VEGETATION AND ANIMALS. 91 



a dense forest, through which they descended for 

 seven hours in a kind of ravine, the path being 

 formed of steps from two to three feet high, over 

 which the mules leaped like wild goats. The Creoles 

 have sufficient confidence in these animals to remain 

 in their saddles during this dangerous passage ; but 

 our travellers preferred walking. 



The forest was exceedingly dense, and consisted 

 of trees of stupendous size. The guides pointed 

 out some whose height exceeded 130 feet, while the 

 diameter of many of the curucays and hymendas 

 was more than three yards. Next to these, the plants 

 which most attracted their notice were the dragon's- 

 blood (Croton sanguifluum), the purple juice of which 

 flowed along the whitish bark, various species of 

 palms, and arborescent ferns of large size. The old 

 trunks of some of the latter were covered with a 

 carbonaceous powder, having a metallic lustre like 

 graphite. 



As they descended the mountain the tree-ferns 

 diminished, while the number of palms increased. 

 Large-winged butterflies {nymphales) became more 

 common, and every thing showed that they were 

 approaching the coast. The weather was cloudy, 

 the heat oppressive, and the howling of the monkeys 

 gave indication of a coming thunder-storm. These 

 creatures, the arguatoes, resemble a young bear, and 

 are about three feet long from the top of the head to 

 the root of the tail. The fur is tufty and reddish- 

 brown, the face blackish-blue, with a bare and 

 wrinkled skin, and the tail long and prehensile. 



While engaged in observing a troop of them cross 

 the road upon the horizontal branches of the trees, 

 the travellers met a company of naked Indians pro- 

 ceeding towards the mountains of Caripe. The 

 men were armed with bows and arrows, and the 

 women, heavily laden, brought up the rear. They 

 marched in silence, with their eyes fixed on the 

 ground. Our philosophers, oppressed with the in- 



