About and Above the Great Falls, 131 



and valleys close at hand, and hills and mountains 

 rising on all sides in the distance, the rich and 

 varied colouring of the tree tops close below, contrasting 

 strikingly with the blue tints which lay over them afar, 

 where, scattered over the scene, and lifting and shifting 

 at short intervals, patches of misty clouds hovered like 

 fading smoke-columns, or lay bathing the valleys. Gleam- 

 ing like a mass of silver in the sea of green, the waters 

 of the Essequibo could be distinguished, apparently not 

 far from the mouth of the Potaro, where a bend into an 

 open valley in the line of sight revealed it, though 

 hidden at short intervals by the shifting mist. On the 

 North, the clear outline of Arrisaro ran, with its 

 gradual eastern rise and its steep and sudden descent 

 on the West, distin6l against the mist in the valley 

 beyond ; while Oomiah, Yaya, Canarook, and other 

 mountains could be distinguished at varying distances, 

 though at times obscured by the mist which thickened as 

 the day wore on. 



Beautiful as was the scene, it was yet a disappointment 

 to me. Justifiably or not, I had been led, by report, to 

 pi6lure, on the top, a bare and arid rocky area close to 

 the edge, with a sudden and perpendicular escarpment 

 of the greenstone rock, of which the mountain is com- 

 posed, where from its height of more than 800 feet, the 

 whole country below would be spread out like a vast 

 panorama before one's uninterrupted gaze ; whereas, 

 in reality, it was wooded to the edge, and one could 

 view the scene but in se6lions at a time. By climbing 

 out on to one of the larger trees that proje6ted nearly 

 horizontally over the precipice, I was able to secure a 

 fairly complete view of the whole extent, and at the same 



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