i?. Schomburgk^ Dr. Phil. 
63 
Paut III. — The Ascent ce the Eoeaima Mountains. 
We started from our camp on the morning of the 4th of 
Noyember, accompanied by twenty Indians, to carry our 
baggage, full of expectation of what the next day would 
bring us — not anticipating that the first would be such a fatal 
one. 
Our path led us through a wood which extends along the 
western bank of the Eiver Kukenam, containing gigantic 
trees of the genera Clusia, Styrax^ and Laurus, After an 
hour’s walk we entered upon an open undulating savanna ; 
on reaching the summit of a ridge we had a fine view of these 
remarkable mountains — the gigantic walls of the Eoraima 
stood before us, shining in the bright morning sun in all 
their grandeur. Before we crossed the Eiver Murre, which 
comes from a north-west direction, the Indians called our 
attention to a gigantic sandstone block, with some hiero- 
glyphics on its surface ; the same consisted of some curves, 
which were about an eighth of an inch deep, and looked 
exactly as if a person had drawn his hand in curves across 
it, leaving the impression on the stone. The Indians told us 
it was done by Makuneima (their great Spirit) when he was 
wandering over this place, and left this sign of his presence 
on earth for future generations. When I asked one of our 
Indians, who accompanied us from Pirara, a mission station, 
who Makuneima was, he answered without hesitation, ‘‘Jesus 
Christ.” 
After crossing the Murre our direction lay north-westerly, 
our path was crossed by a small rivulet, about ten feet wide ; 
in the middle of this little stream lay a large sandstone block, 
which had already served the Indians in front of us as a bridge, 
who jumped on it from the bank — a manner which was imitated 
by all the followers. I was the sixteenth in the Indian file ; 
immediately following w^as a young Indian woman, called 
Kate, who, on account of her cheerfulness, her affable and 
droll manner — a q^ualification very seldom met with amongst 
the fair sex in Gruiana — ^had got permission to accompany her 
husband, who was one of our followers. She was the favorite of 
the whole expedition. TV^hen I arrived at the bank of the 
rivulet, some plants ( Schultesids attracted my attention, and 
to convince myself whether I had them already in my collec- 
