16 Timehri, 
the river in many parts that we seemed to be passing through a series of lakes, 
rather than along a river, each bend in the river closing in the view and showing 
a vast lake-like expanse of water. It was intensely solitary, quite unlike the 
Demerara River we had traversed the day before, where houses, churches and 
plantations succeeded each other in rapid succession. But on the Essequebo 
there was no sign of human life beyond an occasional hut or Indian settlement, 
and the only traffic we saw on the river all day was the launch which had gone 
up the day before returning, and two boatloads of balata-bleeders going up to 
the Rupununi. About five o'clock in the afternoon we arrived at the mouth of 
the Potaro, where we found Mr. E. R. Dayson, who was returning from his gold 
concessions in the Konawaruk, and who went on with us to Tumatumari for the 
night, returning in the launch next day en route for Georgetown. 
The water in the Essequebo was very high, and the current being consequently 
very strong against us, we did not reach Tumatumari till after 7 o'clock, two 
hours later than usual. Here the river races over a cataract a quarter of a mile 
long over which no craft can pass, and boats ascending the river have to be 
portaged round it. Though the Essequebo was so high, we found the Potaro 
was low, and half the width of the cataract was bare rocks, strewn with huge 
boulders, some of them as large as a house, many of them with large “ pot-holes ~ 
in them, worn in the rock by a pebble being swirled round and round by the force 
of the water. 
At Tumatumari we were joined by Mr. Wickham at whose house we spent the 
night. Next morning, Wednesday, we started from a landing above the falls 
inasmall launch for Potaro Landing, twelve miles from Tumatumari, the furthest 
point to which there is regular communication, and which we reached.about 
half-past eleven. We were now only about 35 miles from Kaieteur, but that 35 
miles is the difficult part of the journey. 
From here we travelled in a ‘‘ tent boat ” paddled by Indians. Above Petaro 
Landing there are several rapids and falls one of which, the Pakatuk, is impass- 
able and boats have to be portaged round it. To avoid delay our boat had been 
sent on ahead and was to meet us at Kangaruma, above Pakatuk. About one 
o'clock we started for Kangaruma on foot. For the first two miles we went along 
the Konawaruk road, and then we struck into the forest along a bush trail. The 
mid-day sun had been intensely hot on the road and the shade of the forest was 
delightful after it. The path, if path it can be called, was very rough, and in 
parts very steep, going over stones, fallen trees, and roots and crossing streams, 
bridged by a tree trunk, some slimy and not too thick, making us, whether we 
liked it or no, emulate the feats of a tight rope walker. In places we had to 
force our way through creepers and dense undergrowth, which almost obliterated 
the path, for the trail is little used. It was hard going especially to us used to 
the flat streets and hard pavements of Georgetown. Two hours of this brought 
us out on the Potaro River again at Kangaruma, nine miles above Potaro landing, 
for the river makes a wide bend in this part of its course. Here we found our 
boat, but as it was now three o'clock and we were all tired we decided to stay there 
for the night. 
Our boats hands had already erected a temporary shelter, covered with water- 
proof canvas sheets, under which we slept in hammocks. 
