248 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



late, and it was too cool to walk about without a coat. The 

 wind sounded anything but tropical, howling around the 

 eaves of the house like a northern blizzard. The moon rose 

 about nine o'clock a great flat-sided ball of orange, 

 lighting up the pale bare fields but throwing all the jungle 

 into blackest shadow. Soon the light became stronger and 

 the two southern crosses paled from view, the false one 

 higher up, kite like, and the vera cruz, low and resting on its 

 side. 



"Sproston's" is a company which controls many of the 

 steamer and launch lines of the colony, and gives remarkably 

 good as well as reasonable service. When the day comes 

 that the tourist learns of the beauties of this country, the 

 transportation lines will become of immense value. Now 

 they depend principally on the many American concessions 

 and other interests for freight, and upon pork-knockers and 

 bovianders for passengers. 



At nine o'clock on the following morning, travelling again 

 on one of Sproston's launches, we left Mr. Withers and 

 proceeded up the Mazaruni, in about an hour reaching the 

 point of its confluence with the Cuyuni. This was as beauti- 

 ful as the junction of the Essequibo and the Mazaruni which 

 we had left. Turning up the Cuyuni we went on and on 

 through a region of indescribable beauty. The noble river 

 spreads out in a wide smooth expanse, a tropical Hudson 

 with palisades of trees. It is very shallow and when the 

 water is low there is little but tide at this point. Hence 

 mangroves are dominant, becoming, however, smaller and 

 less numerous as we proceeded. At eleven o'clock we 

 reached the beautiful falls at Lower Camaria Landing and 

 went ashore to find a delicious breakfast prepared for us 

 by the genial and hospitable Mr. French and served by his 

 aged man-servant, who was christened Swan, but who was 

 familiarly known throughout the colony as "French's Boy." 



