XXVI ITINERARY. 



owing to their broad and curved surface, and arc easily taken across 

 portages and other ol).structions, they have a further disadvantage in 

 that they sink rapidly if swamped, the bark from which they are made 

 being vei-y heavy — unlike tlie corials or dug-outs, which are hollowed 

 out of lighter woods and will keep afloat if they are swamped, though 

 as a total weight they are much heavier than the woodskins. 



Up here the Mazaruni is still quite a large river, flowing north more 

 than 1000 feet above the point where we had left it at Kurubung, in 

 its descent passing over a series of very high falls (Barrington Brown, 

 Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana). The scenery along the entire 

 boat-journey was very beautiful, with mountains mostly in view, and 

 having mucii the character depicted in the view of the Aruparu River 

 facing p. xviii, Itineraiy, Vol.1., though often bolder and more striking. 

 Before reaching the Kako creek we had to surmount some small rapitls, 

 but none that gave trouble, though we hfld to get out and lighten the 

 woodskins for safety. 



The Kako is quite a large creek on the left l)ank, and is tlie route — 

 by a branch on its right bank — to a point from which tlie land-journey 

 Ijegins not far north of Roraima. A little way up on the left thei'e was 

 a settlement of two houses, where we made a camp, as from the number 

 of people who received us there was a good chance of procuring plenty 

 of fresh provisions and cassava bread, of which there was already a fair 

 quantity Iirought for sale. 



The chief was a very kind and considerate elderly man, with the 

 striking name of Lanceman, which seems to be distinctive in the upper 

 part of the Mazaruni. He had not only built a house specially for us, 

 but had prepared a large quantity of food and drinks for our men. 

 This was mainly in a larger part of the settlement, across a small sandy 

 savannah and along a high ridge overlooking the INIazaruni valley, 

 where our fellows were soon at home to the usual kind of entertainment 

 with cassava and pepper-pot, washed down with large quantities of 

 slightly fermented cassava and yam drinks — paiwani and casiri, — which 

 were not yet in quite a ripe condition, but had to be U8ed as we were 

 bound to get on next day. Under this friendl}' treatment- — which, as a 

 fact, ig usual among the different tribes on any special occasion as a 

 sort of welcome or celebration, and is free to all comers — our men 

 forgot all about the threats of which they had heard, and passed the 

 night "dancing," or marching round, as it is in reality, with a heavy 

 lurching step to a monotonous sort of chant, mostly like " he-ah, he-ah," 

 Avith an accompaniment of shak-shaks or seed-rattles (mostly made of 

 seeds of Thevetia, on the coast commonly known as " good-luck ") and 

 the sonorous pounding of the hollow ti'umpet-wood or bamboo on the 

 ground. The men march round in single file, the women at times 

 joining in, a hand being placed on the man's shoulder, though they 

 are more usually engaged in handing the men lai-ge gourds of drink, 

 which is never refused, and eventually leads to nausea in a continuous 

 stream of liquid on the floor of the house in whicli they may be 

 mai'ching round, or outside, as it may be. After such relief, they are 

 ready for fresh supplies, until they may become quite dazed or fuddled, 

 if there is enough drink on hand. When the drink is finished, the 

 dance is soon over. 



