196 ARRIVAL AT POTINGAH. 



small river into which we had entered runs in 

 a north-north-east direction, and is exceedingly 

 shallow. Twice we were obliged to land the goods, 

 and drag the canoe over a kind of rapid with a 

 sandy bottom. The heat was excessive, and I suf- 

 fered much : my face was burnt terribly, and my 

 hands and feet were blistered and swelled. The 

 canoe was without cover, and my exposure to 

 the full power of the sun literally distracted 

 me with pain. In vain I intreated the canoe- 

 men to pull in towards the side of the river 

 that we might be sheltered by the trees : the 

 boy that I had as an interpreter became fright- 

 ened, and would not speak ; and the men, I be- 

 lieve, thought me deranged. A few hours more of 

 such suffering would have made them right, for 

 assuredly it would have brought on a brain fever. 

 The agony which I endured on that day, I can 

 only compare to the sufferings of a person roast- 

 ing before a slow fire. My only relief was by 

 wrapping myself up in a thick blanket ; and this 

 was a miserable alternative, the feeling of suffo- 

 cation being about as bad as that of burning. 



In the afternoon we reached Potingah, where 

 I had the satisfaction of finding Sarsfield, who 

 had arrived the day before. He had been much 



