WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 277 



in his countenance of cruelty and malice than the cayman. 

 He is the scourge and terror of all the large rivers in 

 South America near the line. 



One Sunday evening, some years ago, as I was walking 

 with Don Felipe de Ynciarte, governor of Angustura, on 

 the bank of the Oroonoque, " Stop here a minute or two, 

 Don Carlos," said he to me, " while I recount a sad acci- 

 dent. One fine evening last year, as the people of Angus- 

 tura were sauntering up and down here, in the Alameda, 

 I was within twenty yards of this place, when I saw a 

 large cayman rush out of the river, seize a man, and carry 

 him down, before anybody had it in his power to assist 

 him. The screams of the poor fellow were terrible as the 

 cayman was running off with him. He plunged into the 

 river with his prey ; we instantly lost sight of him, and 

 never saw or heard him more." 



I was a day and a half in dissecting our cayman, and 

 then we all got ready to return to Demerara. 



It was much more perilous to descend than to ascend 

 the falls in the Essequibo. 



The place we had to pass had proved fatal to four Indians 

 about a month before. The water foamed, and dashed and 

 boiled, amongst the steep and craggy rocks, and seemed to 

 warn us to be careful how we ventured there. 



I was for all hands to get put of the canoe, and then 

 after lashing a long rope ahead and astern, we might have 

 climbed from rock to rock, and tempered her in her passage 

 down, and our getting out would have lightened her much. 

 But the negro who had joined us at Mrs. Peterson's Said 

 he was sure it would be safer to stay in the canoe \vhile 

 she went down the fall. I was loath to give way to him ; 

 but I did so this time against my better judgment, as he 

 assured me that he was accustomed to pass arid repass 

 these falls. 



