60 
WANDERINGS IN 
first over the poisoned spike, to prevent accidents and 
-— defend it from the rain, and is taken off when the 
arrow is about to be used. Lastly, two feathers are 
fastened on the other end of the reed to steady it in 
its flight. 
Besides his bow and arrows, the Indian carries a 
little box made of bamboo, which holds a dozen or 
Spikes, fifteen poisoned spikes, six inches long. They are 
poisoned in the following manner : a small piece of 
wood is dipped in the poison, and with this they 
give the spike a first coat. It is then exposed to the 
sun or fire. After it is dry, it receives another coat, 
and then dried again; after this a third coat, and 
sometimes a fourth. 
They take great care to put the poison on thicker at 
the middle than at the sides, by which means the spike 
retains the shape of a two-edged sword. It is rather 
a tedious operation to make one of these arrows com¬ 
plete ; and as the Indian is not famed for industry, 
except when pressed by hunger, he has hit upon a 
plan of preserving his arrows which deserves notice. 
About a quarter of an inch above the part where 
the Coucourite spike is fixed into the square hole, he 
cuts it half through ; and thus, when it has entered 
the animal, the weight of the arrow causes it to break 
off there, by which means the arrow' falls to the 
ground uninjured; so that, should this be the only 
arrow he happens to have with him, and should 
another shot immediately occur, he has only to take 
another poisoned spike out of his little bamboo box, 
fit it on his arrow, and send it to its destination. 
