82 



Oil? -excursion to the aguas calientes of Ber~ 

 gantin ended with a vexatious accident. Our 

 host had lent us one of his finest saddle horses. 

 We were warned at the same time not to ford 

 the little river of Narigual. We passed over a 

 sort of bridge, or rather some trunks of trees 

 placed close together, and we made our horses 

 swim, holding their bridles. The horse I had 

 rode suddenly disappeared, after struggling for 

 some time under water : all our researches to 

 discover the cause of this accident were fruitless. 

 Our guides conjectured, that the animal's legs 

 had been seized by the caymans, which abound 

 in those parts. My perplexity was extreme : 

 the delicacy and the fortune of my host forbade 

 me to think of repairing his loss ; and Mr. La- 

 vie, more attentive to our situation, than to the 

 fate of his horse, endeavoured to tranquillize us 

 by exaggerating the facility, with which fine 

 horses were procurable from the neighbouring 

 savannahs. 



The crocodiles of the Rio Neveri are large 

 and numerous, especially near the mouth of the 

 river; but in general they are less fierpe than 

 the crocodiles of the Oroonoko. These animals 

 display the same contrasts of ferocity in Ameri- 

 ca as in Egypt and Nubia, which we recognize 

 when we compare with attention the narrative 

 of the unfortunate Burckhardt, and that of Mr. 

 Belzoni. The state of cultivation of different 



