13 



CHAPTEK II 



First visit to tlie Caura, September 1897-May 1898— La Prision — Ex- 

 ploration of Turagua — Departure from La Prision— -Old Guachee's 

 house— Tramp through the forest— The jaguar— Method of shooting 

 paiijis — Tortoises — Gnats — Indian method of walking — Forest fruits — 

 Ascent of the mountain— The water-vine — The Peak — A plague of fiies 

 — We leave the mountain — A journey to Am^ha arranged. 



As my first visit to the Caura was more in the nature of 

 a pleasure-trip than a regular voyage of exploration, I 

 did not keep any extensive notes, but simply jotted down 

 from time to time such incidents as I considered most 

 interesting. Only in the case of the expedition to the 

 mountain of Turagua did I keep a regular diary and enter 

 into details. I have thought it necessary to mention this 

 so as to explain why the narrative of my first journey to 

 the Caura is a short one. 



I left Trinidad by the steamer ' Bolivar,' on Sep- 

 tember 22, 1897, accompanied by a taxidermist and a 

 hunter. We passed Barrancas and San Felix on the 

 following day and reached Ciudad-Bolivar at noon on 

 Friday, the 24th. A week was spent in preparations for 

 the journey, as Eichard, who intended to explore the 

 Nichare, one of the tributaries of the Caura, was taking 

 thirty men with him and a quantity of provisions and 

 other articles for the long stay he intended making in 

 that hitherto unexplored region. Early on the morning 

 of October 1 we went on board the little * Caura,' and 

 within an hour we were well on our way to the river 



