150 CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



the river ; but to my great vexation, instead of being 12 or 

 13 miles, as I expected, I found we were not above four 

 miles from Yellala, our guide having persuaded me out of 

 my own judgment, that the river wound round in a way that 

 made the crescent we took necessary. Here we found the 

 river still obstructed Avith rocks and islets sometimes quite 

 across, but at one place leaving a clear space, which seems 

 to be used as a ferry, as we found here a canoe with four 

 ^en ; no inducement we could offer them had however any 

 effect in prevailing on them to attempt going up the stream , 

 which I wished to do to examine the state of the river more 

 exactly. 



In this day's journey we crossed three deep ravines, the 

 beds of torrents in the rainy season, but now quite dry, and 

 but once found water at a very small spring. One antelope's 

 skin was seen with the natives, and the dung of these animals 

 occurred in many spots ; several porcupines' quills were also 

 picked up. On quitting the river 1 determined to cross the 

 hills in a direction that I expected would again bring me 

 to it considerably higher up, but the setting sun obliged 

 us to halt on the side of a steep hill, at whose foot we for- 

 tunately found a fine spring, forming the only brook we had 

 yet seen ; and here we passed the night, which was much 

 warmer than the preceding one, the thermometer not falling 



