XXVI ITINERARY. 



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

 portages and other obstructions, they have a further disadvantage in 

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

 being very heavy — unlike the 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 Gatnp Life in British Guiana). The scenery along the entire 

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

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

 facing p. xviii, Itinerary, Vol. I., though often bolder and more striking. 

 Before reaching the Klako creek we had to surmount some small rapids, 

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

 woodskins for safety. 



The Kako is quite a large creek on the left bank, and is the route — 

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

 begins not far north of Roraima. A little way up on the left there 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 brought 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 Mazaruni 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 — paiwarri and casiri, — which 

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

 bound to get on next day. Under this friendly treatment — which, as a 

 fact, is usual among the diflferent 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," 

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

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

 the sonorous pounding of the hollow trumpet-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 large 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 which they may be 

 marching 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. 



