1S4 THE SAVANNA OF ARIPO. 



Pedernales."^ In winch case there may well have been 

 one may almost say there must have been an outlet ibr 

 that vast body of water which pours, often in tremendous 

 floods, from the Pedernales' mouth of the Oroonoco, as well 

 as from those of the Tigre, Guani^ia, Caroli, and other streams 

 bet\\een it and the Cordillera on the north ; and this outlet 

 probably lay along the line now occupied by the northern 

 Savannas of Trinidad, 



So much this little natural park of Aripo taught, or seemed 

 to teach me. But I did not learn the whole of the lesson that 

 afternoon, or indeed till long after. There was no time then 

 to work out such theories. The sun was getting low, and 

 more intolerable as he sank ; and to escape a sunstroke on 

 the spot, or at least a dark ride home, we hurried off into 

 the forest shade, after one last look at the never-to-be-forgotten 

 ]\Iorichal, and trotted home to luxury and sleep. 



1 "Personal N"arrative, " vol. v. p. 725. 



