246 TlMEHRI. 
perished there, and now have their huts at the bottom of 
the sea. They could otherwise not pass without the 
boat capsizing. When a storm cloud is seen, they all 
blow in the air and drive it away with their hands to 
turn the rain in another direction. To make the sea calm 
and allay a storm, they chew cassava, then spit it in the 
air and sea, to appease the Chemeen (spirit) who is perhaps 
angry because he is hungry. If they have an unfavourable 
wind, an old man out of the crowd takes an arrow and 
hits the hydrant of the canoe, which is supposed to let the 
canoe go as straight as an, arrow, if a gust of wind makes 
them lose sight of land, they consult the devil. When 
they require fire they make it with two pieces of dry 
wood, applying one to the other and turning it in their 
hand very quickly. 
The Caribs are not badly made and proportioned, of 
middle height, with broad shoulders and hips, nearly all 
in good condition and robust. Very few of them are 
deformed. Most of them have round and full faces, and 
the mouth slightly split, perfectly white and closed teeth 
and naturally tawny colour. This colour extends to the 
eyes which are small and sharp, but their heads and noses 
are artificially flattened, the mother compressing them at 
birth and during the time they are suckled, thinking it 
beautiful. They have large and hard feet, because 
they walk bare-footed ; very black and long hair 
which is combed and oiled often and cut in front, 
the rest of the hair is tied behind with cotton bands. They 
wear no beard, but pull it out with the point of a knife ; 
and before they had razors they used a very sharp kind 
of grass. 
They alter their natural colour by rubbing their skins 
