140 ASPECT OF THE RIVER. 



abounds in fish ; a remark that our pilot Marco 

 confirmed ; and we ourselves saw many large 

 fish leap to the surface of the water. 



When the sailors had rested some hours, we 

 continued our voyage up the stream ; but it 

 was ebb-tide, and both currents united allowed 

 us to make but little progress. We landed 

 therefore at six o'clock, after working only a 

 few miles, and pitched our tents for the night 

 in a pretty meadow. The river flowing as 

 before, from the north, was here a mile broad, 

 and deep enough for the largest ships. 



On the following morning we broke up our 

 camp at break of day, and, favoured by wind 

 and tide, sailed swiftly forward in a direction 

 almost due north. The aspect of the river now 

 frequently changed : its breadth varied from 

 one to two and three miles. We often came 

 into large reaches many miles in circumference, 

 and surrounded by magnificent scenery. We 

 sailed past pretty hilly islands adorned with 

 lofty spreading trees, and every where found a 

 sufficient depth of water to admit the largest 

 ships. The steep banks sometimes opened to 

 delightful plains, where the deer were grazing 



