THE PIEDRA DK LA MADRE. 221 



of twenty or thirty feet, and the bottom, which con- 

 sists of white quartzy sand, is usually visible. The 

 banks covered with plants, among which rise nume- 

 rous palms, are reflected by the surface of the river 

 with a vividness almost as bright as that of the ob- 

 jects themselves. Above the mission no crocodiles 

 occur, but their place is supplied by bavas and fresh- 

 water dolphins. The chiguires, howling-monkeys 

 and zamuro-vultures had disappeared, though jaguars 

 were still seen, and the water-snakes were extremely 

 numerous. 



On the 26th the travellers advanced only two or 

 three leagues, and passed the night on a rock near 

 the Indian plantations of Guapasoso. At two in 

 the morning they again set out, and continued to 

 ascend the river. About noon they passed the gra- 

 nitic rock named Piedra del Tigre, and at the close 

 of the day had great difficulty in finding a suitable 

 place for sleeping, owing to the inundation of the 

 banks. It rained hard from sunset, and as the mis- 

 sionary had a fit of tertian fever they re-embarked 

 immediately after midnight. At dawn they landed 

 to examine a gigantic ceiba-tree, which was nearly 

 128 feet in height, with a diameter of fifteen or six- 

 teen feet. On the 29th the air was cooler, but loaded 

 with vapours, and the current being strong they ad- 

 vanced slowly. It was night when they arrived 

 at the mission of San Baltasar, where they lodged 

 with a Catalan priest, a lively and agreeable per- 

 son. The village was built with great regularity, and 

 the plantations seemed better cultivated than clse- 

 Avhere. 



At a late hour in the morning they left his abode, 

 and after ascending the Atabipo for five miles en- 

 tered the Rio Temi. A granitic rock on the west- 

 ern bank of the former river attracted their atten- 

 tion. It is called the Piedra de la Guahiba or 

 Piedra de la Madre, and commemorates one of those 

 acts of oppression of which Europeans are guilty ia 



T2 



