ITINERARY. xiii 



belonged to a half-bred Erazilinn. We stayed there for a couple of 

 hours for breakfast ; the house was neatly kept, and a few guava, 

 tamarind, mango, and coco-nut trees hail been planted and were 

 doing well. From a little distance farther on we could see the whole 

 of the eastern spur of Makax'apan ; both the east and west spurs come 

 well to the south of the main part of the mountain, sending the 

 Iliipununi in each case out of its easterly course lound three .sides of 

 a square. At the fiist of these bends the Kwitaio or llewa, a large 

 tril)ut;iry, which has its source almost as far south as that of tlie 

 Essequibo, enters. About half a mile up this river is an Atarai 

 settlement, where we passed the night ; the daughter of the head man 

 was the biggest woman we met, about 5 ft. 10 in. or 5 ft. 11 in. in height, 

 and Dutch built — a sister who died a short time before was even 

 bigger. After buying a large quantity of provisions and smoked meat 

 we made another start, and after a short day's woi'k had to camp 

 again for a day, all our crew either having fever or being still weak 

 from the effects of a late attack, not a single man having entirely 

 escaped. During one day's rest we walked some distance round the 

 camp, biit saw nothing of interest: the bush was low and quite free 

 from undergrowth, and the ground covered with small ironstone 

 pebbles; the banks of the river were 20 or 30 feet high in some piU'ts, 

 and most uninteresting. We saAV no signs of life, with the exce|)tiou 

 of a very large frog, which we added to our collection, and, of coui'se, 

 thousands of Cabouroo flies, which nearly drove us wild when we made 

 an attempt to bathe. 



Another two <lays brought us to Annai, a village surrounded by 

 hills in a fertile district on the left bank, but, as there was a con- 

 siderable depth of swamp to pass, we did not call in on this occasion. 

 Wild pines grew in great profusion on the banks and were eagerly 

 gathered by all hands, none of us having tasted fresh fruit of any kind 

 since leaving Georgetown. After leaving Annai, our course lay south 

 and continued in this direction parallel to the Essequibo. 



IMosquitos again began to be troublesome after the sun went down, 

 and for the following two nights we patldled on in the moon-light, 

 which Avas so clear that we were able to read witiiout ditticulty, and 

 camped during the day until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 



We arriveil at the landing of Kwaimatta late in the evening of 

 0th September, sixty-one days after leaving Georgetown, and canqu'd 

 on the bank, which was only two or thi'ee inches al)Ove the i-ivcr. 



Tiie following morning we had to go a little distance farther up 

 an itabo, through which the water was running with great force, in 

 order to reach the path leading to the village, and liere we all dis- 

 (nnl)arked for the last time, heartily glad that the first tetlious stage 

 of our journey was over. 



Tiie path, whicii is all fine white san<l, runs at first, tliiough low 

 bush, not more than 40 feet in height, for :ibout two mih-s; a short 

 distance from tin- river is a clearing in which a few liou.si-.s have licen 

 erected, one of whicji bcjongi.d to a l)lack trader who used to do a 

 large business in haiiimocks, giving in exchange cloth, beads, knives, 

 or powder aiul shot. Aftei- leaving the bush the village was .seen 

 half a mile farther on a slight riising iu the opoii savanuu. 



