427 



velocity. The barometrical heights, attending 

 to the effects of the little horary variations, in- 

 dicated scarcely a slope of seventeen inches in a 

 mile of nine hundred and fifty toises. The 

 velocity is the simultaneous effect of the slope of 

 the ground, and the accumulation of the waters 

 by the swelling of the upper parts of the river. 

 We were again surrounded by chiguires, which 

 swim like dogs,, raising the head and neck above 

 the water. We saw with surprise a large croco- 

 dile on the opposite shore motionless, and sleep- 

 ing in the midst of these nibbling animals. It 

 awoke at the approach of our canoe, and went 

 into the water slowly, without affrighting the 

 chiguires. Our Indians accounted for this indif- 

 ference by the stupidity of the animal ; but it is 

 more probable, that the chiguires know by 

 long experience, that the crocodile of the Apure 

 and the Oroonoko does not attack upon land, 

 unless he finds the object he would seize imme- 

 diately in his way, at the instant when he throws 

 himself into the water. 



Near the Joval nature assumes an awful and 

 savage aspect. We there saw the largest tiger we 

 had ever met with. The natives themselves were 

 astonished at it's prodigious length, which sur- 

 passed that of all the tigers of India I had seen 

 in the collections of Europe. The animal lay 

 stretched beneath the shade of a large zamang 5 ** 



* A species of mimosa. 



