152 THE GKEAT CATARACTS OF THE OEINOCO. 



made fast. Our natives, undressing, tucked their clothes 

 aAvay in the boat under shelter, and then sat quietly down 

 upon the bank to await the coming rain, while we crept 

 beneath our carroza. Soon the heavens opened, and the 

 floods came. Darkness also coming before the tempest 

 was over, we were obliged to remain here during the night, 

 sleeping upon our arms from fear of jaguars and Guahibos. 

 Leaving our anchorage early in the morning, we soon 

 came to the liaudal de los Guahibos, which is a single 

 ledoe of rocks stretching across the river. Our natives 

 plunged into the water, and, by swimming from rock to 

 rock, they managed, after much difficulty and danger, to 

 j)ull the boat through the rapids. A league farther, and 

 npon a sudden turn in the river, we came dii*ectly in front 

 of the Rcmdales de May pur es. We gazed with emotions 

 of strange awe lap the long vista of water, as, lashed into 

 foam, it came plunging down over the rock-masses and 

 through palm-covered islands that studded the river. We 

 landed in a cove npon the west bank, at the lower termi- 

 nus of the portage, near the confluence of the Orinoco and 

 Guahibo Rivers. Here we took our Thanksgiving-dinner. 

 Kindling a fire, we bailed some strips of tough beef and a 

 few remaining bananas, which, together with cassava and 

 guarapo, constituted our meal. Pacing backward and for- 

 ward along the hot beach, our feet burning from contact 

 with the heated earth, with food in one hand, and the 

 other in rapid motion with a large leaf to disperse the 

 thick clouds of mosquitoes which darkened the air, we 

 succeeded in taking our dinner — we trust, with thankful 

 hearts. 



Skirting the rapids npon the west is a Ioav, granitic 

 ridge, partly wooded, from v/hose summit may be viewed 

 the great cataracts. We wish that we covild picture the 

 majestic scenery that we from those heights beheld. For 

 over a mile the river is filled with great blocks of granite, 



