C a p. XVII. The GaribbyAilands. 



3©* 



quality as to Hunting 5 but the exercife of it is as free to the 

 meaneftastothegreateft among them.* The cafe is the fame 

 amon^ all the other Indians of the Weji-Indies. 



As in their private Repafts they never ufe no kind of Flefh, 

 if they have not Strangers to entertain, fo ordinarily their hunt- 

 ing is only for Lizards *, and if they engage themfelves in any 

 other kind of hunting* it is upon fome extraordinary occafions, 

 when they would treat fome of their Friends among the Euro- 

 p£ans 3 or when they intend to vifit them, and would get fom- 

 thingof them in exchange for what they had taken. 



They are extreamly expert in fiihing with the Hook^ and in 

 taking of Fi(h with the Dart *, and a man cannot fufficiently 

 admire their patience in that Exercife *, for they would be con- 

 tent to continue half a day in the fame place, without betray- 

 ing any wearinefs : And when, after they have waited a long 

 time lor the FiCh, they come at length to perceive fome great 

 one to their mind, and within their reach, they caft the Dart 

 at it, as the Brazilians do 5 which having faftned, they imme- 

 diately leap into the water after the Dart, to feize their prey : 

 But befides the Hook and Dart wherewith they take Fifb, they 

 are alfo very excellent in diving neer the Rocks, and forcing 

 them out of the holes where they fhelter themfelves 5 as being 

 in that particular equally expert with the Floridians, who, not DeLery, c. 

 expecting that the Filh mould come and fhew themfelves, 12 



again with theFiih in one hand, and the Club in the other. 'Tis 

 a common thing among the Savages to be excellent Swimmers 

 and Divers $ and it is particularly affirm'd of the Brazilians ,the 

 Maldivefes\ ibme Peruvians, and the Inhabitants of the Iflands 

 of Robbers j that they may pafs for a kind of amphibious Crea- 

 tures. 



But if the other inventions for fiihing mould fail our Carib- 

 bians, they have their recourfe to a certain wood, which they 

 bruife after they have cut it into little pieces*, which done,they 

 caft it into Ponds, orthofe places where the Sea is quiet and 

 caim *, and this is as it were a Sovereign Mummy, wherewith 

 they take as much Fi(h as they pleafe *, but they are fo prudent 

 as not to make ufe of this laft expedient but only in cafe of ne- 

 ceflity, for fear of making too great a wafte among the Fifth 



After Hunting and Fiftiing, they apply themfelves to feveral 

 kinds of Works, as to make Beds of Cotton, very neatly wo- 

 ven 3 which they call Amacs : The Women fpin the Cotton 

 on the knee, and commonly they make ufe of neither Diftaff 

 nor Spindle*, but fome of them in the Iflandof MartinicohwQ 

 learn'd the ufe thereof of the French : They have alfo the per- 

 fect Art of twiftingit*, but in fome Iflands the Men weave the 

 Beds : Befides this, they make Baskets of Bull-ru(he9 5 and Grafs 5 



R r 



of 



