658 



to enter into decomposition, in order to reduce 

 them into a white bread, savoury, but difficult 

 of digestion. I repeat, that the balls of poya, 

 which we drew from the winter stores of 

 the Indians, contained no trace of animal 

 fat, or of amylaceous matter. Gumilta being 

 one of the most credulous travellers we know, 

 it almost perplexes us to credit facts, which he 

 has thought fit to reject. Fortunately, in the 

 second volume of his work, he resumes a great 

 part of what he advanced in the first ; he 

 no longer doubts, that u half at least (a lo 

 menos) of the bread of the Otomacs and the 

 Guamoes is clay." He asserts, " that children 

 and full grown persons not only eat this bread 

 without suffering in their health, but also great 

 pieces of pure clay (muchos terrones de pura 

 greda.)" He adds, that those who feel a weight 

 on the stomach purge themselves with the fat of 

 the crocodile, which restores their appetite, and 

 enables them to continue to eat pure earth*. I 

 doubt the manteca de caiman being a purgative ; 

 but, as it is very fluid, it may contribute to 

 envelop the earth, which has not been expelled 

 among the fecal matter. It is certain, that the 

 Guamoes are very fond, if not of the fat, at least 

 of the flesh of the crocodile, which appeared to 

 us white, and without any smell of musk. In 



* Gumilla, vol. ii, p. 26G. 



