every family 
brought presents of knives, scissors, looking-glasses, 
beads, salempores, ammunition, needles and other articles 
of value to the Indians, receiving in return, as charms 
to prote&t them from the evil spirit, three small pieces of 
printed paper. These consisted of leaves of books and 
newspapers, including the 7zmes, which had been used 
by “SCHOMBURGK for drying his plants, and were left 
behind at Roraima when that gentleman wanted to 
reduce the bulk of his luggage as much as. possible—now 
the sly Indian knew how to give them a fi€étitious value. 
AWACAIPU named the large settlement; in which so 
many different tribes had assembled in peace and con- 
cord, Beckeranta, an Indian form of a ~Creole-Dutch 
