Cakibs Thheaten Violence. 
351 
^trtjchnos iod-ifcra/' the locality of which was uot eveu known to the 
Macusis. The ditfereuce ol soil, as I am now convinced, exercises a 
peculiar influence upon tlie specimens from the Canuku Eanges: the 
latter show on llie .young shoots, where the flower-stalks usually appear, 
a number of tendrils that were completely wanting in the flowering 
specimens from Sururu, and on <-loser examination proved to he modified 
flower-stalks: a degeneration that is specially peculiar to species of 
^trydiiios. Probably the locality, perhaps the want of sunshine, or 
even the nature of the soil, contributes to this 'modiflcjition. I could now 
also understaiul the statement of the Macusi Indians who accompanied 
me to 11a niiki pang, that the plant never blooms. The specimen^ found 
on the Sunirii vary somewhat not only amongst themselves, but also 
from those coming from the Canuku Ranges as regards the shape of the 
leaf. Dr. Klotzsch considers them varieties and calls those from the 
Canuku lo.rifcru i ;i ) (iciiDhlnahi , and those from the Sururu toxi- 
fcra (b) latifol id , N. lo.rifci-a i c ) ohliqiia. 
853. Although we ]iassed the landing-place of a settlement towards 
evening, I ])ref erred to ]»itch camp in the forest instead of again having 
to witness the wild orgies which, judging by the confused noise that 
with sundown reached us from all sides, must lie lieing celelirated every 
night. In the course of our trip up, the banks of the Sururu became 
always higher and the vegetation raoi-e gigantic: I saw Leci/fliiH trees 
160 ft. in height. The forest moreover consisted of Lnnrinca, and rank 
bushes of Mahea Pirini Anbl., If. Taqiiori Aul)k, and JJomaUim 
Rocvtea Sw. 
854. An unusually sharp attack of fever, and the uprooted giant 
trees narrowing and barring the stream, forced me to turn round and 
enter one of the Carih villages situate not so very far from the banks 
where the few men met with, already half intoxicated from tasting the 
drink for the feast to be celebrated the following evening, offered me 
just as little welcome, but the most sullen and distrustful looks. How- 
ever 'much I might have wished to leave the settlement again on the 
following morning, the fever had increased to such a pitch that I was 
unable to leave even iii.\' hammock, and so had to resign myself quietly 
to my fate. At break of day, as Stöckle informed me, the few men had 
left their settlement and this roused my anxiety afresh. Towards 
evening an awful yell friglitened me all of a sudden out of my febrile 
fancies, and made its way towards the house which was soon filled with 
at least 20 armed and drunken Caribs Avho, surrounding my hammock, 
their eyes si>arkling with anger, pressed in u]>on me. I found myself in a 
tight fix. Tired and exhausted from the fever, and Avithout the slightest 
inkling of what could have induced this hostile demonsti-ation, though 
every instant expecting that the Avar-clnbs swinging over me would 
strike, I resigiuMl inyseir [o my fa(<', berause they liad likewise surrounded 
Stöckle and the coloured men, and allowed neither me to get to them, 
nor them to me. The attempts of the female portion of the community 
to prevent the drunken men from committing violence seemed only to 
* The technical descriptiou of the ]iluiit, in Latin, is omitted here, (Ed.) 
