EXPEDITION TO SURINAM, 



author of every good, and never inclined to do them an 

 injury; but they worfhip the devil, whom they call 

 Tawaboo, to prevent his affli6ling them with evil, and to 

 whom they afcribe pain, difeafe, wounds, and death ; 

 and where an Indian dies, in order to avert future fata- 

 lity, the whole family, foon after, leave the fpot as a place 

 of refidence. 



The Guiana Indians are a perfe6lly free people, that is, 

 they have no divilion of land, and are without any go- 

 vernment, excepting that in mod families the oldefl: ad:s 

 as captain, prieft, and phyfician, to whom they pay a re- 

 verential obedience : thefe men are called Peii or Pa~ 

 gayers^ and, as in fome civilized nations, live better than 

 all others. 



Polygamy is admitted amoiig them, and ever In- 

 dian is allowed to take as many wives as he can pro- 

 vide for, though he generally takes but one, of whom 

 he is extremely jealous, and whom he knocks on the 

 head the moment he receives a decided proof of her 

 incontinency. Thefe Indians never beat their chil- 

 dren on any account whatever, nor give them any edu- 

 cation, except in hunting, fifliing, running, and fwirn - 

 ming ; yet they never ufe abulive language to each 

 other, nor fteal ; and a lye is totally unknown among 

 them. To which I may add, that no people can be more 

 grateful when treated with civility, of which I Hiall in 

 future relate a remarkable inftance : but 1 muft not for- 

 get that, on the other hand, they are extremely revcii^'e- 

 I ful. 



