' 234 WANDERINGS IN 



Third and caiTy him down, before any body had it in his power 



Journey. 



to assist him. The screams of the poor fellow were 



terrible as the Cayman was running off with him. He 

 plunged into the river with his prey ; we instantly lost 

 sight of him, and never saw or heard him more." 



I was a day and a half in dissecting our Cayman^ 

 and then we got all ready to return to Demerara. 



It was much more perilous to descend than to ascend 

 the falls in the Essequibo. 

 Great dan- The place we had to pass had proved fatal to four 



ger in de- 

 scending the Indians about a month before. The water foamed, and 



falls of the , , , i .1 , 



lisscqviibo. daslicd and boiled amongst the steep and craggy rocks, 

 and seemed to warn us to be careful how we ventured 

 there. 



I was for all hands to get out of the canoe, and then, 

 after lashing a long rope ahead and astern, we might 

 , have climbed from rock to rock, and tempered her in her 



passage down, and our getting out would have lightened 

 her much. But the negro who had joined us at Mrs- 

 Peterson's, said he was sure it would be safer to stay in 

 the canoe while she went down the fall. was loath to 

 give way to him ; but I did so this time against my 

 better judgment, as he assured me that he was accus- 

 tomed to pass and repass these falls. 



Accordingly we determined to push down : I was at 

 the helm, the rest at their paddles. But before we got 

 half way through, the rushing waters deprived the canoe 



