352 
The Harmless Glow-WorM. 
inflame their fuij the more: when, as a friend in need, in came the 
chief. He spoke fairly good Creole Dutch and I addressed him in the 
following strain : ".What sort of Carib wa^ he to treat like this a sick 
stranger whom he had received in his house, and who had never done him 
any harm?" His reply explained not only the sullen reception in the 
previous settlements, but also the intentions of the crowd around me. 
At Arraia I had refused an impudent demand from a young Carib: to 
revenge himself for it, he had spread the news in all the settlements that 
I was a spy in tlie service of the ;r?puniunls ( Venezuelans), who would 
soon follow me, and take into slavery the young and robust members of 
the tribe about whom I had given them information. In a sober 
condition they were not willing to put me out of harm's Avay and they 
therefore had first of all got drunk to commit this heroic deed. It was 
late ])efore I convinced the excited souls thirsting for revenge that it was 
a slander. By nightfall already 100 pe(tple were gathered for the feast, 
with the effects of which not only the men but also the women and 
children A\ere soon overcome. It was an awful night — and I wjvs 
delighted when day broke. Though I felt so sick and miserable, for 
which the excitement of the night before might have been a good deal 
responsible, I luveitheless liad my tilings ])acked and started on the 
return journey, as I had heard yesterday that the feast was going to be 
kept up for several days. What a contrast there was between the 
lovely tintinnabulary notes of the Singing Fenchman {CijpJwrhinus 
canfans) sounding in my direction from out of the river-bush and the 
dissrdute noises of the lu-utish drnnkiirdsl Unfoi'tunately my condition 
got worse hourly: in addition to this, prickly heat so annoying to a 
European, had spread all over ray body for some days past and plagued 
me to such an extent that I could rnrely uet a few hours' sleen at niiiht 
and was always longing for an undisturbed rest. I thanked God when 
we finally reached Kuaniutn where, to my very great joy, the residents 
were evidently all away. The fever, coupled with that intolerable 
itching of the skin, robbed me of sleep, and T determined to stay here 
a few days and get rid of both the trouldesome comolaints. 
855. During my previous stay at Kuamuta I had made many en- 
quiries concerning the curious Lepidosiren paradoxus Natt, and describ- 
ed it as accurately as I could to the Indians who assured me that they 
knew the fish and that it lived in tlie swamps and small creeks: but in- 
stead of the Lrpidofi'ircn they always brought me two other eel-like fish, 
Sfer)iopij(/iis rirrsreus Trosch. and aS'. Vuieatiis ISliiU. Trosch. which 
the Colonists called "Snake-fish." On this occasion the Indians also told 
me a good deal about an animal that they called Anaka-pataima, "Snake 
with two hands," it was said to be three or four feet long, of a brown 
colour, to live in swamps and only at nig4it to search for its food which 
consisted of frogs and« insects. Besi(h's this, they said tliai in the forest 
at Kuamuta there lived an especially poisonous and curious creature of 
which they were unable to furnish me with a description frightful 
enough. One day they brought me the awful beast, carefully squeezed 
between two bits of wood : it was nothing else than the harmless glow- 
worm, F'ulgora Jaternaria. 
