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a countless number of small cascades, succeeding each other 

 like steps, the highest of which are between nine and ten 

 feet in height, the depth of the entire fall scarcely amount- 

 ing to more than thirty or thirty-two feet. The peculiar 

 and wonderful feature of these falls is not their height, but 

 " the foaming surface, of several miles in length, intersected 

 with iron-black masses of rock, projecting like battlemented 

 ruins from the waters. Every islet and every rock is 

 adorned with luxuriant forest-trees ;" and here let us take 

 oar stand, where, amidst all the roaring and dashing of the 

 waters over the granite rocks, rise up majestically the smooth 

 slender trunks of the Jagua Palms to the height of seventy 

 and eighty feet, towering like ranges of columns above the 

 other trees of the forest; their erect foliage pointing 

 heavenward with its gigantic leaves, which, seldom more 

 than seven or eight in number, shoot up perpendicularly to 

 a height of fourteen and sixteen feet, and pierce through 

 the clouds of vapoury spray which clothe the troubled wa- 

 ters in a perpetual mist. The day wears away whilst we 

 linger and gaze and listen, till at last the rays of the glow- 

 ing evening sun fall upon the mist ; and beautiful rainbow 

 tints break forth, and add one more feature to all the 

 grandeur and beauty that was there before. It is good to 



