CHAPTER VII. 
"Our Village'' — Manners and Customs of the Arekunas — Meteorological 
observations — Flora and Fauna- of the Surroundings — Mountain- 
range Formation — SereiJco)igs~ Ascent of Roraima — Effect of the 
bite of a Death-adder — Sources of the Kukenam, Cotinga, Yuruani, 
Aro.paru, Cako, Cama, Apaun anga — Flora of Mt. Roraima — Leioth- 
amnus Elisahethae — Encholirium Augustae — Meteorological obser- 
vations — Return to "Our Village.'' 
431. The Aiekuuas were just on the poiut of establishing a large 
manihot lield iu the forest oasis extending along the Avestern bank of the 
Kukenam and were building the two bee-hive houses for their proposed 
settlement. Their real place of residence, Canaupang, stood at the foot 
of the mountain of the same name, some miles further to the westward 
from here. A smaller provision-lield, that had already been brought under 
cultivation earlier, and planted with manihot and yams indicated suöi- 
ciently what a fertile soil the crops had found : both were nearly matured. 
The wretched war here also had been responsible for the removal of the 
village, since a party of Arekimas from the neighbonring village Ara- 
wayam had fallen upon the inhabitants of Canaupang by night and killed 
several of them. The pleasant valley of the Kukenam as well as the 
hearty welcome Avhich we received from the people quickly <letermined us 
upon making this our headquarters during our stay in the neighbourhood 
of Roraima which lay before us in all its grandeur only some few miles 
to the N.E. : with this object in view, we made up our minds to build a 
few houses here. It was a picturesque spot that we had chosen for our 
stay. On the left bank of the Kukenam that wound over and between a 
number of jasper and quartz boulders was Mt. i^avannah. devoid of all 
bush and foliage: in N.N.E. the red walls of Roraima and Kukenam 
almost always enveloped in thick masses of cloud : in West the isolated 
Erematuru : in South the undulating rising ground that we had crossed in 
the morning spread itself along. With evening, the terril»ly beautiful 
natural phenomenon, that has already been several times mentioned, 
again took place : but as the waters rolling down from tlie Erematuru 
made their way straight for our tent, we were forced to starü building 
the very next morning, and for this purpose all hands were) called into 
the most active requisition. The plans of our palace were soon sketched 
and the ground laid out. The neighbouring oa!=>--; offered sufficient mate- 
rial: posts for the framework, rafters for the roof, palm-fronds for 
thatching and covering the Avails, bush-ropes for tying the individual 
beams and rafters: more Avas not required, and by eA^ening the frames 
of the tAVO larger houses were up on the spot that had been levelled. A 
huge quantity of the beautiful Martinezia cargotacfolia, Maximiliana 
regia and Acrocomia sclerocarpa that only yesterday had raised their 
proud heads high above the surrounding foliage trees Avere cut down next 
morning without mercy under the axe-blows of the Indians, to supply 
