416 



NOVITA. 



of them ; but kept my sillero with me, as a 

 steady good man. 



About three I embarked with two large ca- 

 noes for the bodegas of Novita, where I arrived 

 about five o'clock, wet through, having passed 

 through several rapids, where we could hardly 

 keep the canoe from filling ; at three or four 

 places my servant and myself were obliged to 

 land, in order to make the canoe light enough 

 to pass the rapids. We then joined again at 

 some point lower down. I observed several 

 gold mines under operation, but was informed 

 that none of them were very rich. 



On arriving at this place, I left some of my 

 trunks in the bodega (or custom-house,) devot- 

 ed to the purpose of temporary warehouse for 

 goods intended to be carried further on. The 

 houses are made of cane, and you ascend to 

 the entrance by mounting a pole, with notches 

 cut in it, to serve as steps : underneath, the 

 pigs are kept, whose dirt and noise render 

 the habitation miserable. I proceeded up the 

 hill to Novita, about twenty minutes' walk ; 

 the road horrible, partly through water, and the 

 rest up a slippery hill, on the rise of which, 

 between two other small eminences, is situat- 



