ASCENT OF THE ORINOCO. 195 



hatched is such that Humboldt saw the whole shore 

 near the encampment of Uruana swarming with 

 young ones. Moreover, all the arraus do not as- 

 semble on the three shores of the encampments, but 

 many lay elsewhere. The number which annually 

 deposite their eggs on the shores of the Lower Ori- 

 noco may, therefore, be estimated at little short of 

 a million. The travellers were shown the shells 

 of large turtles which had been emptied by the 

 jaguars. These animals surprise them on the sand, 

 and turn them on their back in order to devour them 

 at their ease ; they dig up the eggs also : and, to- 

 gether with the gallinazo vulture and the herons, 

 destroy thousands of their brood. 



After procuring some fresh provision, and taking 

 leave of the missionary, they set sail in the after- 

 noon. The wind blew in squalls, and after they had 

 entered the mountainous part of the country, they 

 found the canoe not very safe when under sail ; but 

 the master was desirous of showing off to the In- 

 dians, and in going close upon the wind almost upset 

 his vessel, which filled with water, and nearly foun- 

 dered. In the evening they landed on a barren 

 island, where they supped under a beautiful moon- 

 light, with turtle-shells for seats, and indulged their 

 imagination with the picture of a shipwrecked man, 

 wandering on the desert shores of the Orinoco amid 

 rivers full of crocodiles and caribe fishes. The night 

 was intensely hot, and not finding trees on which to 

 sling their hammocks, they slept on skins spread on 

 the ground. To their surprise the jaguars swam to 

 the island, although they had kindled fires to pre- 

 vent them; but these animals did not venture to 

 attack them. 



On the 7th they passed the mouth of the Rio 

 Arauca, which is frequented by immense numbers 

 of birds. They also saw the mission of Uruana, at 

 the foot of a mountain composed of detached blocks 

 of granite, in the caverns formed by which hiero- 



