ASCENT OF THE TUKIMIQUIEI. . 75 



ney to the convent of Caripe, the principal settlement of 

 the Chayma missions. Their first stopping-place was a 

 solitary farm, situated on a small plain among the moun- 

 tains of Cocallar. 



Nothing could be compared to the majestic tranquillity 

 which the aspect of the firmament presented in this soli- 

 tary region. Tracing with the eye, at nightfall, the mea- 

 dows which bounded the horizon, the plain covered 

 with verdure and gently undulated, they thought they 

 beheld from afar the surface of the ocean supporting the 

 starry vault of Heaven. The tree under which they 

 were seated, the luminous insects flying in the air, the 

 constellations which shone in the south ; every object 

 seemed to tell them how far they were from their native 

 land. If amidst this exotic nature they heard from the 

 depth of the valley the tinkling of a bell, or the lowing 

 of herds, the remembrance of their country was awakened 

 suddenly. The sounds were like distant voices resound- 

 ing from beyond the ocean, and with magical power trans- 

 porting them from one hemisphere to the other. 



On the following morning they made the ascent of the 

 Turimiquiri. The view on this mountain was vast and 

 picturesque. From the summit to the ocean they per- 

 ceived chains of mountains extended in parallel lines 

 from east to west, and bounding longitudinal valleys. 

 These valleys were intersected at right angles by an infi- 

 nite number of small ravines scooped out by the torrents. 

 The ground in general was a gentle slope as far as the 

 Imposible; farther on the precipices became bold, and 

 continued so to the shore of the gulf of Cariaco. They 

 seemed to look down into the bottom of a funnel, in 

 which they could distinguish, amidst tufts of scattered 



