60 EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 



and even a horror, for which he gave them very little credit. 

 He had reason, on the contrary, to beHeve that they were 

 forming a scheme of attack, and even urging the natives to 

 rise against the English ; and such was the dread of their 

 machinations that scarcely any one could be prevailed on to 

 act as his pilot. Notwithstanding these suspicions and 

 alarms, he still pursued his course ; but after passing the 

 falls of Barraconda he found himself involved in great diffi- 

 culties. The ascent was to be made against a rapid cur- 

 rent : the frequency of hidden rocks made it dangerous to 

 sail in the night ; and the boat often struck upon sand-banks 

 and shallows, when it was necessary for the crew to strip 

 and go into the water, in order to push it over these ob- 

 stacles. They were once obliged to carry it a mile and a 

 half, till they found a deeper channel. 



The English now beheld an entirely new world, and a 

 new aspect of nature. On every side there were immense 

 forests of unknown trees, while both the land and the water 

 were inhabited by multitudes of savage animals, whose 

 roarings every night filled the air. Sometimes twenty cro- 

 codiles were seen together in the stream, and their voices^ 

 calling as it were to each other, resembled the " sound of a 

 deep well," and might be heard at the distance of a league. 

 Sea-horses also were observed tossing and snorting in every 

 pool ; while elephants appeared in huge herds on the shore 

 at one place there were sixteen in a single troop. These 

 last animals were an object of great terror to the natives, of 

 whom only a few durst attack them with their long poisoned 

 lances and assagays ; but whenever vne English made a 

 movement against them, they fled like forest-deer, while, by 

 their swiftness, they eluded all pursuit. Three balls were 

 lodged in one individual, yet he made off, but was afterward 

 found dead by the negroes. Lions, ounces, and leopards 

 were also seen at a little distance ; but, amid the alarms in- 

 spired by these formidable creatures, the sailors were 

 amused by observing the various evolutions of the monkey 

 tribe. The baboons marched along, sometimes in herds of 

 several thousands, with several of the tallest in front, under 

 the guidance of a principal leader, the lesser following be- 

 hind, while a band of larger size brought up the rear. 

 " Thus do they march on, and are very bold." At night, aa 

 they took their stand upon the hillsj filling the air with con > 



