7 | HO ADMIT] \\. I . 



The Indians made incisions with their large knives in 

 the trunks of the trees, and fixed Humboldt's attention 

 on the beautiful red and gold-coloured woods. 



The supposed gold mine of this crevice, which was 

 the object of their examination, was nothing but an ex- 

 ration cut into a Mack strata of marl, which contained 



pyrites in abundance. The marly strata crossed the 

 torrent, and, as the water washed out metallic grains, 

 the natives imagined, on account of the brilliancy of the 

 pyrites, that the torrent bore down gold. Nor could 

 Humboldt convince them to the contrary; for they con- 

 tinned to pick up secretly, every bit of pyrites they saw 

 Bparkling in the water. The melancholy proverb, "All 

 that glitters is not gold," seemed never to have reached 

 them. Leaving this mythical gold mine they followed 

 tlie course of the crevice which stretched along a narrow 

 canal, overshadowed by lofty tiv. 3, 



They had suffered great fatigue, and were quite 

 drenched by frequently crossing the torrent, when they 

 reached the caverns. A wall of rock b>se there perpen- 

 dicularly to the height of live thousand feet. In the 

 middle «.f this section, and in a position unfortunately 

 inaccessible toman, two caverns opened in the form of 

 crevio The naturalists were assured by their guides 

 that they wen- inhabited by nocturnal birds. The party 

 reposed at the foot of the cavern where the Barnes were 



to issue. The natives discussed the danger to 

 which the town of Cumanacoa would be exposed in case 



the crevice should become an active volcano, while Hum 

 bol.lt and Bonpland speculated on the causes of the phe- 

 nomenon. So ended the expedition. 



On the L2th ^i' September they continued their jour 



