82 
The Poison-Mixer's Grave. 
to us. In 'April and May tlie cells seem to be mostly filled with honey. 
The stingless bee already mentioned builds its nest in hollow trees and 
collects wax at the same time. The often six-inch-long funnelshaped 
entrance to the nest is formed of a mi^xture of wax and clay. The black 
wax, the colour of wliich cannot be removed by any manipulation Avhat- 
ever, is used by the Indians as a covering for their hunting quivers 
(Muyeh) and for lights. The Macusis called this species Mapa. 
207. Tlie following morning was to greet us once more with one of 
those fairy^like tropical landscapes, to which the eye of the Northerner 
clings at tirst with so much wonder, until finally his dum)» transport 
finds expression in exclamations of surprise. In the middle of a distant 
savannah ahead of us there rose to a lieight of about l."!) ft. a sparsely 
wooded isolated hill with innumerable white spots sparkling tlirough its 
dark and refreshingly verdant carpeting. Huge granite l)oulders 
hemmed in its base, along which our way led, covered the slopes and 
crowned its top, while in between them hundreds of A f/avc vivipnra, alter 
nating with isolated forest trees, shot up their blossom -bedecked candel- 
abra-like flowei^stalks : some of these were often 40 to .50 ft. high, and 
mostly two feet thick below. We had lain ourselves down witli a view to 
appreciatiug the beauty of this fairy structure to its fullest extent, when 
fever again attacked me and only allowed of our resuming the journey 
after some hours' delay. 
208. After travelling round the western spur of the thickly forested 
Canuku Range we followed the northern slope to a. distance of from 
one to two miles through thick Palm, Mnsacea, Zinf/iheracca and 
r'r/H^flCCfl-woodlands, crossed the little stream IMaripa-oute tliat received 
its name from the innumerable quantity of Maxlmilia rcf/ia bordering its 
edges, the Macusis calling the fruit ^Maripa, when we came upon a small 
savannah where, in the midst of the most luxuriant growth we saw the 
sombiip charred ruins of a demolished village tJiat openly l>ewailed a 
Brazilian slavö raid. On our right and far beyond the dai-k mass of vege- 
tation, rose the steep rocky crags of Ilamikipang and recalled to memory 
the happy moments that I spent there. Dense forest soon enveloped us 
once more until we struck a second village, where my brother had spent 
several days in 1888, and which since then the Brazilians had apparently 
razed to the ground. Tn the evening we reached Curatu-kin. where in the 
meantime changes had also taken place. Tn vain I souglit for the Imt of 
the old chap who prepared the poison : a fresh fire-place and the lieaped- 
up mound within showed where the bones of the most celebrated poison- 
mixer of the IMacusis were resting. Instead of the previous tidiness that 
distinguished his feared lal)oratory, there noAv reigned the greatest dis- 
order: funnels, pots, and supplies of T^rari bark lay scattered higgledy 
T>iggledy, and with his death the spell surrounding the spot seemed to 
have departed, for without fear or fright, old and young passed in and 
out of the building, now used for a different purpose: we silently hung up 
our hammocks inside for the night. 
200. Intent on still reaching Pirara in the day, we set out on the 
following morning well before dawn, because 28 miles under a tropical 
sun constitute an unusual and extremely fatiguing walk. On the other 
