468 



" that they swarm like worms in the shallow 

 waters of the river, and in the shelter of unin- 

 habited islands." 



April the 6th. Continuing to ascend the Oroo- 

 noko, first toward the South, and then toward 

 the South- West, we perceived the southern side 

 of the Serrania, or chain of the mountains of 

 Encaramada. The part nearest the river is only 

 a hundred and forty, or a hundred and sixty 

 toises high ; but from it's abrupt declivities, it's 

 situation in the midst of a savannah, and it's 

 rocky summits, cut into shapeless prisms, the 

 Serrania appears singularly elevated. It's great- 

 est breadth is only three leagues. According to 

 information given me by the Indians of the 

 Pareka nation, it is considerably wider toward 

 the East. The summits of Encaramada form the 

 northernmost link of a group of mountains, that 

 border the right bank of the Oroonoko, between 

 the latitudes of 5° and 7° 30' from the mouth of 

 the Rio Zama to that of the Cabullare. The 

 different links, into which this group is divided, 

 are separated by little plains covered with gra- 

 mina. They do not preserve a direction per- 

 fectly parallel to each other; for the northern- 

 most stretch from West to East, and the south- 

 ernmost from North-West to South-East. This 

 change of direction sufficiently explains the in- 

 crease of breadth observed in the Cordillera of 

 Parime toward the East, between the sources of 



