426 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



ward in the line of its courfe, railing a wave, or violent 

 ebullition, by chaffing againll each other. 



Jerome Lobo pretends, that he has fat under the curve,, 

 or arch, made by the projectile force of the water ruffling 

 over the precipice. He fays he fat calmly at the foot of it, 

 and looking through the curve of the ftream, as it was fall- 

 ing, law a number of rainbows of inconceivable beautv in 

 this extraordinary prifm. This however I, without hefita- 

 tion, aver to be a downright falfehood. A deep pool -of wa- 

 ter, as I mentioned, reaches to the very foot of the rock, and 

 is in perpetual agitation. Now, allowing that there was a 

 feat, or bench, which there is not, in the middle of the, 

 pool, I do believe it abfolutely impoffible, by any exertion 

 of human ftrength, to have arrived at it. Although a very 

 robuft man, in the prime and vigour of life, and a hardy, 

 practifed, indefatigable fwimmer, I am perfectly confident I 

 could not have got to that feat from the fhore through the 

 quieteft part of that bafon.. And, fuppofing the friar placed 

 in his imaginary feat under the curve of that immenfe arch 

 of water, he mull have had a portion of firmnefs, more than 

 falls to the lhare of ordinary men, and which is not likely 

 to be acquired in a monaliic life, to philofophife upon op- 

 tics in fuch a fituation, where every thing would feem to 

 his dazzled eyes to be in motion, and the ftream, in a noife 

 like the loudeft thunder, to make the folid rock (at leaft as 

 to fenfe) lhake to its very foundation, and threaten to tear- 

 every nerve to pieces, and to deprive one of other fenfes be- 

 sides that of hearing. It was a moft magnificent fight, that 

 ages, added to the greateft length of human life, would not 

 deface or eradicate from my memory ; it ftruck me with a. 

 kind of ftupor, and a total oblivion of where I was, and of 



3 every 



