270 COSTA RIGA. 



labour of cutting through the forest, the party determined to 

 construct a raft, on which they placed themselves, their pro- 

 visions, and utensils ; after a passage of no long duration they came 

 to a rapid, which almost overturned their raft, and swept away 

 the principal part of their provisions and utensils. The raft, being 

 unmanageable, was then stopped by a tree lying in the river, with 

 its roots attached to the bank ; on this tree three of the passengers, 

 including Captain Trevithick, landed, and reached the bank; 

 this was no sooner done than the current drove the raft away from 

 the tree, and carried it, with the remaining passengers, to the 

 opposite bank, where they landed in safety, and abandoned 

 the raft as too dangerous for further use. The next object was 

 to unite the party again into one body. The three left on the 

 other side of the river were called upon to swim over : one of the 

 men swam over in safety, the next made the attempt and was 

 drowned, the third and last remaining was Captain Trevithick, 

 who was either unable to swim or could swim very little. In 

 order to improve his chances of safety, he gathered several sticks, 

 which he tied in a bundle and placed under his arms; with 

 these he plunged into the stream ; but the contrivance of the 

 bundle of sticks afforded him very doubtful assistance, for the 

 current appeared to seize the sticks and whirl him round and 

 round. He, however, finally reached within two or three yards 

 of the bank in a state of extreme exhaustion. Mr. Gerard going 

 into the water himself and holding the branch of a tree, then 

 threw to his assistance the stem of a water-plant, holding one of 

 the extremities in his own hand. It was not until the fourth 

 time of throwing that Captain Trevithick was able to seize the 

 very extremity of the plant (which was leaf) in his fingers ; on 

 the strength of the leaf his life on the occasion was dependent. 

 It was determined to give up any further idea of using a raft on 

 the river, and to continue their journey along the banks of the 

 river. For subsistence for the remainder of their journey they 

 had to depend on the produce of one fowling-piece and a small 

 quantity of gunpowder; after a few days the gunpowder got 

 wet by accident, and in the attempt to dry it, it was lost by 

 explosion. The party finally arrived in a state of great exhaus- 

 tion at the village, now the considerable port of San Juan de 



