CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 145 



over them, without immense labour. Two tufts of trees on 

 the summits of the northern hills, Ave understood from a fish- 

 erman, were the plantations round the banzas. The only 

 other information we could get from him was, that Yellala 

 was the residence of the evil spirit, and that whoever saw 

 it once would never see it a second time. 



This has been the only tolerable clear day since our en- 

 tering the river ; the sun being visible both at rising and 

 setting, and the thermometer at two o'clock at 80°. This heat 

 produced a breeze in the evening stronger than any we be- 

 fore experienced, and which continued all night. On a 

 little sand beach, off which the boats were anchored, there 

 is a regular rise and fall of water of eight inches ; during 

 the rise, the current is considerably slackened. 



Aug. 13. This morning at daylight I went up the river 

 with the master in the gigs, to ascertain the utility of carry- 

 ing the boats any farther. By crossing over from shore to 

 shore as the current was found slackest, we found no diffi- 

 , culty in getting up to Casan Yellala, which is about three 

 miles above Avhere the boats lay. We found it to be a ledge 

 of rocks stretchino; across the north shore about two-thirds 

 the breadth of the river (which here does not exceed half a 

 mile), the current breaking furiously on it, but leaving a 

 smooth channel near the south shore,where the velocity of 



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