318 A Dutch Post to Prevent Slate-Raids. 
pushed forward as far as here, but only a someAvliat low brush-woocf 
and a few Cecropia trees now indicated it. This Post had been 
advanced so far south to prevent the slave-raids, mostly directed 
against the Macusis and Wapisianas carried on by the Caribs who in 
previous times thickly populated these lands along the Essequibo and 
Rupununi. According to Alexander von Humboldt this Dutch Post on 
1he iipper Essecpiibo had already been mentioned by Don Antonio 
Santo« in the account of his travels iu Ihe year 1775.* This Post, how- 
ever, only fulfilled its mission for a short while, because the Caribs sub- 
sequently discovered a means of circumventing it: they picked a way 
along Primoss Ci-eek to tlie Corentyne. The Dutch accordingly let the 
Post go to ruin. The many extensive Kirahaghs (Inlets) on the Esse- 
quibo in the neighbourhood of Rupununi mouth are surprising. Besides 
the Cuiuakiya Inlet already mentioned, another one, the Masaeta- 
yourou, is to be found on the same bank about 12 miles aliove it: and 
yet again, some four miles farther up is the Primoss Inlet cutting into 
rhe right bank of t)ie Essequibo. In earlier days when this part of the 
country was thickly populated with C'aribs the much frequented path 
led from here to the Corentyn. My brother, who visitecl 
the spot on his first journey up the river obtained practical proof of 
this: at least, the frequently-recurring spots of less dense vegetation 
overgrown with Cecropi<i on both banks of the Essequibo indicated that 
settlements must once upon a time bave flourished here. In such spots 
he even discovered cacao and lemon trees which clearly enough shewed 
lhat the earlier inhabitants had occupied the lands as far np as here. 
767. I hardly recognised the Essequibo again. Islands, rocky 
boulders, everything was covered with n mass of billows rolling Avi!<lly 
along, above which, here and there, were to be seen thick foliage trees 
and bushes as they swayed to and fro. and indicated the position of 
former islands. We soon reached the large inlet Aman or Tokutu on 
the left bank, and \\ it]\ it the mf)nth of the Rappu and Rappu cataracts, 
which also were fairly covered with water, ancl yet where one of our 
corials that contained the most valuable astroriomical instruments was 
very nearly smashed to pieces. The sharp eyes of the captain misseÖ 
one of the rocks covered with foaim : the covial grazed uj> against it, 
began to turn, and it is a wonder to me even tn(-day Avhy it didn't shoot 
broadside on do'v\'Ti the fall. 
7C8. With tlif» Rappu Falls commenced the period of danger when 
we were hourly threatened with sudden death, for the whole series of 
cataracts that we had surmounted at so much risk now lay down- 
stream, and had to be shot over when meeting with them again in that 
labyrinth of islands which is so character-istic of the Essequibo, and 
especially of the larger streams of British Guiana. 
*Ori Ills first jnnrney up the Esseriuibo my brother had lieen nssnred by the Indians 
+^iaf < heir fathers had spoken ahout this Post, at th& same time qnotinf^ the evidence that 
the brother of Mahanarva, the great cazique. had removed the two cannon to his own settle- 
ment further south. As was mentioned to my brother by Irai-i, Mahanarva's nephew, who 
happened to be in his employ, one of the cannon is st31 to be found there, the other having 
been sunk. Cf. R. Schomburgk : Hn'aen in Guiana unrl *jm Orlnol-o. p. 121. 
