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Trip from Angostura to the 



Plunged again into the forest, and passing a range of hills, 

 fertile as usual, emerged upon an elevated flat, where stands 

 Cupapuy. 



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Indian houses, three in one, with gallery in front. 



Plan of Cupapuy. 



This is one of the largest missions. It was planted in 

 1733, and in 1803 contained 957 Indians of the Guayano, 

 the most docile tribe. It is beautifully seated upon an eleva- 

 tion of 500 feet above the neighbouring plain, and has 

 always been most healthy ; yet, here we first witnessed the 

 pestilence in all its horrors. Of 7 or 800 still remaining, we 

 counted 439 sick of the fever, and dying at the rate of twelve 

 or fourteen per day. From what we could learn, it originated 

 in San Miguel, where a great number of cattle had been 

 slaughtered for the army. The stench of bones and offal, 

 left, as usual, in the open square to rot, had so infected the 

 air, that not a single Indian remains there alive ; and all the 

 vagueros and herdsmen who had come down with the droves, 

 returned with the fever, and spread the infection all over the 

 country. The Indian mode of treatment tends to aggravate the 

 effects. When first attacked, the patient commonly bathes the 



