Napoleon Beats a Retreat. 
141 
the continued and extreme lal)Oiir we managed to cover six miles between 
morning and evening of tlie latter date: during I lie formei* we had to dis- 
clmrge the boats tliree times on accounts of the height of the falls, and 
even then it was only witli tlie greatest trouble that we succeeded in haul- 
ing them over. Tlie dykes consisted throughout of a tine-grained granite, 
or a similar grained gn<uss. 
346. While engaged on the evening of October 4th in ascending the 
last of these cataracts, for the jdacid watei-s beyoml were smiling at us, 
some thin columns of smoke on the bank indicated the presence of hnnutn 
heings, who were soon i ccognised by the sharp eyes of our companions. 
I'^vei'yyne's muscles and sinews were strained to the utmost now that meat 
and an additional allowance of bread were probably procurable. Uur 
hope foi' game proved to be in vain, because we found it to be a small 
party of ^Nfacusis, from the Pacaraima Ranges, who were engaged in tish- 
ing at tlie junction of the Tuanu with the Cotinga : in the course of a few 
minutes we owned tin' a\ hole of their catch, both smoked and fresh. "We 
learned from them that we would reach their settlement Avithin three 
days, but that with (he iniiuiiievable rocks, rapids, and cataracts, this was 
an iiii]>ossibility if we-w(Mit liy riv(^r. We were the first white people they 
had seen, and hence, es])ecially foi- the childi-eii, constituted objects of the 
greatest astonishment. Cam]) was now pitched in the open savannah vehich 
.seemed to extend to Ihe river-side and was only separated froi.i the 
water-edge i)y a 2-foot wide fringe of vegetation. We saw and heard noth- 
ing in front of us but the wildly tempestuous masses ofl foam and the 
heavy roar and lliundering of the unloosened elements: — we had to make 
our way through this next morning. 
347. Tlie Pacarainia lay now only from 5 to C» miles ahead and our 
eyes rested in sii]>renie ecstasy on the charmingly romantic sceuerv of 
(hese mountains the slo])es of which presented a picture — to which several 
extensive provision-fields in their close ])roximity undoubtedlv contri- 
buted a good deal — wherein tlu^ bright succulent verdure offered the most 
lovely contrast with the dark foliage of their bases. 
348. As we ^^'el■e about sti-iking camp next morning, Xapoleon and 
another Indian, also from N'.a])])! and an equally greedy eater, had disa]i- 
])eared. The dwindling stock of jirovisions must have i»resented itself to 
tluur very heart! and soul in the guise of some Evil S]u*rit which had 
driven them off without so much as asking payment fov their verv sti-enu- 
(»us labours. The gloomy pi-ospect of fast-days was enough for them to 
forego everything tin y were entitled to demand, in order to hasten back 
as quickly as possible to the flesh-pots beckoning them back to Xa]»pi. 
The others soon found their tracks: these showed tliat both had made 
theii' way over the savannah towards the mountains. As we learnt after- 
wards they had hurried to the three-days-distant settlement of Torong- 
Yauwise, had got a quantity of liread baked there, and had already re- 
sinned their return joui ney befoi'e we ourselves arrived in the village. The 
gaps which tlieir flight had <'aused in our crew were r<^adily tilled l»y two 
of the Indians whom we had come across. 
349. Work and trouble commenced with break of day: the two im- 
portant falls Tuana-Sararu and Xunca-Sararu ^Sandfly cataract) fob 
