304 
Key. Youd Returns to Pirara, 
the banks of the Rupununi to the Orinoko, and defines to the westward 
the separation of the basins of the three largest streams of the northern 
portion of South America — that of the giant Amazon, the mighty 
Orinoco, and the cataract-broken Essequibo. 
85(1. The glorious view smiled at us bewitchingly as it lay spread 
out before us like an immense coverlet over the shallow undulating 
\ alley dotted with moist green forest-oases and palm-groups in 
between the two ranges of mountain, until it finally became merged in 
the dim distance with the western horizon, when the oppressively hot 
sunshine on the unprotected savannah combined with a burning thirst 
forced us to push ahead so as to obtain relief from both at the earliest 
opportunity. A fresh party of Indians having been asked by Mr. Youd 
to bring ns some water willingly did so and returned soon after with our 
bottles filled : the liquid to be sure was not only warm but very evil 
smelling — and yet it invigorated and refreshed ns. On following the 
small winding Indian path and reaching the highest point of ground we 
recognised in our rear the advancing “thin red line” of Britons, for the 
soldiers had donned their uniforms to day, and on our front, though still 
in the far distance, the village of Pirara with its numerous buildings. 
Mr. Youd was deeply affected when he now once more saw rising before 
him his earlier sphere of activity to which he clung with all his bounteous 
love. The closer we got the more was the brave missionary greeted by 
well-known objects both in the outskirts as well as even outside the 
village. But the building that he looked most anxiously for, the little 
church that he bad erected, was not to be found — the Brazilians had 
razed it to the ground because it bad been built by a heretic. On its 
former site stood u huge structure that, overtopped the others like a 
Colossus, in front of which moreover an immense cross tlmu was already 
visible in the far distance had been erected. A second equally large 
building, also unknown to Mr. Youd, rose at a little distance from the 
first: in fact, he only recognised but one of the larger houses again and 
that was his former residence which, as we learnt on our arrival, had 
been occupied bv Friar Jose dos Santos Tnnocentes. 
857. The small narrow valley of the Pirara was all that separated 
us now from the height beyond, upon which the Macusi settlement was 
situate. About a mile to the eastward of where we were standing my 
eyes chanced to hit the marshy source of the Pirara, enclosed as it was 
by a thick mass of gigantic rushes and crowded groups of all sizes of 
Mauritia flexitosa. A strong fence stretched away below us on our 
right: within it the numerous cattle were grazing here and there in 
the savannah. We crossed the Pirara, climbed the gentle slope overgrown 
with bush, and entered the village. When once inside Mr. Youd indeed 
hardly recognised the flourishing little settlement of 1838. Of the 40 
natty houses that were then ranged alongside one another now only 
half remained and even of these many were fast going to ruin: the 
population at that time numbering (100 had now dwindled down to 
four families, all the remainder having withdrawn to the Canuku 
Ranges and other settlements as a result of their rough handling by the 
