SOUTH AMERICA. 
65 
fixed in death; and in a minute or two more liis 
head and fore-legs ceased to stir. 
Nothing now remained to show that life was still 
within him, except that his heart faintly beat and 
fluttered at intervals. In five and twenty minutes 
from the time of his being wounded, he was quite 
dead. His flesh was very sweet and savoury at dinner. 
On taking a retrospective view of the two different 
kinds of poisoned arrows, and the animals destroyed 
by them, it would appear that the quantity of poison 
must be proportioned to the animal, and thus those 
probably labour under an error who imagine that 
the smallest particle of it introduced into the blood 
has almost instantaneous effects. 
Make an estimate of the difference in size betwixt 
the fowl and the ox, and then weigh a sufficient 
quantity of poison for a blow-pipe arrow, with which 
the fowl was killed, and weigh also enough poison 
for three wild-hog arrows, which destroyed the ox, 
and it will appear that the fowl received much more 
poison in proportion than the ox. Hence the cause 
why the fowl died in five minutes, and the ox in 
five and twenty. 
Indeed, were it the case that the smallest particle 
of it introduced into the blood has almost instanta¬ 
neous effects, the Indian would not find it necessary 
to make the large arrow; that of the blow-pipe is 
much easier made, and requires less poison. 
And now for the antidotes, or rather the supposed 
antidotes. The Indians tell you, that if the wounded 
animal be held for a considerable time up to the 
mouth in water, the poison will not prove fatal; also 
F 
FIRST 
JOURNEY. 
General 
observa¬ 
tions. 
Anti¬ 
dotes. 
