68 Timehri. 
of prologue or epilogue certain circumstances suitable to the welcome—for in- 
stance that the day before he had seen a bird with peculiar feathers and colowrs 
passing over his house ; or that he had dreamed that his lands sown with seed 
were very dry, and that the rain had fallen just in the nick of time : that all these 
things and others gave notice of the visitor's approach. It is said of the Arawaks 
on the Corentyne by a traveller of over a century ago, that before distrust and 
suspicion were introduced by the conduct of the Europeans amongst these 
innocent people, strangers on their arrival amongst them were surrounded by the 
women who washed their feet and welcomed them with expressions of the greatest 
kindness. 
Amongst some of the nations of Guiana it was customary, when a boy was 
born, to have a look round and wait for the first little girl to appear, and then to 
ask the parents for her, alleging that they ought to be helpmates through having 
come into the world one in pursuit of the other—the same old story of the girl 
coming after the boy? On that very day the marriage would be decided. And 
as the youngster grew, and began to use his bow and arrow, everything that came 
to his hands would be taken to the little girl, were it fish, birds, or fruits ; a tribute 
which he would recognise and pay until the time arrived for her to be given 
to him actually as wife. It is also reported that marriage was frequently 
contracted by parents for their children when infants, and that trees were 
planted by the respective parties in witness thereof. It was considered abad 
omen if either tree should happen to wither,as in that case the party it was 
symbolic of would be sure to die. 
When a girl was obtained by sale from the parents, the bridegroom did not as a 
rule pay for her in kind, but more generally in labour. Furthermore, he had to do 
certain doughty deeds before he was allowed to take delivery of her. In certain 
nations, he had first to kill a bush-hog, all by himself, and bring it to her future 
father-in-law’s house to show that he was indeed a man ; and then to cut a field, 
after the style of the married men, in proof that he would henceforth be able to 
supporta family. In other nations, the payment or the proof was more irksome, 
it being customary for he would-be bridegroom, in addition to cutting the field, 
and building a new house, to arrange his father-in-law’s field, and make a new 
house for him, if the one he had already had was dilapidated. Amongst the old- 
time Arawaks of the Pomeroon the following were the conditions only under which 
the young man could get lawful possession of his future help-meet, and I believe 
that they are now for the first time recorded. 
When the youth went to his future father-in-law and asked for the girl the old 
man would consult his wife and daughter, as a rule, and if everything were satis- 
factory would say “‘ yes,’ but would not give him actual possession of her until 
he had performed certain duties. The first and foremost of these were to shoot 
into the woodpecker’s nest. | He would accordingly ask the suitor whether 
he were ready or whethe* he wished to wait a few days. The latter would of 
course say he was quite ready, so impetuous is youth, and would give a minute 
description of the situation of the particular tree, usually one close to the water- 
side, into which he proposed shooting the arrow. ‘The girl’s father, however, 
would invariably plead some excuse to put him off, say to the next day, and in the 
meantime would get ready a big corial—big enough to carry 10 or 12 men—and 
