Along the Esseouebo and Potaro. 125 



bateau was portaged, the corial being taken up by 

 water, though with very considerable difficulty. 



At Pacoutout, some of the most lovely of the mar- 

 vellous scenery of the Potaro is met with. For nearly a 

 mile, the river is broken up by rocky islands of various 

 sizes, more or less well wooded, into a series of chan- 

 nels, along each of which rapids, cataracts, and falls are 

 encountered at but short distances apart. When the 

 river is low, one is able to pass from channel to channel 

 by a judicious combination of wading and jumping; 

 and in this way, only, can an accurate idea be formed of 

 the whole wide extent of falls, glimpses of parts of 

 which can be obtained at intervals between the islands 

 and scattered bushes, where the cataracts appear shooting 

 over an altogether irregular grouping of broken terraces, 

 seen against the dense forest on the hills in the back- 

 ground. Following the curves on the northern bank 

 along the edge of the forest, instead of the uninteresting 

 portage path, and ascending the hill into the bush only 

 when absolutely compelled to do so, one is amply re- 

 warded for the extra exertion and rough walking by the 

 views obtained : on the one hand, tree-clad and rocky 

 islets, often with great masses of water foaming and 

 tossing between and about them, with a white spray rising 

 like smoke from the cataract ; and on the other, stretches 

 of smooth dark water, brilliant with the reflected hues of 

 the trees, and more beautiful still, when, like a land- 

 locked bay, the water lies sheltered within a deep amphi- 

 theatre of forest. 



Within the small rock-pools on the large rocks by 

 the edge of the forest, and where they are exposed for 

 a short time to direct sunlight, hundreds upon hundreds 



