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Wanderings in South America by Charles Waterton
page 61 of 272 (22%)
And now, kind reader, it is time to bid thee farewell. The two ends
proposed have been obtained. The Portuguese inland frontier-fort has been
reached and the Macoushi wourali poison acquired. The account of this
excursion through the interior of Guiana has been submitted to thy perusal
in order to induce thy abler genius to undertake a more extensive one. If
any difficulties have arisen, or fevers come on, they have been caused by
the periodical rains which fall in torrents as the sun approaches the
Tropic of Cancer. In dry weather there would be no difficulties or
sickness.

Amongst the many satisfactory conclusions which thou wouldest be able to
draw during the journey there is one which, perhaps, would please thee not
a little, and that is with regard to dogs. Many a time, no doubt, thou hast
heard it hotly disputed that dogs existed in Guiana previously to the
arrival of the Spaniards in those parts. Whatever the Spaniards introduced,
and which bore no resemblance to anything the Indians had been accustomed
to see, retains its Spanish name to this day.

Thus the Warow, the Arowack, the Acoway, the Macoushi and Carib tribes call
a hat _sombrero_; a shirt or any kind of cloth _camisa_; a shoe _zapalo_; a
letter _carta_; a fowl _gallina_; gunpowder _colvora_ (Spanish _polvora_);
ammunition _bala_; a cow _vaca_; and a dog _perro_.

This argues strongly against the existence of dogs in Guiana before it was
discovered by the Spaniards, and probably may be of use to thee in thy next
canine dispute.

In a political point of view this country presents a large field for
speculation. A few years ago there was but little inducement for any
Englishman to explore the interior of these rich and fine colonies, as the
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