ij'lREWOEKS ON THE KlNG^S BxKTHDAi'. ioli 
liiaiutaiued tliat wlieu once the kaimaii lias tasted liumau flesh, it always 
becomes more daring and savage. 
o70. The 15th October was not only a holiday for myself and brother, 
but also for all the Indians by whom io will certainly not be forgotten 
for a long time to come. It was my King's Birthday, and our gratitude 
and loyalty could not let it pass without giving exi>ression to our 
feelings. The day must lie a holiday for everyone. All our boxes aud 
cases were therefore examined with the closest scrutiny, and at last to 
our great jwy two bottles of Khine wine were discovered. With cups 
dlled to the brim and a salute of the guns — the firing of our mortar thrice 
repeated — I gave the toast of the King, a toast that the mountain echoes 
Ticpeated times without number over hill aud dale, and wbich again w'as 
taken up by hundreds of voices when the assembled Indians, were tohl 
that it was for the Clreat Chief of the Paranaghieris. One of the many 
signal-rockets left behind by the officers on their return to Georgetown 
for us to tire ^\ilenever ^xc liked for the edification and astonishment <jf 
the Indians, opened the display under the management of Mr. Fryer who, 
possessing some pyrotechnic knowledge, prepared the "Catherine wheels' 
and *'star-clusters'' that Avere lii-ed to the infinite surprise of the assembled 
children of iS'ature amid exclamations of their dee])est wondei-. So great 
indeed was their surprise that they even had to ])lay false to that stoicism 
of theirs which they had ever kei)t so masterfully uiuler eontrol and give 
way to their emotions as just mentioned. As might have been expected, 
no one dreamt of sleep that night: the fiery display, of which they had 
never seen the like liefore. drove all thoughts of it away., Frequently 
enough, in the course of the lively eonversation, as well as in between 
the chattering of those resting further distant, were to be heard the 
swishing sounds in which the one or othei- individual was tiring hims(^lf 
out in mimicking the sound of the shooting rocket. Instead of the 
previous requests for firing the mortar, it was a case now of asking foL* 
the fire-rain, 
371. As soon as we reached the mountain region, aluiost all repre- 
sentatives of the higher class.es of animals disapjjeared : even occasioually 
one would hardly see a single bird of prey circling around in the azure 
skies. The district made nu^ acquainted with but one aninuil that 
aroused my interest, the Maikani/ oi' the Macusi, the (J(ira>;isi, or savaunali 
dog of the Colonists. In its general ap])earance. the .Maikang reseuddes 
the Guiana Fox. Can is Acinic, very closely, but has a shoi-ter brush and 
more stumpy snout, in which lattei- res])ect both as regards shai)e of 
the head and situation of the eyes, it is more like a dog. on which 
account I might regard it as an intermediate link between fox and dog. 
Mountainous areas interspersed A\ ith jdenty of wooded savannahs, as well 
as the lands bordering on the savannah streams where it lives and hunts 
in regular ])acks would seem to be the favourite resort of this cunning 
and clever animal. In the open savannah they seem to stalk their ])rey 
rather with the eye than with the nose; in the forest it is exactly the 
opposite. In these they follow it evei-y tinu^ with loud bai-king. Should 
a couple manage to steal upon a selilenient and sneak into it witliout 
being observed, only a few of the parrots and fowls sleeping on the roofs 
and neighbouring bushes escape them. Such a surprise attack on the fowl 
