Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/17

 in the West Indies, which are a hundreth and twentie leagues to the North, and that there inhabited foure principall nations.

The first were the Sayma, the next Assawai, the thirde and greatest the Wikiri, by whom Pedro Hernandez de Serpa before mentioned was ouerthrowen, as hee passed with three hundred horse from Cumana towards Orenoque, in his enterprize of Guiana: the fourth are called Aroras, and are as blacke as Negros, but haue smooth haire, and these are very valiant, or rather desperate people, and haue the most strong poyson on their arrowes, and most dangerous of all nations, of which poyson I will speake somewhat being a digression not vnnecessary.

There was nothing whereof I was more curious, then to finde out the true remedies of these poysoned arrowes: for besides the mortalitie of the wound they make, the partie shotte indureth the most insufferable torment in the world, and abideth a most vgly and lamentable death, sometimes dying starke mad, somtimes their bowels breaking out of their bellies: which are presently discoloured as blacke as pitch, and so vnsauory, as no man can endure to cure, or to attend them. And it is more strange to know, that in all this time there was neuer Spaniard either by gift or torment that could atteine to the true knowledge of the cure, although they haue martyred and put to inuented torture I know not how many of them. But euery one of these Indians knew it not, no not one among thousands, but their soothsayers and priestes, who doe conceale it, and onely teach it but from the father to the sonne.

Those medicines which are vulgar, and serue for the ordinarie poyson, are made of the iuice of a roote called Tupara: the same also quencheth marueilously the heate of burning feauers, and healeth inward wounds, and broken veines, that bleed within the body.

But I was more beholding to the Guianians then any other: for Anthonio de Berreo tolde mee that hee could neuer attaine to the knowledge thereof, and yet they taught mee the best way of healing as well thereof, as of all other poysons. Some of the Spaniards haue bene cured in ordinary wounds, of the common poysoned arrowes with the iuice of the garlike: but this is a generall rule for all men that shall hereafter trauel the Indies where poisoned arrowes are vsed, that they must abstaine from drinke, for if they take any licour into their body,