86 
The Queen's Birthday and its Results. 
flew gailj in the fresli matutinal breeze and our small mortars as well as 
several explosive cliarges that had been mixed the day previous for the 
purpose, returned the deafening salute. Everything Avas en fete. A 
lu'ight lunch, for all of us in common, at which a large gap was made in 
tlie stock of wine received by the oflicers, the distribution of a double 
ration of rum to tlie garrison, and a single one to the inhabitants of 
IVirara, served to make the day, as well as the evening, with a tire-work 
display, one of the most cheerful tliat Pirara had ever seen. Curiously 
enough tJiis happy and exuberant disposition remained in evidence on the 
next day also, among that portion of the brown population, just t)ien 
engaged in transporting ruui-casks from the landing-place of the 
Kupununi to the Fort, and as we ourselves noticed some few drunken 
Indians even after the completion of work, there could be no manner of 
doubt that they had become thieves. In tlie meanwhile we were unable 
to discuss punishment, until the stolen goods could be found on them — 
goods wliicli, according to Commissary Low's statement, it was impossible 
to have come from the casks, because he luul found these all full, and 
Avitliout any trace of an o])ening. The rowdy noise going on at night in 
the liouses Indicated who the Bacchanalians were, but the boys set around 
the buildings as watx'hmen, made it impossible for us to sneak up to and 
upon them corpus delicti. For several days all attempts at discovery 
turned out to l)e futile: even the promises made proved fruitless until 
finally Mr. Youd came upon the tracks of the fraud. Unfortunately, his 
secretary, Godfrey, an intelligent young Indian, avIio had been educated 
in Bartika Grove and had followed him to Waraputa where he had assist- 
ed him in teaching, turned out to be the instigator of the larceny. Upon 
his instructions, the Indians had bored a hole with iron nails in top and 
bottom of every cask, so as to let the rum r-un out, and fill one liottle after 
another with it: tlie decimated casks were again filled with water and 
the holes then so masterfully plugged with wax, that they had escaped 
even the sharp eyes of Mr. Low. The greatest part of the booty naturally 
fell to the lot of the cunning ringleader, who up to the very moment of his 
repentant coiifession, was carrying on a lucrative trade in the neighbour- 
ing villages, where a quantity of the money that had been paid in wages 
for the transport was to he found. A considerable proportion of the ijj- 
habitajits of Pirara and of remaining settlements in the neighbourhood 
had bought up the stolen cordial : and yet the robbery was carried out by 
the smart fellow with the assistance of only a few partners. 
218. Eight days after our return, the boat and in it poor Petri return 
ed to Georgetown while with each day the grey monotonous months drew 
near, and the Tnd^ians hastened to plant up their recently cleai-ed lu-ovi- 
sion-fields before the full rainy season should yet set iu . This ])erio(l of 
planting and sowing, is called Timbng-pohti by the Macusis : the dry 
season on the other hand Awi-na. 
