

The occafion 

 of building 



^ 6 AM^^ICA Chap. VII. 



We are Enemies : Theyare.fo inveterate againft one another, that who e're they take 

 Prifoners they unmercifully devour : Both are of a middle Stature, have flat No. 

 ' fes, which the Midwives make at the Birth of the Child • they are generally a 

 ftrong People, and many of them living a hundred years, without being grey 

 bald, or fick . they live temperate, and under a wholfom Climate : Some of their 

 Women bear Children (as they fay) till they are eighty years of age, which being 

 born white, turn to be of a Tawny colour, by being anointed with Suet call'd 

 %?ucou, and Oyl 5 otherwife they are well proportion^. The Men pluck out all 

 the Hair of their Foreheads, but fuffer it to hang pretty long over their Ears and 

 behind. The Women let their Hair hang down to their Middle, and wear woodden 

 Ear-rings , but the Men hang green Beads in their Lips, and thruft little Bones 

 through their Nofes. They go all ftark naked . their Legs are coloured black with 

 the Juice of the Herb Junipap, and upon the other parts of their Body appear Pi, 

 gures of feveral Reprefentations. Thofe that will manifeft their Valor, and be ac- 

 counted hardy, galli their Bodies all over with Wounds, which they heal in fucha 

 manner, that the Scars may more plainly appear. They never come to their ufual 

 Feafts, but drefs'd up in various colour'd Feathers; upon the Crown of their Heads 

 they wear Caps ftuck with Plumes, which they nil Jcangoap, or Coronets, call'd 

 Jcangerar. about their Nccks,the Necklaces Jiouacava- over their Shoulders,^' Man- 

 ties JjfoyaVe-. their Garters they call Tabacoura, at which they hang hollow Nut* 

 fliells full of little Stones, which ginglc and rattle as they go,and about their Arms 

 Armlets call'd Mapouyb-couaychoVare $ all which are curioufly checkcr'd with various 

 y colour'd Feathers. 



The Maragnans live not much up in the Countrey, but rather on the Sea-Coaft, 

 becaufe of their Fifiiing, removing every fixth year, calling the Village where they 

 Settle, by the former Name. 



They take every Man as many Wives as he pleafeth 5 but the Women muft ftick 

 each to one Man, unlefs {he be Divorced from him, which often happens upon 

 fmall occafions. 



Their Cotton Hammocks call'd Xu 3 on which they fleep, hang between two 

 Stakes, in which they lie. 



SingularFriendsand Relations Fcaft one another daily • but they arc cruel and 

 revengeful againft their neighboring Enemies, whom, when they take any of them, 

 they fatten, kill, and eat. The leaft affront done them, or injurious word fpoken 

 to them, or againft their Predecefforss, makes them take up Arms, which confift of 

 Bowes and Arrows, which they call Ouyrapar and Ohm. 



Here the French have built the Fort St. LoYis on an Wand, from whence Weft- 

 ward may be feen the Cape Tapouytapere, which at High- water feems like an Ifland, 

 and lies four Leagues from thence . at Low-water they can walk over the Sands 

 from the fame to the Main Land. 



This fruitful Countrey hath twenty populous Villages. 



Weftward lies Comma, which gives Denomination to the chief Village, the River, 

 and the reft of that Countrey, wherein are fixteen more bandfom Villages, better 

 built, and more populous than Maragnan or Tapouytapere. 



Concerning the building of the fore-mention'd Fort on Maragnan, it hapned as 

 followeth : 



The French Captain Qjtfaut, upon the Advice ofOuyrapive, who bore a great fway 



%lZ tMa amon S lt hls Maraffm Subjects, fitted out three Ships . but becaufe of a Contention 

 between the Sea.men, and the lofs of his chiefeft VelTel, he was fore'd to Sail to 

 France, and leave fome of his Men on Maragnan, under the Command of a young 



Gentleman 



