A Settlement of Macusis and VVAt^isiANls. 
22Ö 
Surrounded by bleak mouutaius crowned with rocky bluffs and 
pinnacles, amongst wliicli Mt. Amboina already known to us in 
the North-East, and Mt. Mairari in the South-West particularly 
engaged our attention, we followed the dreary summit and 
watched the play of the numerous lizards that were sunning ^ 
themselves on the warmed granite and quartz Ijoulders 
without our managing to catch even one. Finally, after 
pursuing the path for some houi'S, a few miserable bushes made their 
appearance again on the banks of a small mountain stream : all of a 
sudden two Indians broke out from amongst them and with the fleetness 
of deer rushed to the mountain slope. 
510. By 12 o'clock we had i-eached Ewaboes. a village lying in the 
valley, the biggest settlement that I came across on the ex]>edition. Tlie 
different styles of architecture of the Ixiuses already indicated at a dis- 
tance that the occupants could not belong to one and the same tribe, a 
fact that was soon confirmed. They were Macusis and Wapisianas. 
Each tribe, had. its own chieftain. The Wapisianas who previously 
occupied the Takutu had beeu so fre(]neutly harassed l)y the slave-raids 
of the Brazilians, that they had w ithdrawn to the safe mountain-ranges, 
and joined the Ewaboes residents. Just as this village was the largest 
and most populated that T had come across on my journey to Roraima, 
so was it also the first example of such social life between two tril)es. 
Among the almost 200 occupants we met a number of acquaintances, 
visitors from Torong-Yauwise. 
511. The copious supply of cassava bread and smoked fish placed 
before us was heartily appreciated, but still more welcome to us 
Europeans was the fine breed of fowls which supidied us with one of the 
most substantial dinners tliat we had already for a long time past wished 
to enjoy just once. While eating, I watched with the greatest intent 
a young deer that had been cauglit in the savannah only a few days 
before, and had been handed over to a young Indian woman to bring up. 
The elegant creature had already become quite a<'customed to its foster- 
mother: the latter had only to kneel down, and to call, for the four- 
footed suckling to spring along junnediately, to take her breast, and to 
suck it with the same jolting moveineuls that are iieculiar to all 
ruminants. The animal had as much conlidence in the brown figures as 
it had fear of us Europeans. 
512. The offer of botli the chieftains not only to sup]»ly 
us with cassava bread and smoked fish, but also to transport 
it to Torong-Yau^\is(> was acce]ite(l Avith I'edoulded thanks, be- 
cause Ave were anxious to stay a few days and yet could expect 
no provisions there. According to wliat both these men told us, the 
Totinga was not fordable on account of (the high water: to reach the 
neighbourhood of our boat we would have to make a considerable cir- 
cuit, but this would l:)e curtailed for the carriers by sending two Indians 
off to-day with orders to meet us Avith our boat at the spot known to 
them where we should strike the Cotinga. ( Sect. 515. ) 
513. Sunrise found us already on the other side of the Davora along 
one of the most troublesome and tiresome roads that we had as yet 
