A Journey up the Cuyuni. 131 
Arraouta. Most of the Venezuelans went back up the 
Urawan, but some came down to Timmoonie and got the 
Caribs there to make cassava bread for them, promising 
payment, but took it away after it had been baked, 
threatening to beat the Indians when they remonstrated. 
The Caribs say they were too few to resist the Spaniards, 
who moreover had taken away their guns. These occur- 
rences were I think the origin of the reports I had heard, 
and the Spaniards seen near the Settlement were those 
who came down from Timmoonie ; and these probably 
made their way back to Venezuelan territory by way of 
Morooca and Trinidad. 
The land up the Cuyuni seems lower than that on the 
Essequibo and Mazzaruni, but is more fertile, there not 
being so much sand in it, so that grass springs up 
wherever a large tree falls or a small clearing is made. 
The forest trees too above Payuco Fall are different. I 
saw no greenheart or souari-nut trees above that fall, 
but quantities of long-john, silk-cotton and hog-plum 
trees. Bamboo grew all along the side of the river from 
from above Payuco to the mouth of the Urawan. From 
Apo-ye-kifoo upwards, the forest for miles on both banks 
of the river and for considerable distance inland had 
been burnt. The Indians say such fires occur spontane- 
ously, and burn until stopped by the rains or some large 
creek. 
I left FRANCISCO'S on the afternoon of the 5th, and 
called at Arraouta for the promised cassava. No 
occurrence of note happened until the 15th, when 
we nearly lost one of our boats while lowering 
it over a large fall. The rocks were very slippery ; and 
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