The Barokoto Chief. 
1M.">. Oil tlio 18tli June they Aveiit on l>y water in two small corials 
and six small woodskius : the whole party numbered 23 people. Although 
the river was full to overflowing, the current was very, insignificant. 
Palms, among them Astrorarifiim and Euterpe in particular, so(me 
forest trees, the trunks of which Avere covered with BrofiSavola Martiana, 
Lindl., Zjjf/opetal II m rofttratutn, E pidenännu rnrie(i(itu))U and here and 
there with a Brosmi. formed the vegetation along the banks. 
914. They had to proceed on the two following days in almost con- 
tinuous rain, till on the rupruing of the 21st, when they reached the 
Essequibo : the bed of this stream was also full to overflowing, as a 
result of which its current had increased from 1 mile to o, so that it 
was only with the greatest efforts that they could make their way up. 
On tlie 2;)id, after paddling from O in tlie morning to G at night without 
stopping, Avhich meant that they had to fast all day, they i-eached the 
longed-for Taruma settlement, consisting of two houses, the greater por- 
tion of whose occupants however were unfortunately away on a fishing 
trip. Fish caught by the Tiulians who had stayed at home, and the finest 
bananas stilled their nagging hunger. They were also offered large 
quantities of sugar-cane, the greatest portion of which had a thickness 
of 8 in. circumference, witli the septa generally 7 to 8 inches apart 
915. On the 25th they resumed their journey, but could only make 
slow headway on account of the strong current. This night might 
easily have proved the last for my brother, because, while sitting in the 
evening under the tent with Mr. Goodall, he felt something cold creep- 
ing around Iiis feet, and before he could make out what it was his fellow- 
traveller had alrea<ly .jum]>ed up with a yell of " Rattlesnake." The 
least movement <»f one of his feet would have brought my brother to his 
grave. 
916. On 27th -June they reached a second Taruma settlement on the 
Essequibo, already visited by my ]>rother in 18o7, where they were re- 
ceived with doubled rejoicings, because the residents were just cele- 
brating a paiwari feast. The corial that served as a bowl was 22 feet 
long and 31 ft. wide : close to it stood a large trough 15 ft. long, 
2-2- ft. Avide, and H ft. deep. My brother struck up against another old 
acquaintance here on his previous journey, the Barokoto chief Yarimoko. 
His two former wives had died, and were replaced by two others of 
whom the younger could hardly l»e 14. Tlie dance which followed after 
sundown differed lint little if at all from that of the remaining tribes. 
917. The accounts received here concerning the Corentyn proved to 
be extremely contradictory. Yarimoko garnished them still further 
with all kinds of stories of evil water-spirits and awful monsters, and 
when he saw that these exercised no influence upon the party, he put in 
review the terrible Indian soi'cerers, the hostilq character of the tribes 
and the absolute want of provisions. Just as it was once the case Avith 
Columbus, so it happened with my brother, that by prophesying a 
partial eclipse of the sun, he made Yarimoko so friendly that the latter 
promised to accompany him to the Maopityans or Prog Indians where he 
could make further enquiries about the Corentyn which he called 
■J 
