KAIETEUR AND RORAIMA 



23' 



ward the settlement of Saveritik, near 

 the Chimepir Creek, at the border. 



On one of these days, after seven hours 

 of hard work, progress of only five miles 

 had been made. 



But it was the psychological effect of 

 the whole combination of circumstances — 

 fatigue, wet clothing and body, and the 

 strain of the senses — that seemed to me 

 most trying. The jungles of the tropics 

 were no novelty, for I had made several 

 journeys of exploration in the islands of 

 Polynesia, but nowhere else have I ex- 

 perienced that deadened sensation, as 

 though the personality of thought had 

 been completely crushed and the body 

 had become a mere automatic machine. 



One comes to understand why the peo- 

 ple of the region have a saying to the 

 effect that a person lost in the bush for 

 only a day and subsequently discovered 

 "leaves his mind behind him." 



So the camps for the night and the 

 noonday halts were made at the waters 

 of the Tururaparu, Wung, Murepang, 

 Uliparu, and Kopinanang, streams that 

 were crossed at right angles, as they 

 flowed northward into the Potaro or 

 southward from the Kamana Mountain 

 divide. At the Kopinanang. and from 

 that to the Guiana shore of the Ireng 

 River, Indian settlements of one or two 

 huts were found and many interesting 

 incidents befell. 



THE CASSAVA CEREMONY OE HOSPITALITY 



In one village I participated in the 

 cassava ceremony of hospitality. When 

 a strange party comes to a hut or settle- 

 ment, the home of the head-man is 

 sought at once, burdens are set down, 

 and the host grunts in alternation to 

 disjointed statements by the newcomer 

 relating to his journey. Then the host 

 becomes the speaker, and the stranger 

 grunts his comments, conveying many 

 shades of meaning by inflections and 

 tones. 



Cakes of cassava are ordered out, to- 

 gether with a "buck-pot," or clay bowl 

 filled with pepper infusions ; the visitors 

 in turn dip a fragment of bread in the 

 pepper, eat it, and then general conversa- 

 tion is in order. A sure indication of the 

 degree of friendliness is afforded by the 

 promptitude with which the ceremonial 

 is ordered. 



At length the head of the Chimepir 

 was reached, and the vision ranged out 

 over the dense canopy of the forest tops 

 to the cloud-filled valley of the Ireng 

 River, a northern branch of the Amazon 

 system, which separates Guiana and 

 Brazil. A day later we reached the three 

 huts of Saveritik, now situated on the 

 river itself. 



Natives from other places up and down 

 the stream flocked to my camp and seated 

 themselves in rows to observe every act 

 and movement of the stranger in their 

 midst. While I was averse to parting 

 with the "barter," — beads, powder and 

 shot, and cloth — wishing to conserve the 

 goods for use beyond, they made me 

 small "presents" of food and baskets, for 

 which I was forced to bestow "gifts" in 

 return. 



This place remains memorable because 

 here a critical decision had to be made, 

 fortunately without a disastrous outcome. 

 The hard and slow traveling across coun- 

 try had cut down time and supplies to an 

 unsafe degree ; not enough of the latter 

 remained to support the party during the 

 journey to Roraima and back to this 

 point, even under the most favorable con- 

 ditions. 



Either I would cross into Brazil, ex- 

 plore the savannas, and return without 

 attempting the journey to the famous 

 mountain, or else, with insufficient food, 

 I would start for Roraima, hoping to ob- 

 tain some supplies from Indians at some 

 point. 



The second alternative was finally 

 chosen. A few bucks were detached, 

 while others were sent back to Chena- 

 powu for some of the food left there, to 

 await our return to Saveritik. Finally, 

 with the bearers reduced to seventeen, 

 the passage of the Ireng was made in 

 very doubtful "corials," and I set foot on 

 the soil of Brazil — the land which pos- 

 sesses so great a charm and lure for the 

 naturalist. 



A full half day was required for the 

 toilsome climb of 1.500 feet through the 

 forests covering what is, so to speak, the 

 huge beveled edge of this part of Brazil. 

 Then, at a point midway between Mt. 

 Elidik and Achimatipu, we emerged upon 

 the wide grassy savannas, open and sun- 

 drenched, one sight of which revived and 



