THE FOREST OF SANTA MARIA. 85 



spring on their way. The words si, palre, n >, patre, 

 which the Indians continually repeated, led them to think 

 they understood a little Spanish. In the eyes of a native 

 every white man was a monk; for in the Missions the 

 colour of the skin characterized the monk, more than 

 the colour of the garment. In vain they questioned 

 the Indians respecting the length of the way : they 

 answered, si and no, without the travellers being able 

 to attach any precise sense to their replies. This made 

 them the more impatient, as their smiles and gestures 

 indicated their wish to direct them; and the forest 

 seemed at every step to become thicker and thicker. At 

 length they separated from the Indians; their guides 

 were able to follow them only at a distance, because the 

 beasts of burden fell at every step in the ravines. 



After journeying for several hours, continually de- 

 scending on blocks of scattered rock, they found them- 

 selves unexpectedly at the outlet of the forest of Santa 

 Maria. A savannah stretched before them farther than 

 the eye could reach. On the left was a narrow valley, 

 extending as far as the mountains of the Guacharo, and 

 covered with a thick forest. Looking downward the 

 eyes of the travellers rested on the tops of the trees, 

 which, at eight hundred feet below the road, formed a 

 carpet of verdure of dark and uniform tint. They passed 

 the night at one of the king's houses already mentioned. 



They were desirous of continuing their journey east- 

 ward still farther, but learning that the roads were im- 

 passable in consequence of the torrents of rain that had 

 fallen, and that they would be likely to lose the plants 

 which they had already gathered, they resolved to em- 

 bark at Cariaco, and return to Cumana by the gulf, 



