Others of the natives employ themselves in hunting. Their weapons are
bows and arrows; but the arrows in common use are not poisoned.[18] They
are very dexterous marksmen, and will hit a lizard on a tree, or any
other small object, at an amazing distance. They likewise kill
Guinea-fowls, partridges, and pigeons, but never on the wing. While the
men are occupied in these pursuits, the women are very diligent in
manufacturing cotton cloth. They prepare the cotton for spinning, by
laying it in small quantities at a time, upon a smooth stone, or piece of
wood, and rolling the seeds out with a thick iron spindle; and they spin
it with the distaff. The thread is not fine, but well twisted, and makes
a very durable cloth. A woman, with common diligence, will spin from six
to nine garments of this cloth in one year; which, according to its
fineness, will sell for a minkalli and a half, or two minkallies
each.[19] The weaving is performed by the men. The loom is made exactly
upon the same principle as that of Europe; but so small and narrow, that
the web is seldom more than four inches broad. The shuttle is of the
common construction; but as the thread is coarse, the chamber is somewhat
larger than the European.

[18] Poisoned arrows are used chiefly in war. The poison, which is
said to be very deadly, is prepared from a shrub called _koona_ (a
species of _echites_,) which is very common in the woods. The leaves
of this shrub, when boiled with a small quantity of water, yield a
thick black juice, into which the Negroes dip a cotton thread; this
thread they fasten round the iron of the arrow, in such a manner that
it is almost impossible to extract the arrow, when it has sunk beyond
the barbs, without leaving the iron point, and the poisoned thread,
in the wound.

[19] A minkalli is a quantity of gold, nearly equal in value to ten