54 
Botanical Reminiscences. 
illuminated tlie dark masses of clouds, lasted by the un- 
fettered hurricane ; the crashing of the gigantic trees of the 
neighboring forest, rooted out by the terrible whirlwinds, 
which seemed to tear everything near and round them ; whilst 
the hollow sound of the rushing rain, and the claps of thunder 
gave the accompaniment — in short everything continued to 
fill us with terror. Such a tumult I had never experienced 
before. The quantity of rain which fell in one hour was 
about four inches. 
Notwithstanding the uninterruped lightning, it never did 
strike, and we were assured by the Indians that such happened 
very seldom. After the lapse of an anxious hour the stars 
shed again their faint light over the deep quietness of the 
reposing nature ; only the falling raindrops from the branches 
and leaves told a story of the terrible storm which had been 
raging through the narrow valley. 
The following morning, the thermometer showing 63° 
Fahr., made our teeth chatter, and urged us to quick 
continuance of our travel. After crossing a small rivulet our 
road led us over a hill, and in reaching its summit before us 
in the north-east in a misty blue distance rose, like a black 
sharp confined gigantic wall, a dark mass of rocks, which was 
welcomed by the Indians with the loud exclamation — 
^^Roraima, Roraima^^ the limit of our journey. Scarcely 
had the echo of the loud exclamation died away, when an 
envious veil of clouds concealed the dark mass before we 
had time to get a good look at it. 
Our old friend the dome-like gigantic mountain Zabang,’^ 
which we seldom lost sight of, towered again in proud 
majesty towards the east above the surrounding mountains, 
and maintained also here his well earned right as a represen- 
tative of Olympus. 
The mountains near us rose in gigantic terraces which 
human hands could not have built more skilfully. Here and 
there they sprang in regular bastions, which, in the exact- 
ness of their glacis, and accurate corresponding angles, could 
not keep us from the idea that rule and plummet had 
been used here. 
Our road led us through a dense oasis full of tropical vege- 
tation ; beautiful tree-ferns and arborescent grasses. As we 
entered the savanna again we noticed a solitary hut. The 
astonished inhabitants put a little roasted maize before us to 
allay our hunger. 
