SOUTH AMERICA. 
51 
a snake, lie generally extracts the fangs, and keeps first 
. i i • JOURNEY. 
them by him. - 
Having; thus found the necessary ingredients, he Prepara- 
. J ® 7 tionofthe 
scrapes the wourali vine and bitter root into thin wourali 
shavings, and puts them into a kind of colander p01b0n ‘ 
made of leaves : this he holds over an earthen pot, 
and pours water on the shavings : the liquor which 
comes through has the appearance of coffee. When 
a sufficient quantity has been procured, the shavings 
are thrown aside. He then bruises the bulbous 
stalks, and squeezes a proportionate quantity of their 
juice through his hands into the pot. Lastly, the 
snakes’ fangs, ants, and pepper are bruised, and 
thrown into it. It is then placed on a slow fire, and 
as it boils, more of the juice of the wourali is added, 
according as it may be found necessary, and the 
scum is taken off with a leaf: it remains on the fire 
till reduced to a thick syrup of a deep brown colour. 
As soon as it has arrived at this state, a few arrows 
are poisoned with it, to try its strength. If it an¬ 
swer the expectations, it is poured out into a calabash, 
or little pot of Indian manufacture, which is care¬ 
fully covered with a couple of leaves, and over them 
a piece of deer’s skin, tied round with a cord. They 
keep it in the most dry part of the hut; and from 
time to time suspend it over the fire, to counteract 
the effects of dampness. 
The act of preparing this poison is not considered 
as a common one : the savage may shape his bow, 
fasten the barb on the point of his arrow, and make 
his other implements of destruction, either lying in 
e 2 
