125 
Avenger Undisturbed at Prospects. 
had intended keeping the skull for the Anatomical Museum in Heidin, 
but this could not be done as it was completely smashed. 
427. The Indians who had run off had already spread the news oi 
our doings and frightened the whole village. Everybody avoided and 
watched us with scared looks: it was uumistakeable that the trust hith- 
erto reposed in us was now entirely replaced by a secret dread. 
42S. .When the boy was informed through chief Caberalli that he 
would have to accompany Mr. King to Georgetown, lie took it quite in- 
differently and exclaimed quite unconcernedly, “Why should 1 not ac- 
company him? 1 have only done what 1 had to do, the white people there- 
fore cannot punish me ” The more calmly Maicerwari received the news 
the greater was the stir among the villagers and strangers, but espec- 
ially the women. The trust already shattered was undoubtedly chang- 
ed to mistrust, because judging from their own views of the case, and 
therefore not believing that the tragedy by itself alone could possibly 
be the one and only inducement for our course of action, they naturally 
suspected that we must be influenced by some other. Although Maicer- 
wari, by his manly disposition had earned considerable respect in Ihe 
village where he had become its favourite, to a great extent, he had no 
support to expect from his nearest kinsmen, and being without parents, 
brothers' or sisters, probably without any relatives at all, recognised that 
he was thrown on his own resources: these circumstances favoured us 
and resulted in no open opposition being shewn to Mr. King's orders. 
Had the poor boy but the remotest idea that, robbed of his freedom, he 
would be languishing a whole year in prison, he would certainly have 
saved his agony by taking to flight, yet the conviction that he had only 
performed his duty and done no wrong spared him that dread : without 
raising any objection he accompanied us a few days later as our atten- 
dant on the journey to the Barima. 
421). On account of our rather lengthened stay among the Warraus 
who were collected here in such numbers, I got to know their manners 
and customs fairly accurately. In the following notes I am accordingly 
endeavouring to paint a true picture of them, and in order to do so, 
have utilised everything that 1 learned both from what I observed my- 
self then and subsequently, and from what I gathered after careful oft- 
repeated enquiry. 
430. The Warraus or Guaranos inhabit exclusively tin* coastal 
areas between the Essequibo and Orinoco, over which their settlements 
with a population of 1,650 individuals extend barely a hundred 
miles inland. Earlier travellers have stated it is true that, during the 
rainy season when the coastal regions are entirely submerged with rag- 
ing floods the Warraus took refuge in the trees on the high tops of 
which they raised their houses: nevertheless we never saw them in an 
abode of this description although, during our stay among them, the 
spring rains poured in torrents, and the streams rose far above their 
banks. On the other hand w r e indeed often found their primitive houses 
erected on tree-trunks cut off at a certain height from Ihe ground and 
covered with pieces of wood to form a sort of platform that secured them 
from a fairly high rise of water. Whether the Warraus occupying the 
banks of the Orinoco have a different custom 1 cannot say because f 
have not visited a settlement of theirs. The build of body and whole 
