96 JOURNAL OF THE 
Thursday, September 9.—Till mid-day I felt unwell and 
weak, but then got better. We approached the mountains, 
which proved to consist of small ridges, 1,000 to 2,000 feet 
high; and the scenery was sometimes very pretty, the 
mountains being overgrown with trees to the top. The hills, 
which we passed first, and then the mountains, seemed 
to form several (more than two?) basins, through which 
the river had forced its way, as is frequently the case with 
mountain streams. We proceeded along the eastern. branch, 
to the Bokweh Island. The foremost mountains of King’s 
_ Peak (so called in Allen’s chart) came down to the river, 
and we could clearly distinguish large strata in the declivity 
and down to the bottom. At the northern end of the island, 
a beautiful. prospect was suddenly disclosed, upon, the 
mountains on the right shore, from Mount Jervis to Mount 
Saddleback, (see Allen’s chart), contrasting, at the moment 
we came out of the channel, most distinctly with the. horizon, 
then strongly illuminated by the setting sun. I observed no 
great change in the vegetation, unless perhaps less grass 
prevailed on the right shore. We never before saw so many 
canoes descending the river as to-day; some very large; all 
had a small scaffolding in the middle, and in some of them. 
were horses, no bigger than donkeys. The current, where we 
anchored a little above Bokweh Island, was three knots and. 
a half. 
Friday, September 10.—To-day. we passed. the mountains, 
most of which rise in elongated ridges, but others are isolated, 
their slopes covered with large boulders, between which is a 
thick brushwood. The scenery is very pretty; mountains | 
often like those of the Rhine, but castles and. vineyards. 
are wanting, and the rivers too wide and full of island and 
| swamps. About noon, we stopped near a small island, — 
a et Mount Soracle (in Allen's chart), the name of. 
|. which, accordi p t0.some. natives. she. came on. pons 
