ITINERARY. ix 



had been formed during the coiirse of years by the water, and found 

 ourselves ahnost opposite the middle of the Kaietei;r, on a level with 

 its highest part. The sight is one never to be forgotten, and is one 

 to which no desci'iption can ever do justice. At iiist it is difficult to 

 grasp the real magnificence or to realize the proportions of the huge 

 body of dark brown water 350 feet in width, turning amber-colour 

 and then white as it rolls over a precipice with a sheer drop of 

 741 feet. Looking down from an overhanging rock one can see the 

 water broken into spray before it I'eadies the bottom, Avhich is hidden 

 by a mist, and appearing where the sunlight touches like .a shower of 

 diamonds glistening with every colour of the rainbow ; raising the 

 eyes and looking beyond the fall the level plateau reaches for miles, 

 and one can see the mountains which bound it rising in the blue 

 distance. 



The total height of the Kaieteur including the cataract is 840 feet, 

 and the height of the top is 1130 feet above the sea. 



We Avere unable to visit the pool below, and it was difficult to 

 believe that what appeared to vis as small moss-covered rocks wei'e in 

 reality 60 1o 80 feet in height, while the "moss" was Brocchinea 

 similar to that on the plateau. Unfoi'tunately our limited supply of 

 provisions had not been supplemented as we had expected by game, our 

 huntsmen having been altogether unsuccessful, and fear of running 

 short compelled us to make but too short a stay at this, one of the 

 finest waterfalls in the world, and with many regrets we started on 

 the return journey. 



The fall was discovered by Barrington Brown while engaged in 

 making a survey of the Colony in April 1870. 



According to the legend, there lived an old Indian who for years 

 had been a nuisance and a trial to his friends, but in spite of his great 

 age he showed no signs of approaching death ; they therefore decided 

 to bring his affairs to a climax by floating him over the fall in a corial. 

 After undergoing this penalty the old man Avas never heard of again, 

 but his corial and the package containing his woildly possessions can 

 still be seen in the form of rocks in the basin below. The name 

 Kaieteur, which means " old man fall," was given after this. 



The second night on our return journey we spent at Tumatumari, in 

 the Gold Officer's quarters, and was the first night since we left Oeorge- 

 town on which we had no rain. Previously we always had a heavy 

 squall about camping-time, the hammocks never having been properly 

 dry since starting. 



An old woman, the wife of one of our crew, was considered to have 

 some power over the weather, and whenever a cloud appealed she 

 would wave her hands and mutter an incantation. If it passed away 

 without any rain falling the self-satisfied smile with which she 

 favoured us was worth seeing; her desperate attemjits made at our 

 lequest when we saw we were in for several hours' downpour were 

 very amusing. 



The two following days were spent at Warajnita rc-arranging the 

 loads, and, as we were not taking on tlie mission boats, we had to store 

 about one-fourtli of our packages at the inission. 



On Wednesday, 1st August, wc started for the savanna, taking 



