322 



TiMEHRI. 



the river at a point where it makes an S-like double curve, 

 the flow in the lake belowb eing from N to S — exadlly oppo- 

 site the general trend of the river. The cataraft is about 

 50 yards in length, 15 yards in width, and with a fall of 

 about 15 feet, the centre of the channel, at the foot, 

 being blocked by a large rock rising high above the 

 water, especially when the river is low, and it is this 

 rock which renders the passage so difficult. The 

 northern sides of the bay are lined by huge masses of 

 broken rock, which continue along the western side ; but 

 on the" eastern end there is an open bay of fine quartz 

 sand, from which a rather steep portage path leads 

 through the forest to the upper part of the catara6t. It 

 will be found considerably easier and quicker, however, 

 to portage goods across the rocks on the western side, 

 and to take the boat by water, pulling it over the rocks on 

 the same side wherever the rush of water in the trough- 

 like parts is seen to be excessively great. Here one of 

 the chief difficulties to contend with is the fearful force 

 with which the water discharges itself through the 

 narrow channel, which is but a gorge between the hills, 

 and in which the spaces between the rocks become huge 

 troughs, from which a boat with difficulty recovers 

 itself : this indeed is a condition that obtains in all the 

 larger catara6ls on the river. 



The most perfe6l view of Itabru is that obtained 

 from the rocks at the south-western end of the basin, 

 where across the smooth expanse of the lake, dotted 

 on the right with a few tree-clad islands, the channel 

 of foaming rushing water appears broken by the 

 huge boulder at the base and continued on the lake 

 as a gradually diminishing series of waves ; while 



