SOUTH AMERICA. 37 



times, he penetrated thus far into these remote FIR8T 



JOURNEY. 



and gloomy wilds, and ended his days here. 



According to the new map of South America, Lake 

 Lake Parima, or the White Sea, ought to be 

 within three or four days' walk from this place. 

 On asking the Indians whether there was such a 

 place or not, and describing that the water was 

 fresh and good to drink, an old Indian, who 

 appeared to be about sixty, said that there was 

 such a place, and that he had been there. This 

 information would have been satisfactory in some 

 degree, had not the Indians carried the point a 

 little too far. It is very large, said another 

 Indian, and ships come to it. Now, these unfor- 

 tunate ships were the very things which were not 

 wanted: had he kept them out, it might have 

 done, but his introducing them was sadly against 

 the lake. Thus you must either suppose that 

 the old savage and his companion had a confused 

 idea of the thing, and that probably the Lake 

 Parima they talked of was the Amazons, not far 

 from the city of Para, or that it was their inten- 

 tion to deceive you. You ought to be cautious 

 in giving credit to their stories, otherwise you 

 will be apt to be led astray. 



Many a ridiculous thing concerning the in- 

 terior of Guiana has been propagated and re- 

 ceived as true, merely because six or seven 

 Indians, questioned separately, have agreed in 

 their narrative. 



