RORAIMA. 327 
from the top, and which are richly watered, are covered 
with high forest. In some places this extends over the 
precipices according as the soil on them is fertile and 
moist. At the foot of the high sandstone wall of Roraima, 
which rises fifteen hundred feet above the slope, ex- 
tended a broad fringe of trees which differed remarkably 
in their gnarled growth from the lower forests. 
Our guides moved slowly upwards over the steep 
precipices until, after two hours painful climbing, we 
reached a height of about two thousand feet, and resting 
here, looked back on the savannah below. The Indians 
had set the dried grass on fire some time before and 
now immense flames shot up towards us, advancing 
rapidly and sending on ahead dense black clouds of 
smoke which rolled up the mountain to where we were 
standing. To stay here longer under such circumstances 
was not to be thought of so we retired as fast as we 
could into a neighbouring gorge covered with forest, 
through which a clear mountain torrent rushed, and 
here we were secure against the fast approaching sea of 
fire. 
The atmosphere around us vibrated like the thin veil of 
a water-fall in front of a wall of rock at the approach of 
the mighty column of fire, which rushed towards us with 
deep thunderings and powerful roarings, turning every- 
thing around into an immense mass of fire in a moment. 
At the edge of the little forest in which we had taken 
shelter it found fuel in the shape of tall grasses and the 
rank festoons of Scleria flagellum which grew up to the 
tree-tops. As quick however as the fire had approached 
so quickly did it pass, raging up to the summit of the 
mountain, fighting only with the grassy vegetation of 
TT 2 
