SECT. II.] BODILY STRENGTH. 115 



gious scruples, during which it is a point of honour not to 

 exhibit the least sign of pain. The women who, in order not 

 to give birth to cowards, sustain the labours of parturition with 

 the .same firmness, retiring to the forests when their time 

 approaches, bathe in the river immediately after their delivery, 

 and return to their labour with the new-born children on their 

 backs. Thus it is among the Sioux, whilst the wives of the 

 Potowatomis protect themselves from cold during ten days 

 after delivery; 1 but this, as well as difficult parturition generally, 

 is to be considered as an exception. 



This capacity for great physical efforts which we find in such 

 a high degree among the North Americans, is usually combined 

 with great digestive powers, which, owing to continued fasting 

 and frequent over-feeding, acquires among savage peoples an 

 unexampled energy. That this is merely the result of habit and 

 not a peculiarity of race, is proved by similar performances 

 among the ancient Greek athletes and many Arabs. The 

 camel drivers who perform the journey from Cairo to Suez, 

 which lasts above thirty hours, remain without food during 

 all that time, and many an Arab boasts of being able to con- 

 sume a whole sheep at one meal. 2 The Bedouin Arabs during 

 their journeys through the desert, take only daily two draughts 

 of water and two morsels of baked flour and milk. Six 

 Bedouins are said to consume no more than one European; but 

 when they find plenty of provisions they become voracious. 3 

 We quote a few examples : Eyre's attendant, a native Austra- 

 lian named Wylie, consumed in one night 6J pounds of boiled 

 meat (not including the bones), and could on the average 

 consume nine pounds daily. 4 Simpson 5 gives a still more 

 remarkable instance of two Jakutes. A Guarani consumes a 

 small calf in a few hours. 6 Ross 7 speaks frequently of the 

 scarcely credible gluttony of the Esquimaux. Every Green- 



1 Keating, i, p. 130. 



2 D'Escayrac, p. 128 ; Bayard Taylor, " E. N. Centr. Africa," p. 369, 1855. 



3 Bitter, Erdk., xiii, pp. 315, 525. 



4 Eyre, ii, 34. 



5 " Narr. of a Journey round the world," ii, 309, 1847. 



6 Dobrizhoffer, " Abiponer," i, p. 281. 



7 "Narr. of second voy.," p. 447, etc., Lond., 1835. 



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