ON THE AMAZON AND RIO NEGRO. 5 
tinued to fall rapidly, and I began to fear I should not be able to enter 
the Cunucunuma: so after a stay of four days I bade adieu to Esmeralda 
and its mosquitos. It occupied us through the 28th and till noon of 
the 29th to descend the Orinoco as far as the mouth of the Cunucunuma. 
We entered the latter, which may be compared to the upper half of the 
Casiquiare for breadth and volume of water: but the water is black, not 
white, and yet, notwithstanding this, mosquitos are quite as plentiful as 
on the Orinoco. The Indians inhabiting the river Cunucunuma are 
Maquiritares, and I hoped to be able to conduct my piragoa as far as 
their first pueblo, which is at the foot of the third randal. 
We reached the first randal on the first day of the present year. 
There was just water enough for my piragoa, which we dragged up 
with some difficulty. At eight o'clock on the following morning we 
reached the base of the second randal, a long rapid, where the river 
spreads out wide, and runs over a shallow bed of rounded pebbles, of - 
all sizes up to that of a man’s head. For two hours we struggled, - 
with the aid of several Maquiritares, to drag the piragoa up this rapid ; 
but after several times being near swamping it, and making scarcely 
any headway, we found it useless to attempt further the ascent, and 
with a sorrowful heart I gave the word to return. I had calculated on 
spending at least a month among the Maquiritares, and exploring their 
river by means of small boats up to its sources, which are on high land 
towards the sources of the Ventuari and Caura; but this was imprac- 
ticable unless I could get my stock of paper and goods to some station 
which I could make my head-quarters, for the lower part of the Cunu- 
eunuma is embosomed in forest so dense, that we had. difficulty in 
finding a spot of ground whereon to cook our victuals. It is only when 
the river is full, or nearly so, that a boat such as mine could ascend to 
the third randal, which is only a day's journey above the place where — 5 
we stuck. Hastily gathering together a few trifles for the Maquiritares, 
and leaving some of my Indians in charge of the piragoa, I embarked 
with the rest in my curiara (the “ montaria ” of Brazil), and set - te 
visit the pueblo, which I reached towards evening. 
Here I spent the following day, and purchased a few aida of Pro 
Indian manufacture. I was fortunate, also, in purchasing a large 
quantity of mandiocca, which lasted me through the rest of the voyage. 
On the morning of January 4th I returned to the piragoa, where I 
found the river had sensibly fallen; and it was evident there was no 
