viii ITINERARY. 



faced the dreaded summit to tell us they were going away if we did 

 not come down; and as it was quite hopeless to argue with them, nor 

 could we maintain them on the top, we had been obliged to abandon 

 our work. Underlying tribal feeling and prejudice are much sti-onger 

 than may appear ordinarily ; and in reality it was a sign of great 

 consideration and attachment that in their fears, which were quite 

 genuine, they had not gone off without more ado, as would be the 

 usual procedure. 



Under the circumstances, it was essential to have a boat captain 

 thoroughly familiar with the navigation of the IMazaruni. No suffi- 

 ciently trained Indian was obtainable, but we were able to engage a 

 quiet black captain, licensed for all the rivers, who not only proved an 

 ideal man for his post, but knew all the best camping-grounds in the 

 best fishing and hunting districts, which considerably simplified the 

 work of the men, with whom he became extremely popular — which was 

 unusual among the two races. Two othei* experienced lilack men were 

 members of the crew. They were both huntsmen and collectors from 

 the canals district, and had often woi-ked for ^NlcConnell on short trips 

 on the coast. 



A personal servant as cook, and a taxidermist, who was a licensed 

 bird-collector living on the river, completed our party. Both these 

 men were strong and able outside their ordinary duties to take part in 

 the general work of the trip. They were by no means merely passengers 

 in the boats. Ritchie had brought his Indian wife with him, but we 

 knew she would be later perhaps the best carrier, as women aie 

 accustomed from early life to do all this kind of heavy work instead 

 of the men. 



The expedition which started on August 20th from Baitika, at the 

 junction of the Essequibo and Mazaruni rivers, was thus as carefully 

 planned as ]\IcConuell could make it under the circumstances. It was 

 unfortunate that the time at disposal could not alloAv anything like a 

 comniensui'ate Ijenefit to be reaped from it, i-ich though its results 

 undoubtedly were. 



On the first day we passed through the lower settled part of the 

 river, which was the site of the earliest settlements of the colony, and 

 where there are many interesting places to be seen, such as the little 

 island Kyk-over-al or the Look-out, which was the original capital in 

 early Dutch times, and wliere the remains of an ancient archway and 

 part of the old fort are still to be found. Immediately below, on the 

 left bank, is the opening of the Kuyuni river, one of the main watei'- 

 Avays and gold districts, and the locality where the metal was first 

 obtained in the colony. 



Soon one enters a series of small rapids or very heavy water, as the 

 case may be, before reaching the fiist serious obstruction at the 

 Marshall Falls; and for the next fortnight it was a constant struggle 

 with heavy water and a long series of rapids, catai'acts, and falls, often 

 in close succession, until a long stretch of smooth water is reached 

 above Teboco Falls, at the foot of a great bend to the south. Up to 

 this point the general direction is south-westerly, almost directly 

 towards Roraima; but above the narrow U-shaped bend, directly north- 

 wards from Teboco, the course is north-westerly, until the Ujiper 



