196 



ASCKNT OF THE ORINOCO. 



CHAP.XVII 



Xaviga- 

 tion of the 

 Oiinoco. 



Moon li gilt 

 sceuti. 



yonth 

 of the IJio 

 Araucii. 



Dangers of 

 Uie rivers. 



After procuring some frcsli provision, and taking leave 

 of the missionary, tliey set sail in tlie afternoon. The 

 wind blew in srjualls, and after they had entered the 

 mountainous part of the country, they found the canoe 

 not very safe when under sail ; but the master was 

 desirous of showing off to the Indians, and in going close 

 upon the wind almost upset his vessel, which filled with 

 water and nearly foundered. In the evening they 

 landed on a barren island, where they supped under a 

 beautiful moonlight, with turtle-shells for seats, and in- 

 dulged their imagination with the picture of a ship- 

 wrecked man, wandering on the desert shores of the 

 Orinoco amid rivers full of crocodiles and caribe fishes. 

 The night was intensely hot, and not finding trees on 

 which to sling their hammocks, they slept on skins spread 

 on the ground. To their surprise the jaguars swam to 

 the island, although they had kindled fires to prevent 

 them ; but these animals did not venture to attack them. 



On the 7th they passed the mouth of the Rio Arauca, 

 which is frequented by immense numbers of birds. They 

 also saw the mission of Uruana, at the foot of a moun- 

 tain composed of detached blocks of granite, in the 

 caverns formed by which hieroglyphic figures are sculp- 

 tured. Measuring the breadth of the Orinoco here, 

 they found it, at a distance of 670 miles from the mouth, 

 to be 5700 yards, or nearly three miles. The tempera- 

 ture of the water at its surface was 82°. As the strength 

 of the current increased, the progress of the boat became 

 much slower, while at one time the woods deprived 

 them of the wind, and at another a violent gust descended 

 from the mountain-passes. Opposite the lake of Capa- 

 naparo, which communicates with the river, the number 

 of crocodiles was increased. The Indians asserted that 

 they came in troops to the water from the savannahs, 

 where they lie buried in the solid mud until the first 

 showers awaken them. Humboldt remarks, that the 

 dry season of the torrid zone corresponds to the winter 

 of the temperate regions of the globe ; and that while 

 the alliijators of North America become torpid through 



