CARACAS. 95 



amid the scaffolding of thick and intertwining roots, 

 which rose like lattice-work above the surface of the 

 waters. Shell-fish clung to this lattice ; crabs nestled in 

 the hollow trunks ; and the seaweeds, drifted to the coast 

 by the winds and tides, remained suspended on the 

 branches which inclined towards the earth. 



They set sail from this noxious place at nightfall. At 

 sunrise they were opposite Caracas. The coast was 

 rocky and elevated, the scenery at once wild and pictur- 

 esque. They were sufficiently near land to distinguish 

 scattered huts surrounded by cocoa-trees, and masses of 

 vegetation, which stood out from the dark ground of the 

 rocks. The mountains were everywhere perpendicular, 

 and three or four thousand feet high ; their sides cast 

 broad and deep shadows upon the humid land, which 

 stretched out to the sea, glowing with the freshest ver- 

 dure. They soon saw the black rocks of La Guayra, 

 studded with batteries rising in tiers one over another ; 

 and in the misty distance, Cabo Blanco, a long promon- 

 tory with conical summits, and of dazzling whiteness. 



Humboldt and Bonpland remained two months at 

 Caracas, in a large house in the most elevated part of the 

 town. From a gallery they could survey at once the 

 summit of the Saddle, the serrated ridge of the Galipano, 

 and the charming valley of the Guayra, the rich culture 

 of which was pleasingly contrasted with the gloomy cur- 

 tain of the surrounding mountains. It was in the dry 

 season, and to improve the pasturage, the savannahs and 

 the turf covering the steepest rocks were set on fire. 

 These vast conflagrations, viewed from a distance, pro- 

 duced the most singular effects of light. Wherever the 

 savannahs, following the undulating slope of the rocks, 



