dlO A Menu of Snail and Kaiman -Tail. 
very üist glance coufiimed me that the dreaded moments were already 
over, lor in the lirst house I saw several men half-fuddled lying in their 
liauimuLks, and sleeping off the beastly effects of the drink. Awakened 
)»y our eouiing, they lilinked at us stupidly, and then turned round on the 
other side to go to sleep again. A similar welcome was our lot from 
the women w ho squatted in an absolute state of nature at a repast that 
consisted of ailigator-tail ; they also looked at us for a few seconds with 
dulled eyes, then turned their backs and continued eating. In the next 
house the men sat in a circle around a somewhat more sumptuous dish be- 
cause the alligator llesh was associated with another tit-bit, the large 
AmpiiUario oriiKfcccii'^is Ziegler : they took no more notice than if we were 
so much dirt. I went on. In the succeeding building several women wenj 
pouring the contents of large earthen pots into the large paiwari trough, 
and tilling them afiesh. It was only after considerable difficulty that I 
succeeded in tiuding the chief, who, however, was in the same 
condition as Iiis subordinates and also did not want to have anything 
to do Avith us until a glass of riim made him more tiactable : he then in- 
formed us in broken English that they had been drinking and dancing 
for the past two days, and tluit the feast would be concluded this very 
evening. My ho])es of a rest Avere too hasty : sleep was not to be dreamt 
of because the confused noise, the V»eating of the drums, the fighting and 
the quarr-elling continued until daybi eak when the Akupautari residents 
staggered into their lianimocks, and tlie visitoi-s into their corials. As 
to-day Avas Sunday and I had no further disturbance to fear, I made up 
my mind to st;iy here until morning.. On taking a stroll round the 
village T agnin killed one of those snakes, Xiphosonw horinlannin Wagl. 
which had its ni;iin fangs in the loAver jaw: it was likewise rolled up on 
a bush, sunning itself, tn the afternoon they brought me another snake 
killed close to the village in Avhich T immediately recognised the terrible 
''^Bushmaster'" : unfortunately the animal Avas quite smashed np. The 
chieftain told me that in cases of bites from poisonous snakes they apply 
externally and internally gun]iowder dissoh^ed in rum, with good results. 
82?>. Next morning we proceeded on our way. Tt was only now when 
Ave might certainly lie 3." to 40 miles in a ?4rnight line from its mouth 
in the ocean, tliat the influence of ebb and flow disappeared completely. 
The continuallv Avinding lianks became cavu more steep, and the course, 
on account of the trees throAvn down by the Avater undermining the former. 
pA'er more difficult. In isolated spots the fallen giants had formed regular 
barricades through which Ave had first of all to cut a Avay Avith axes. 
Among the low lu'ushAvood along the watersides several species of Inga 
were particularly noticeable: their beautiful large tufts of blossoms 
spi'ead the niKist glorious fragrance around. The therniiometer re- 
corded 89° F. 
824. Although still early, but nevertheless quite exhausted, we 
reached the landing place of Arraia, the Carib settlement, which like 
wise stood on an eminence in the forest about a mile from the western 
bank. The little stream Arraia floAvs in at the landing. As Arraia 
ought to be the last A'illage on the Pomeroon I determined to spend a 
few days here so as to get some jirovisions. 
