“ A TRAMP WITH REDSKINS,” 257 
part of the course of which forms the bourdary between 
British Guiana and Brazil—was soon reached. It was 
one of the recognized places at which the Redmen cross 
the few large rivers which intercept their paths on those 
savannahs. Just at this point begins a series of rapids, 
extending for some distance down the river, and caused, 
not by any narrowing of the river bed, but by the outcrop 
of many boulders and by a slight but long continued fall 
of the ground. The river, which is at this point some 
two hundred yards wide, is very deep up to the point at 
which it breaks into the rapids. The Redmen of the 
savannah, where large sheets of water are rare, are, 
unlike their kindred in the abundantly watered forest 
region, not good swimmers. A canoe is therefore kept 
concealed somewhere at this and similar points, in which 
the people ferry themselves across the stream. The craft 
is made of a hollow tree, but differs from the similarly 
made craft of the forest regions in that after it has been 
hollowed out its sides are not stretched apart from each 
other. It is in faét merely the the trunk ofa small tree— 
___ timber grows to no large size on the savannah—with a 
he S39 SRE TS PIE A el eee 
t straight sided shallow groove along what is its upper 
surface as it floats on the water. Such a boat will take 
two, or at most three, people at a time; and is about as 
y cranky a craft as can well be imagined. 
Unfortunately on this occasion we failed to find even 
this indifferent means of crossing the water. The canoe 
had either been removed by its owners, whoever these may 
be—for I have never been able to ascertain the ownership 
of such craft—or had been so effeCtually hidden that 
j even the acute eyes of my redskinned companions failed 
. to find it. Once more we were in a quandary. Tor the 
