The Aborigines of Brazil. 339 



conjuror, much more than a crafty deceiver . and the patient 

 is rather a timid, thoughtless, passive agent than a steadily 

 confiding friend. To describe their mutual relation still more 

 completely, I must add that it is commonly the Paje who 

 understands how to prepare poison for their arrows. He is 

 also generally the depository of the knowledge of the kindred 

 arts. Thus, he directs the preparation of the fine red colouring 

 stuffs, Carajuru and Guarandpaste, and guides the tribes to 

 gather the plants which stupify fish.* Many races are ac- 

 quainted with certain poisons which, when introduced into 

 the system, are supposed in a longer or shorter time to cause 

 death. The Paje is the possessor of the secret of these sinister 

 arts, and is thus in some places dreaded as an actual poisoner. 

 These poisonous plants are partly Liance, especially of the fa- 

 mily of Sapindacece, partly species of Amaryllis. From the 

 first, they are supposed to prepare their most virulent poisons 

 from extracts of the stalks, from the latter, by drying and 

 preparing the bulbs in a peculiar way. In the work of pre- 

 paration they also make use of superstitious practices, and 

 labour by night, unseen by Europeans whom they always 

 distrust. It is universally believed along the Amazon stream, 

 that there are poisons which, when introduced into the 

 mouth, in small quantities during sleep, produce gradual 

 sinking, and certain death. But the Indians are very reserved 

 on the subject. I could only learn that it was a powder pre- 

 pared from the roots of a bulb (an Amaryllis ?) which had a 

 golden-yellow flower. 



The Paje as Surgeon. 



The surgical attainments of the Paje, as might be expected, 

 are not very great; they scarcely extend beyond scarifica- 

 tion, venesection, and the application of splints in fractures. 



* V. Martius has given a list of plants employed for this purpose in " Spix et 

 Agassiz Pisces Brasil ;" we have eeen fish stupified in this way in great numbers 

 in the sea at Khyouk Fhyoo.— TV. 



2 Y 



