XX ITINERARY. 



di.sappointeil, and at the last momeut was haixl pressed to find sufficient 

 bearers. 



Olu- large provisions — namely, rice, flour, salt, and sugar — had all 

 bean hermetically sealed in kerosene- tins, and weighed between 36 and 

 46 pounds each. These and our own personal supplies — such as cocoa, 

 milk, tinned soups, and butter — -were packed into baskets and carried 

 on the backs of our bearers, who seemed to care little with what 

 weight they started ; the average load was not less than 50 lb., and, in 

 addition, each man carried either a hatchet or cutlass and his 

 hammock. 



Tliere was some discussion as to the route to be taken : tlie Arecunas 

 wished to start westwards as soon as possible, passing south of the 

 Pakaraima Range and across the Ootinga into their own coinitry ; while, 

 on the other hand, the Macusis wished to keep as long as they 

 could in their country to the east of this river, crossing eventually 

 high up, almost level with Roraima, at Orindouk. Apparently a 

 compromise was arranged and a middle course taken, which led us 

 across every possible mountain -range and over the roughest countiy 

 imaginable. 



Everything having been amicably ari'anged, we stai-ted on the 

 16th October. Two clergymen, who had arrived in the savannas a 

 few days previously to report on the advisability of re-opening the 

 mission, which had existed in these parts some yeai's since, agi-eed to 

 accompany us as far as Warushi, the first large village on our route- 

 Mr. Pringle starting with the first detachment and Mr. Dorset waiting 

 for Quelch. 



Oiu- X'oute at first lay in a north-west direction, across the level 

 .savanna and over the Benoni creek towards a puss in the Pakaraima 

 Mountains. I knew that I was not yet in condition for long walks, 

 but I was surprised to find what great difficulty I had in keeping up 

 with the bearers, who, in single file, covered one mile after another at 

 a jog-trot, cari'ying their loads without appearing to be inconvenienced 

 by them in the least. 



The Pakaraima is a large group of mountains, consisting of several 

 small ranges divided from each other by level savannas. The gioup 

 includes all mountains south of a line drawn from the Potaro to 

 Roraima, between the Essequibo and Cotinga, as far south as the hills 

 of Annai and Irewang. The mountains ai*e, generally speaking, 

 rounded in .shape ajid covereil with bouldei-s of quartz-porphj'ry, which 

 make walking difficult, especially when they have become overgrown 

 by rank grass. It is curious to notice that some of the hills are quite 

 destitute of trees, while others are thickly covered ; perhaps in the 

 middle of a short range of wooded hills one will be quite bare, or vice 

 versa ; we could find no apparent reason for this. 



At the foot of Mt. Pareeping, in the first savanna to which we came 

 after entering the pass, is a curious mound of white quartz, oval 

 and perfectly regular in shape, some 40 or 50 yards in length by 25 in 

 width, and about 30 feet in height, .standing quite alone in the middle 

 f)f this small savanna, on which no quartz or other rock is visible. 

 At first we thought it might be artificial, but, after a short exa- 

 mination on (lur way back, we came to no conclusion ; some of the 



