“Hk who has Eaten Laba.” 
121 
hardly a star had come into Hew. From what the Indians said, the 
source of the Amacura was to he found a two days' journey above the 
Cuyu rara. 
415. On the 5th June they returned to Asecura. When my brother 
left Cumaka lie had only taken with him a chronometer, a sextant, an 
artificial horizon, and a prismatic compass, and as, until t I k* 6tli June 
no opportunity had offered itself for an observation, he was none too 
sure about the accuracy of his chronometer. Already on the 25th May 
some of the Indians from Asecura had visited and assured us that they 
had been attracted to Cumaka by the cannonade on the morning of the 
24th which they had distinctly heard in their village. When taking his 
departure my brother had accordingly charged Mr. til ascot! to have our 
mortar fired three times on June 6th at six o’clock in the evening, and 
distinctly hearing the sound in Asecura, was at the same time afforded 
the opportunity of fixing the difference of longitude between Cumaka 
and that settlement. 
416. They left Asecura on 7th June to resume their investigations 
up 1o the mouth of the Amacura. whither Yan also accompanied them. 
By midday they had reached the Coyoni which, just as the Mora consti- 
tutes a connecting channel between the Waini and Barirna, provides a 
similar one between the Amacura and Araturi since it junctions the 
former with the Waiieacari or Bassama that falls into the Araturi which 
opens into the Orinoco opposite Imataka Island. 
417. On his return my brother found Mr. King, the skin of whose face 
during his short absence had peeled off three times, quite convalescent. 
On the other hand he found Hancock and Stöckle in all the more pitiable 
a condition, the inflammation during the past, few days having again 
taken on so bad a turn that they could no longer use their feet : — mine 
seemed to be rapidly running the same risk. 
418. Tn spite of the large number of individuals, who were scouring tlm 
neighbourhood the whole day long, the keen hunters nevertheless brought 
home every evening plenty of spoil. Our people were also fairly lucky and 
were most agreeably welcomed whenever the Aguti ( Dasyprocta Agnti 
111.) and Laba ( Coelogenys Paca Cuv.) were found among the bag. Owing 
to' the excellence of the latter’s flesh, there is a saying throughout the 
Colony that “He who has eaten Laba and drunk water from Guiana’s 
forest streams, can never leave Demerara again.” The favourite resorts 
of this creature are small forest-creeks where it burrows under I he roots 
or chooses a hollow tree-trunk to live in. To get the animal out of its 
hiding-place, the Indians train small dogs which, like our badger-hound, 
make their way into the holes and drive the occupants out. 
419. On the morning after my brother’s arrival Caberalli in all the 
glory of his sovereignty appeared before him and gave the information 
hinted at, which consisted in this, that some days prior to our arrival in 
Cumaka a murder had taken place in a settlement close by. He pointed 
out the murderer as a bov from Cumaka named Maicerwari: the victim 
was a Piai (medicine-man) known as Waihahi. Mr. King as Police In- 
spector was not a little surprised, particularly because chief William had 
not said a word to him about it, although, as Caberalli maintained, he 
had witnessed the tragedy. Without further delay King accordingly had 
