RORAIMA. 333 
difficult ; and when we had climbed up for about an hour 
we found ourselves in a thick mist or cloud, which the 
storm drove before it with lightning speed. In ascend- 
ing the slopes I had to brace myself up against the might 
of the storm so as to save myself from being blown dowa 
one of the many yawning precipices which flanked both 
sides of the path. At last, however, after much pain 
and trouble, we reached a small plateau which stood at 
the top of several steep precipices, and here we took a 
short rest. Giant boulders which had fallen from the 
high sandstone wall were lying about here in chaotic 
confusion, their surfaces covered with a luxuriant vegeta- 
tion of the same orchids which I mentioned before, as well 
as aroidsand bromelias. From the sheaths of the last, rose 
prominently the long flower stems of Utricularia Hum- 
boldtii with their fine ultramarine blossoms. Round 
about the boulders grew the great trunks of Clusias, 
Thibaudias, Vochysias, Gualtherias and Myricas, also 
overgrown with Tillandsias and Orchids. The rain soon 
ceased, but from the dark canopies of the high trees, 
great drops continually fell, uniting to form a small brook 
which flowed through the plateau and contributing to 
the luxuriance of the vegetation and the deep-green colour 
of the plants which overspread the ground. Behind thi 
plateau stretched the stunted bush already mentioned, 
fifteen hundred feet above which frowned in gloomy 
majesty the reddish grey, partly blackened sandstone 
wall. 
I cannot speak of the view over the country to the 
distant horizon, as the masses of clouds below us, driven 
by the storm, obstru€ted the view on every side. To 
escape the wind, which was particularly rough on this 
UU 
