84 TIMEHRI. 
rendered passable at all times; and the creeks crossing — 
it were roughly but strongly bridged. . 
The nomenclature of the creeks and mountains given 
by the gold diggers in the Cuyuni as in other parts of — 
the colony where gold is being mined, is peculiar, and 
rarely bears any analogy to the objeét to which it is . 
applied. Some creeks have different names for different 
portions and though there is an illustrious precedent for 
this in the case of the Essequibo River itself, it is very 
confusing and apt to lead to litigation and trouble where 
claims are jumped, the name of the portion of the creek on 
which they are situated being amended for the occasion. 
The names of the mountains or rather hills, for they are 
not high enough to merit the name of mountains, usually 
express the condition of those who have climbed up 
them on gaining their summits, or whilst doing so; for 
instance there is one named Blow-Hard, another Eye- 
Turn, Burst my Liver, etc. Two particularly exhausting 
climbs are called Sodom and Gomorrah, and the placer 
workers in their vicinity if occupied at the tom or sluice 
are referred to as being in the Pit, which of course means 
really nothing more than the hole dug in the soil to 
extraét the gold-bearing sub-soil, but gains a peculiar 
significance if the hills named have just been tra- 
versed. Bush walking is at all times laborious and 
exhausting and has been aptly described, as going through 
a Turkish bath with a bag over one’s head. The usual 
rate of progress is about two to two and a half miles per 
hour, in fine weather, and over a good average path. 
In wet weather and in swampy or flooded land not much 
more than one and a half to one and three quarters of a 
mile can be accomplished in sixty minutes, 
