294 ARRIVAL AT CUMANA. 
the British ; but they had scarcely reached the nar- 
row channel between the continent and the islands 
of Borracha and the Chimanas, when they met an 
armed boat which, hailing them at a great distance, 
fired some musket-shot at them. It belonged to a 
privateer of Halifax, and the travellers were forth- 
with carried on board; but, while Humboldt was 
negotiating in the cabin, a noise was heard upon 
deck, and something was whispered to the master, 
who instantly left him in consternation. An Eng- 
lish sloop of war, the Hawk, had come up, and 
made signals to the latter to bring to; which he not 
having promptly obeyed, a gun was fired, and a mid- 
shipman sent to demand the reason. Humboldt 
accompanied this officer to the sloop, where Captain 
Garnier received him with the greatest kindness. 
Next day they continued their voyage, and at nine 
in the morning reached the Gulf of Cariaco. The 
castle of San Antonio, the forest of cactuses, the scat- 
tered huts of the Guayquerias, and all the features 
of a landscape well known to them, rose upon the 
view; and as they landed at Cumana they were 
greeted by their numerous friends, who were over- 
joyed to find untrue a report of their death on the 
Orinoco, which had been current for several months. 
The port was every day more strictly blockaded, — 
and the vain expectation of Spanish packets retained 
them two months and a half longer; during which 
time they occupied themselves in completing their 
investigation of the plants of the country ; in exa- 
mining the geology of the eastern part of the penin- 
sula of Araya; and in making astronomical obser- 
vations, together with experiments on refraction, 
evaporation, and atmospheric electricity. They also 
