54 



MEMOIR OF 



from their dislike to proceed further on what appeared 

 so UDprofitable a journey), which circumstances, as 

 may be supposed, w^ere not calculated to soften their 

 disagreeable situation. Nevertheless, they were still 

 bent on pushing on as far as practicable. 



Three days had thus passed away, when it was 

 ascertained by an astronomical observation that 

 they had arrived at a parallel with the junction of 

 the Essequibo and the Rupunimi. The party here 

 met by accident with the path which leads from 

 the Corentyn to the Essequibo; and while they 

 were encamped, the Caribs whom they had previ- 

 ously visited at the Corentyn arrived to pay a visit 

 to the Macusis, not as they had first contemplated, 

 on a slaving expedition, but merely for the purpose 

 of bartering for dogs. 



It was now resolved to cross over in a south-west 

 direction to the Essequibo. His party consisted of 

 himself and one of his companions (Mr. Reiss), one 

 free coloured man, and five Indians, besides the 

 Caribs who had anived the previous day from the 

 Corentyn. The path was barely twelve inches wide, 

 and numerous trees had fallen across it. The ground 

 for the most part preserved the same level. Here 

 they had to ford swamps, in which the onanicole 

 palm grew most luxuriantly, — there, to traverse 

 woods consisting of magnificent trees, the soil 

 springy, and of a rich vegetable mould mixed with 

 sand. Their line of march presented a strange 

 sight : — Indians with baskets containing articles for 

 barter, and large bundles of bows and arrows; 



