X ITINERARY. 



with us a large qiiaatity of cassava, wliicli had been ordered before we 

 went up the Potaro. After a short pull we camped for the night a little 

 1>elo\v Paiwori Caira, a large block of granite resting on a smaller in 

 mid-stream, and so called from a supposed resemblance to a vessel used 

 by the Indians for holding their favourite drink, PaiAvoi-i. 



Two days were spent in getting over the Haiowa rapids. Islands 

 large and small are scattered about here in great numbeis ; on one of 

 them at breakfast-time we shot a Bushmaster {Lachesis mutus), the 

 most deadly snake in the Colony, 5 feet 6| inches long. It was lying 

 coiled up on some dead leaves, which it so clearly resembled in colour 

 that I had difficulty in seeing it when fii-.st pointed out to me; two or 

 three men who hacl gone out hunting jxissed within a few feet and 

 must have had a very nairow escape. 



On the second day, when we came to the worst part of the rapid, 

 the boat had to be lightened and hauled over for about 200 yards, the 

 hauling and repacking, which had to be done very carefully, occupied 

 everyone for three hours, and when we camped in the evening we 

 estimated that we had not covered more than ten miles in the last 

 48 hours. 



The next morning (Saturday) we reached the bottom of the Itanime 

 rapids and started to tackle them on Monday. These were the most 

 trying and irritating days on the whole journey; we had to leave the 

 main river and take to a small itabo, or creek, having an entrance to 

 the river both above and below the falls. Here we woiked for over 

 two days, an<l on the Wednesday, when we got back into the Essequibo 

 itself, our captain pointed out the spot where we had camped on the 

 Saturday night, not more than half a mile lower down. 



Progress in these rapid waters was most tedious ; the men were 

 iinable to use their paddles on account of the strength of the current, 

 and we had to resort to monkey-jumping. The boat was made fast to 

 a tree while a rope 20 or 2.5 yards in length was carried forward ; this 

 in itself was a difficult task, for it must be remembered that the banks 

 were many feet under water and covered with trees and bushes. Tlie 

 rjien, having found a foothold on the branches, hauled on the I'ope, and 

 after moving slowly for 20 yards the boat was again made fast, and this 

 was repeated time after time and hour after hour initil one's patience 

 and temper were tried to the utmost. One man had to be continually 

 in the l)ow of the bo it clearing away branches, and at times large 

 trees which had fallen across the water had to be cut through and 

 pushed into the current. To make matters worse, five out of our 

 thirteen paddlers were down with fever bi-ought on by the continual 

 rain and sleeping in damp hammocks ; looking back it seems almost 

 incredible that eight men should have hauled the boat against such a 

 rusli of water with five sick men, three women, two of our assistants, 

 and Quelch, Lennox, and myself, besides about 3 tons of cargo — 

 however, it was done, and on the Wednesday at breakfast-time we 

 re-entei-ed the Essequibo. Almost imme^liately we were obliged to 

 take to another itabo to avoid the Takwari rajnds, and once more 

 had to start monkey-jumping. Emerging again into the river, we 

 found that it had widened out considerablv, and had the appearance 

 of a large lake; directly on our right rose Kumuti Mountain, with 



