The O1RCULA.TION OF THE London ^' Times. " 
191 
439. The climate aud meteorological conditions of our colony were 
far from meeting with our approval. "Our Village'' lay in 4° 57' lat. J^. 
and 61" 1' long. W. some '^,pOO feet above the sea. Between 4 and 5 
o'clock of a morning the thermometer only once rose to 58 % at midday it 
was 87" in the shade and rarely more than 100° Fahr, in the sun. 
Besides this variation of temperature, an almost incessant cliange between 
fair and storm, elond, rain and sunshine prevailed. Before sunrise and 
for about lialf an hour after, when 'the sky, apart from some^ light little 
clouds, was bright and clear, the mighty Mount Roraima would stand 
before us clear of clouds, with its straight-edged borders standing out in 
sharp contrast againsit the azure sky. Bnt tliis was to be soon followed 
by the formation of thick layers of mist which quickly spread from the 
plains and dales over the entire surrounding country to be driven from 
there by a current of air wafting them to the higher regions whence they 
returned to earth as heavy rain. In rapid succession there now followed 
short intervals of the ünest and brightest weather. Tlie sun warmed the 
atmosphere just cooled by the preceding rain, to disappear again tlie 
very next moment behind the dark s^torm clouds. The rising mist would 
often include only a limited area : Roraima would be enveloped in dense 
cloud while the sun would strike the bronze-coloured rocks of tlie neigh- 
!l)0uring Kukenam : or the base of one of these mighty masses of sand- 
stone would lie buried in a deep dark sea of mist while its steep red 
summit sparkled in the most dazzling sunshine. Changes in connection 
with the atmospheric currents took place just as abruptly. With nature 
still lying in perfect peace, and not a breath of aii* stirring, I would be 
busily taking advantage of these clear and iiuiet moments in drying my 
damp drying-paper, which consisted of copies of "The Times" that I had 
bought in London as waste paper* when a powerful whirlwind would 
carry paper and plants in a spiral liigh up into the air whence to the 
very great chagrin of myself, but on the other hand to the intense enjoy- 
ment of the Indians, they would be carried on the breeze in all directions, 
often many miles away. In the course of our trips we have seen papers 
thus carried away flapping in the trees or found them on the ground 
again at considerable distances away. Even when climbing Roraima 
some of them had fluttered up to a height of 4,000 ft. right ahead of me. 
One learns by experience, with the result that the most insinuating bit 
of sunshine, and the brightest of skies could not deceive me again : every 
sheet had its paperweight. On the top of continual changes like these, ?> 
o'clock afternoon drew round, bringing in its wake almost daily, the 
wildest tliunderstorm and heaviest ra'in in the twenty-four hours: if 
this climax did not appear by 5 o'clock, it would not come at all. The 
storm burst to the accompaniment of frightful thunder: later on, the 
rays of the setting sun once more poured over the red rocky walls of 
Roraima and Kukenam a magic fire wherein the sparkling silvery 
cascades and waterfalls pouring down from the flattened top, and swollen 
with the rains just past, formed a fairy-like contrast. T have already 
mentioned that the annual rainfall which amounts to about 100 inches 
for the coast and large savannahs is much exceeded here, and the Indians 
* Rome of these scraps from the " Times " were subsequently used as amulets by Awacaipu 
theiMediciue-man. See footnote on p. 202 (Ed.). 
