94 ABOUT ORCHIDS. 
down three months after, when you return with 
your collection. Besides this, you run the risk of 
losing your boat in the rapids either way, which 
happens not very unfrequently either going or 
coming ; and we have not only to record the loss 
of several boats with goods, etc.,every month, but 
generally to record the loss of life; only two cases 
happening last month, in one case seven, in the 
other twelve men losing their lives. Besides, river- 
hands and blacks will not go further than the boats 
can travel, and nothing will induce them to go 
among the Indians, being afraid of getting poisoned 
by Inds. (Kaiserimas) or strangled. So you have 
to rely utterly on Indians, which you often cannot 
get, as the district of Roraima is very poorly in- 
habited, and most of the Indians died by smallpox 
and measles breaking out among them four years 
ago, and those that survived left the district, and 
you will find whole districts nearly uninhabited. 
About five years ago I went up with Mr. Osmers 
to Roraima, but he broke down before we reached 
the Savannah. He lay there for a week, and I 
save him up; he recovered, however, and dragged 
himself into the Savannah near Roraima, about 
three days distant from it, were I left him. Here 
we found and made a splendid collection of about 
3000 first-class plants of different kinds. 
