198 A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



long time and then spread them out in the sun. Thus 

 treated they last much longer, but they lose in flavour. 



B3' midday on March 1 we got to a part of the river 

 having ranges of hills running parallel to the banks. 

 These hills are offshoots of the plateau from which the 

 Caura falls at Para. At some remote period this plateau 

 must have extended to the spot where we were, perhaps 

 farther, but the river had cut back to where the falls now 

 are. Whenever the wind blew from the direction of Para 

 we could hear the dull roar of falling water, which grew 

 louder as we got nearer, until at last we were in sight of 

 a foaming cataract tumbling and rushing through a deep 

 gorge. Just above the falls the Caura divides to form an 

 island of between seven and nine miles in length. By 

 a succession of cataracts the two streams rush through 

 gorges at each side of the island, to meet at its foot in 

 a deep pool. The right-hand stream is of much greater 

 volume than that on the left, which, after a severe drought, 

 dries almost completely up. When the river is low the 

 pool where the streams meet is calm, and its banks are 

 stretches of beautifully white sand, with backgrounds 

 consisting of coal-black rock supporting in places a 

 vegetation of flowering shrubs and orchids. It is then 

 a very lovely, peaceful-looking spot, even the roar of the 

 falling water being subdued. I must confess that when 

 I saw the falls for the first time I was disappointed. 

 Although the scene was beautiful, it was not the picture 

 I had conjured up when the Indians had described, with 

 bated breath, the grandeur of Para. 



We pitched our camp on the stretch of sand at the 

 foot of the island. The weather was so dry that the men 

 did not build any huts : they simply planted poles in the 

 ground in triangles and slung their hammocks between 



