122 
Indian Boy’s Story of Vendetta. 
William as well as Maicerwari sent for. Stepping into the house at the 
same time as the) boy. William seemed to have a fore-boding of something 
evil, for his pleasant countenance altered so strikingly at sight of the 
latter's presence that it already evidently admitted half an avowal. We 
watched the boy in wrapt attention and our interest increased the more 
as he regarded us of his own free accord and unsubdued by fear, but in no 
sense with the consciousness of having committed crime. The lad was 
about twelve years old, and well-grown, and displayed a really proud and 
self conscious yet at the same time extraordinarily earnest and melan- 
choly expression, which was unusually deepened by his long black and 
shiny hair. We had been repeatedly struck with his serious and sedate dis- 
position, because we had never seen him playing with others of equally 
tender years, and never dreamed that already at this youthful age he 
had stood forth as the avenger of his family. 
420. The examination had now to be undertaken, but unfortunately 
only Caberalli and my brother’s interpreter could speak a little English : 
the knowledge of the Warrau language on the part of Mr. King was just 
as poor and could in no sense serve adequately for a procedure of this 
nature. The summons for the chief and for Maicerwari had immediately 
aroused suspicion amongst the villagers and strangers, with the result 
that our house was soon surrounded in silent and attentive gaze by every- 
body present. Mr. King turned first of all to William, and asked him 
why he had kept the occurrence secret. “Because I saw nothing wrong 
in it : the boy avenged his father’s and mother’s death on the man who 
robbed him of them.” After a long and difficult enquiry, the following 
finally came out: — An Indian, by name of Waihahi who lived on the 
Orinoco, had for a long time past visited the Indians on the Aruka, by 
whom he was generally feared as a mighty Piai. The early death of the 
boy’s father who had insulted the Piai at a drinking party, and against 
whom the medicine-man had thereupon sworn an inexorable grudge, let 
it be only too readily surmised that the latter had already put his threats 
into execution, and as at a subsequent visit of the Piai, Maicerwari’s 
mother, who was tenderly loved by her son, also met her death with sim- 
ilar symptoms, the suspicion against Waihahi turned into certainty, and 
the boy coolly went up to the murderer and charged him with the shame- 
ful crime. “My revenge is not yet satisfied : there still lives a mem- 
ber of the hated family,” was all the satisfaction he received. What the 
boy had borne in his bosom ever since his father died and which the death 
of his beloved mother fanned still further into flame had soon to be put 
in execution, lest the murderer should get hold of him first. Some days 
before our arrival Waihahi came to Cumaka and invited the villagers to 
a drinking party which he proposed giving in one of the neighbouring set- 
tlements. When William with several others went to attend it Maicer- 
wari who had not been invited, proceeded to join them. Already in the 
course of the forenoon, as a result of their heads getting excited with the 
drink, a stiff wordy warfare arose between William and Waihahi, when 
the latter angrily exclaimed that however William might curse and brag 
he nevertheless knew that he, as well as his arrogant companions, would 
die in the forest on their return journey just as suddenly as Macerwari’s 
parents, The boy who had not touched a drop, but as a quiet and fit- 
