294 



TlMEHRI. 



bread-stuff ; the fermented sap of the seta palm aloneseems 

 to save them from quite always quenching their thirst with 

 water. For some reason, possibly with a natural and wise 

 instincl for the preservation of the palms, which are so 

 much to them, they only sparingly use this liquor — 

 the drawing of which means the destruction of the 

 natural cask, that is the death of the tree. Unlike the 

 other Indians, the Warraus, therefore, are not naturally 

 habituated to the incessant use of fermented liquor ; 

 and for this reason it is perhaps that, also unlike the 

 other Indians, they do not use it at their national game. 



It is a curious facl, of which I make a present to the 

 teetotalers — though I do not think it would be safe for 

 them to theorize too much about it — that the energy, 

 emulation, and excitement shown by the Warraus in 

 their liquorless game, is at least equal to that shown by 

 the paiwarie-filled game-players of other tribes. 



The second remarkable feature of the shield-game is 

 that it serves as a trial by ordeal. The Warraus of one 

 river are accused, say, by the Warraus of a neighbour- 

 ing river, of having stolen some pots, or some other such 

 offence. The dispute between the two parties waxes 

 hot. But instead of an interchange of blows, the head- 

 men of the two parties meet ; and these two arrange 

 that their followers shall assemble at some appointed 

 place, and at a date sufficiently far ahead to allow of due 

 preparation, and shall then fight it out — or play it out. A 

 tree is chosen ; and on one and the other side of this tree 

 each of the two captains respectively make a number of 

 marks indicating the number of days before the strife. 

 They make the tree look — as one civilized Warrau once 

 picturesquely described to me — like a newspaper. The 



