CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 143 



or a root of the manioc, examining the articles offered him 

 fifty times, giving them back, taking them again, exchanging 

 them for something else, and after p\itting patience to the 

 test for an hour, often taking up his goods and marching off", 

 because he could not get t\vice or thrice what he first asked. 

 Aug. 12. At nine this morning we weighed, and with th^ 

 aid of the oars, and a track rope at times, got the boats up 

 along the south shore, until we came to a large sand bank ex- 

 tending two-thirds across the river ; here we crossed over to 

 the other side, and ran along it as far as a little island named 



_ _ . Here we found the current so rapid, that with 



a strong breeze and the oars we could not pass it ; besides, 

 having observed when up here in the gig, that the north shore 

 above this island was extremely foul, I crossed over, and 

 after considerable difficulty succeeded in getting to an anchor 

 in a fine little cove named Nomaza, entirely out of the cur- 

 rent. In crossing the river we passed several whirlpools, 

 which swept the sloop round and round in spite of her oars 

 and sails, and not without some danger to so low and deep 

 laden a boat. These vortices are formed in an instant, last 

 but a few moments with considerable noise, and subside as 

 quickly. The punt got into one of them and entirely disap- 

 peared in the hollows, so that the depression of the vortex 

 must have been three or four feet. The schooner could not 



