ITIXEltAKV. XXVll 



with small round ironstone pebbles, which would hnve been considered 

 bad enough on ordinary occasions, but after our late expei-iences could 

 be regarded as aflbrding pleasant walking. In the middle of the 

 afternoon, after walking for a mile over the summit of a level-topped 

 mountain, we came to the edge of the decline, and saw befoi^e us the 

 valley leading to the base of Rorain)a. The sight of tliis gioup of 

 mountains was magnificent : on the left Kukenaam and Roraima with 

 their perpendicular walls rising from the plain, next to them three 

 smaller curiously-shaped hills, and then Weitipu, a mountain which in 

 some pai'ts still shows on its face patches of perpendicular walls, point- 

 ing to its having formerly been similar in appeai-ance to its neighbours, 

 although time has nearly efi'aced these characteristics, and further to 

 our left rose two smaller mountains, of a steep cone-like form, called 

 "Womak" and " Makulitpar."' The distance was very deceptive; 

 Roraima did not appear to be more than three miles off, but the 

 following day we found that twenty-five was much nearer the mark. 



It seemed that we would never arrive at the corner of tlie mountain, 

 and it was some seven or eight hours before we reached the nearest 

 point, crossing on our way several shallow streams, the bottoms of 

 which were perfectly smooth, like a swimming-bath, and covered with 

 brownish slime. The valley, which the evening before had appeared 

 perfectly smooth, was found to have one or two biggish hills, but we were 

 so plea.sed with the idea of having almost i-eached our destination, that 

 we went on at a jog-trot, haidly stopping to rest at bi'eakfast-time. 

 We had to pass the full length of the south-west face and reached 

 Kamaiwawong, the little village at the end of the valley between 

 Kukenaam and Roraima, about 4 o'clock, only two hours afferQuelch; 

 this was on 3rd November, the 19th day after my start from Kwaimatta. 

 Quelch had been compelled to camp early on one or two occasions, on 

 account of his guide, who was sufiei-ing from fever, and this accounted 

 for our arriving so close together. The chief and his brother wei'e 

 dressed in their best clothes to receive us : the former wore an old 

 frock coat, which we concluded might have been given to his father by 

 Schomburgk when he visited Roraima in 1838; over this he wore a 

 pair of braces hanging loose over his shouldei-s, and a long piece of red 

 ribbon round his waist completed the costume. His brother had a reil 

 Vjlanket tied round his neck reaching to the ground behind, and a tall 

 pointed felt hat on his head. 



There were about six houses in the village, and one of these the 

 chief had handed over to Quelch. It was of the ordinary form, with 

 thatched roof of palm-leaves, wattle sides covered with clay, and one 

 «loor. In this 40 of us slung our hammocks. 



The men were in great spirits at having finished the first stage of 

 our trip, and stayed awake talking and laughing till late. We felt the 

 cold in spits of blankets and seven fires burning on the floor of the 

 house, an<l in the morning found the thermometer liad registered 54°, 

 about 20° lower than the temperature to which we had grown 

 accustomed at nights. 



Early in the morning we were up looking at the mountain we had 

 <»r>mp so far to sac; straight in front of tis it rose to a heiglit of 

 50(X) feet above the plain, its summit hitlden in clouds, which would 



