Hunting the Busu-IIog. 
129 
Some tiiie corials and tlie bad condit iuu oi' oui- smallest boat, which we had 
at least made seawoi thy at Piiai a mouth, were the reasons that prompted 
us to laud, aiul to tratle for, oi- to bor]()\\- another one. Tiie settlement 
comprised tiiree houses and sixteen inhabitants, w lio were just then busy 
smoking large chunks ot Ilesh. A successful hunt had supplied them 
with -2 kairuui [Dicotijlcs lahiatits). To judge from the big heaj)« of 
bleached lioues and skulls, as well as the numerous deer antlers that I 
found in the huts, thyse Indians must be passionate hunters. The never- 
satisfied appetite of onr })eo]de had evidently allowed their large 
quantity of smoked flesh to dwindle to nothing and hence the unexpe<-ted 
glut we met here proved very Avelcome. Souie ghiss l)eads and knives 
replenished our larder, while an axe Avas deuumded by the possessor of 
one of the corials, which he would only su])ply on loan, to accompany 
us on the following morning and to identify the different streams, 
mountains, etc. for us. Although early midday, nothing would tempt 
our guide to forsake the fatted tlesh-])ots, and so we were forced to ])ost- 
pone our departure until the ni,oniing. 
.■!18. The two species of hog, Dicoti/Jcs hthiahn-: and D. tofqiintiis 
Cuv., the Pekari of the Colonists, ai>]>ear to be distributed 
all over Guiana, and according to Azara, as far as I'araguay, and because 
the hunting oß it is moic ])roductive than that of any other animals of 
the chase, it seems to be most ofteu undertaken. The dogs required for 
it are spe<-ially trained for the pui'])ose, whicli is all the more necessary 
a.s both species have an imlelible dislike foi- llu in wliich cannot even be 
eradicated when tamed. The dogs are taught to pick off a struggler 
when a pack is met, and to try and hem it round until such tinu' as the 
hunters can come U]> and shoot the beast. This done, the dogs hasten 
after the pack again, and croAvd out a second, a third, and a fourth. If 
the hunter meets a pack, and lias no do^^s with him, he will sneak on to 
them, climb a tree and imitate dogs barking. Tl'ii-ectly the animals liear 
this, they will rush with bristles raise<l stiaight for the tree whence the 
voice of theii' hereditaiy enemy is heard, and then encircle it, gi'unting 
wildly and gnash iug theii- teeth tlie while. If the hunler has a bow and 
arrow, he can knock off several before the pack takes to flight: Avith a 
gun, it will shy off Avith the ei-ack of the first sliot. He will then quickly 
come down the tree, try and overtake those running aAvay, and play the 
same tiick again. Still furious at the interru]>tion, the animals may 
again attack this tree, luit they Avill just as surely lose anothei- from their 
midst. NoAV and again, of course, strategy may have an unfortunate 
ending, as was the case witli a certain AraAvak who, ou meeting a pack 
when out AA'itliout his dogs, had gathered the r-aging beasts under the tree 
by Imitating the bark. As he Avas about to shoot, the bough on Avhich lie 
was sitting liroke: he fortunately broke his fall by holding on to a loAver 
brancli, to Avliich he clung, but the maddened lu'utes succeeded in strip- 
ping the flesh off his feet that Avere hanaing Avithin their reach. The 
pain forced the poor Avretcli to further effort, and he manaaed to swing 
Irimself up again ou to the branch. The pack uoav spent their furv on 
the gun that had fallen to the oronud and the butt Avas completely bitten 
to pieces before they left. With indescribable ])ain and exertion the 
unfortunate huntsman succeeded in craAvling bach to his settleinent. If 
1 1. 
