In the dense jungles of the river Amazon the Indians can immediately recognize the plants that contain the deadly poison known as curare which can kill within a few minutes.

The process of preparing this poison is one of the most sacred traditions of the tribe and carefully passed on from warrior to warrior. The Indians use a special knife to scrape the bark of certain trees. They then put a large pot on the fire and when the water comes to the boil they put in the scrapings. The water evaporates slowly until there remains a thick, dark and gummy paste, smelling like tar. This is the poison. Before it cools, the hunters dip their arrows in it and pour the rest into small flasks which they carry from their belts. Once the curare has dried it becomes extremely hard and has to be diluted.