340 



ON THE ABORIGINES 



current is less rapid : they are guided by the side-wings of the 

 weir into the narrow opening, from which they cannot find their 

 way out. They are obtained by diving into the weir, and 

 then catching them with the pisa (small net), or with the hand, 

 or sticking them with a knife. In these cacoaries every kind 

 of fish is caught, from the largest to the smallest, as well as 

 river tortoises and turtles. The Indian generally feels about 

 well with a rod before entering a cacoari, to ascertain if it con- 

 tains an electrical eel, in which case he gets it out first with a 

 net. The Piranhas, species of Serrasahto, are also rather 

 aangerous, for I have seen an Indian boy return from the 

 cacoary with his finger bitten off by one of them. 



The " Gerau," is yet on a larger scale than the Cacoarf. 

 It is used only in the cataracts, and is very similar to the 

 eel-traps used at mills and sluices in England. It is a large 

 wooden sieve, supported in the midst of a cataract, ?o that the 

 full force of the water dashes through it. All the fish which 

 are carried down by the violence of the current are here 

 caught, and their numbers are often so great as to supply a 

 whole village with food. At many of the falls on the Uaupes 

 they make these geraus, which require the united exertions 

 of the inhabitants to construct them ; huge timbers having 

 to be planted in every crevice of the rocks, to withstand the 

 strength of the torrent of water brought down by the winter's 

 floods. 



All the fish not used at the time are placed on a little 

 platform of sticks over the fire, till they are so thoroughly 

 dried and imbued with smoke, as to keep good any length 

 of time. They are then used for voyages, and to sell to 

 travellers, but, having no salt, are a very tasteless kind of 

 food. 



Salt is not so much sought after by these Indians as by 

 many other tribes ; for they will generally prefer fish-hooks 

 and beads in payment for any articles you may purchase of 

 them. Peppers seem to serve them in place of salt. They 

 do, however, extract from the fruits of the Inaja palm {Maxi- 

 7niliana regid) and the Jara palm {Leopoldinia major)^ and 

 also from the Caruru (a species of Lacis very common on the 

 rocks in the falls), a kind of flour which has a saline taste, 

 and with which they season their food. The Caruru, indeed, 

 has quite the smell of salt water, and is excellent eating, 



