35 
i?. Schomburgk, Dr. Phil. 
Althougli we were several days in their company, the 
women and children could not overcome a certain shyness^ 
yet it seemed that in their eyes we Europeans were not so 
displeasing as our negroes ; if any of them came unawares 
near the women or children, they wmild run away and hide 
themselves. 
The greatest joy we could cause the men, and the most 
fearful fright we could give to the women and children, was 
when we fired ofi* our small mortars, the report of which was 
repeated a hundred times by the echoes. As soon as the 
women found out that we gave in to the pressing wishes and 
saw us loading the mortars, they would run away with their 
fingers in their ears. 
Under the direction of Doctor Freyer, who possessed some 
pyrotechnical knowledge, we prepared some fireworks to let 
off for the assembled Indians one evening. We opened the 
spectacle with some signal rockets, after which followed some 
firewheels, crackers, etc. The effect surprised these children 
of nature more than would have been imagined ; they became 
even unfaithful to their hereditary stoicism, and broke out in 
a cry of astonishment upon seeing and hearing the rockets. 
Their minds were too much agitated for sleep that night, and 
we often heard them imitating the noise of the ascending 
rockets. Instead of firing off* the mortars they begged us 
now to let more fire rain fall.^^ 
Here as well as on other occasions we observed amongst 
the men sores from terrible wounds received either in war or 
from hunting rapacious animals. A Wapisiana chief, a 
strong and powerful man, while fishing a short time ago in 
the River Zuruma in low water, was seized by a kaiman by 
one leg, but, without losing his presence of mind, the Indian 
with a stick which he had in his hand struck the monster on 
his head, so that it let go its victim, who, however, lost the 
calf of his leg, which was also broken in the struggle. The 
other Indians saved the man from drowning. Without the 
helpof a doctor the wounds were dressed and healed so well 
that the man was able to undertake a four days^ journey to 
Torong-Yauwise to see the white men. 
According to the Indians, the number of people who lose 
’ their lives by the kaimans must be very considerable. They 
also assert that when the kaiman has tasted human flesh, he 
will become bolder and more savage. 
All preparations for the continuance of our journey were 
