48 



WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



or in the midst of his family ; out, if he has to prepare 

 the wonrali poison, many precautions are supposed to 

 be necessary. 



The women and young girls are not allowed to be 

 present, lest the Yabahou, or evil spirit, 

 Yabahou, or should do them harm. The shed under 



evil spirit. 



which it has been boiled, is pronounced 

 polluted, and abandoned ever after. He who makes 

 the poison must eat nothing that morning, and must 

 continue fasting as long as the operation lasts. The 

 pot in which it is boiled must be a new one, and must 

 never have held anything before, otherwise the poison 

 would be deficient in strength : add to this, that the 

 operator must take particular care not to expose him- 

 self to the vapour which arises from it while on the 

 fire. 



Though this and other precautions are taken, such as 

 frequently washing the face and hands, still the Indians 

 think that it affects the health ; and the operator either 

 is, or, what is more probable, supposes himself to be, 

 sick for some days after. 



Indian su- Thus it appears that the making the 

 perstition. wourali poison is considered as a gloomy 

 and mysterious operation ; and it would seem that they 

 imagine it affects others as well as him who boils it ; 

 for an Indian agreed one evening to make some for me, 

 but the next morning he declined having anything to 

 do with it, alleging that his wife was with child ! 



Here it might be asked, are all the ingredients just 

 mentioned necessary, in order to produce the wourali 

 poison ? Though our opinions and conjectures may 

 militate against the absolute necessity of some of them, 

 still it would be hardly fair to pronounce them added 



