438 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
we reached the base of the second raudal, a long 
rapid where the river spreads out wide and runs 
over a shallow bed of rounded pebbles, of all sizes 
up to that of a man's head. For two hours we 
struggled to drag the piragoa up this rapid, but 
found it useless to attempt to go farther, and with 
a sorrowful heart I gave the word to return. 1 
had calculated on spending at least a month among 
the Maquiritares and exploring their river by means 
of small boats up to its sources, which are on high 
land towards the head-waters of the Ventuari and 
Caura ; but this was impracticable unless I could 
get my stock of paper and goods to some station 
which I could make my head-quarters, for the lower 
part of the Cunucuniima is embosomed in forest 
so dense that we had difficulty in finding a spot of 
ground whereon to cook our victuals. . . . 
After visiting the pueblo in a small canoe and 
staying a day there, I returned to the piragoa, 
where I found the river had sensibly fallen, and 
it was evident there was no time to be lost, for 
the first raudal, passed with difficulty on the ascent, 
might now be impassable. 
On January the 6th we emerged from the Cunu- 
cuniima, and I had now to decide whither I should 
next bend my course. There was little chance of 
getting much farther up the Orinoco, from the 
small depth of water. In my way up the Casi- 
quiari I had entered Lake Vasiva, and though it 
had dried so little that we could nowhere find a 
spot of land whereon to light a fire, the adjacent 
forests seemed to contain a peculiar vegetation. 
There were large playas covered with Palo de 
