316 TlMEHRI. 
extremely hard wood. This head is attached to the 
shaft by a long piece of twine, which is wound several 
times round it ; and, as the turtle dives, the shaft becomes 
detached, and floating on the surface of the water, 
informs the hunters of the movements of their prey. 
Their skill in this mode of shooting is really surprising. 
Except those who had been to San Martin, none had 
seen fire-arms ; and they marvelled greatly over the hole 
that a bullet from my revolver had made in the stem of 
a tree, and were even more amazed when I brought 
down a couple of muscovy ducks, right and left, with my 
breech-loader. 
The men wore pieces of reed, about four inches long, 
passed through the ears, nose and lower lip, giving them 
a very grotesque appearance. During my stay, two 
Indians arrived from another tribe whose dwellings were 
on the Gaviare. These men spoke a different languagei 
and only one of the Guahivos was able to converse with 
them ; they were also of a darker colour, but armed and 
painted in the same manner. They were on a journey 
to Brazil for the purpose of obtaining Curare poison 
(evidently that known as Wourali in other parts, and 
made by the Macusi Indians who live on the borders of 
Brazil) and the twine from which they make their 
hammocks. 
The Guahivo women were frequently engaged in 
spinning wild cotton ; but all the hammocks were 
made of this twine procured from Brazil, which is a 
a kind of Tibiserie, but much finer, darker in colour and 
better made than any I have seen in Demerara. These 
people are evidently a race of hunters and probably a 
warlike race, as they seemed to have no industries. At 
