130 
And Chasing the Beast in Water. 
the dogs are too keen niul press forward into tlie middle of the pack, 
certain dealli almost always awaits them, for tlu'y ar(» generally found 
lying on the üeld of onslaught with their bellies ripped open. A similar 
lot befalls the jjuma and jaguar wlien they press into I he pat-k, but they 
seem to recognise the danger for they usually follow at a distance and 
pick off the stragglers. There is great I'ejoicing when a hunting-party 
happens to come across a pack of DlcoiyJes Idhiatiis in the- river. 
Although the pekari sw ims, it moves but slowly and awkwardly in the 
water so that it falls an easy prey to its pursuers. As soon asi the 
animals get into the water the Indians jnmp in after them with a strong 
stick and strike them once, very rarely twice, on the snout: the second 
blow is sure to kill them. They let the killed pekari float away, — it is 
very remaikable that it does not sink as easily as other animals — and 
then swim after the remainder to give them^ the fatal blow : it is only 
when no more are available that they will go and hsh after the dead ones. 
The Dirofi/]rs f()r(iii(ittis is much more difficult to tame tlian the hihUttus, 
which \\ ill follow his mastei 's every stc]) like a dog, but w ill bite eAery- 
thing that has forfeited its good-will or that it has not learnt to nnder- 
staud. lioth species eat seeds ar.d ])alm-fruit, and like (»ur ow n ])igs will 
root u]i the gi'onnd after ^^■ornls and insects. When the IK tortinaiitf^ can 
no longer outdistance its followers, it will make for a hollow tree where 
possible. D. torquatns is called Aimya (Ara>\'ak), I'araka (Maknsi), 
Pakira fT'aravilhano) , Pakitye (W'arran) : on the other hand D. lahiotvs 
is called Kairuni, Poinlca, T]Mire, etc. 
319. Several dried-np maize-stems, fi-om 18 to 20 ft. long, leaning up 
aaainst the lints, indicfited plainly enongh the extraordinary fei'tility 
of the soil. We had ]iitched our cani]t a good quarter of ari hour from 
that at the landing place on the Cotinga, but we were never- 
theless worried the whole night through witli the drumming and howling 
of the piai who was exorcising the Evil Spirit from two fever-stricken 
patients whom we found in one of the huts. Curiously enough the medi- 
cine-man did not carry out his practice within the building, luit went 
drumming and yelling around the settlement: it was a bit of luck that 
we did not spend the night there. Even during the last evenings of our 
stay on the Takutu we had heard the dull beating of the drum, Avhich 
we considered to be due to a feast in some neighbouring settlement, and 
were wonderinc: why the occupants had not been to see Tis. The riddle 
was now solved : the piai from Warami had been making all the noise 
for the past four nichts, and the clear notes of the drum had been carried 
to us across the stilly night for a distance of over three miles. 
320. As we had seen to the packing of the corial immediately upon 
closing the bargain, we started our journey up the Cotinga next morning 
in company with our newly-recruited Indian. The farther we pressed 
forward, the higher rose the banks. Here and there isolated blocks of 
rock of a rich (inartz mica-schist came to light, until the banks towered 
above us on both si<les like white walls. They were formed of a red and 
white infusorial clay, which our Indians ruldied into their hair and 
faces, so as to make the skin shiny and sunple. With the appearance of 
this immense area of infusorial origin, the vegetation along the banks 
.h-id tMken on endless yariation 
