282 TlMEHRl. 
hill. It took us two hours to reach the top ; and at 
times it was so steep, that there was danger of slipping 
down for a considerable distance. The view from the 
summit was magnificent. The rock on which we were 
standing shelved down perpendicularly about eight hun- 
dred feet, and below we saw the forest trees dwarfed 
to less than half their size. In front there was an undu- 
lating expanse of forest scenery on all sides, as far as 
the eye could reach, with a faint white line in the dis- 
tance, denoting a curve in the Essequebo river. Large 
masses of clouds were seen floating about, here and 
there discharging themselves on the forest beneath. We 
stayed for some time watching it all ; and could scarcely 
believe we were only a few days' distance from the dull, 
flat, uninteresting country on the coast of the colony. 
The Indians soon went off to shoot and hunt, whilst 
we descended leisurely to our halting place, chasing a 
red-haired baboon, however, on the way, and firing, but 
without success, at some large black Quata monkeys, 
which barked like dogs. After dinner we prepared to 
spend anight in the forest ; hammocks were soon slung, and 
with nothing but a few troolie leaves tied from tree to 
tree, to keep the moonlight from our faces, we fell 
asleep. During the night a sharp shower of rain came 
on which woke us all, and then I observed a curious 
phenomenon, which at first almost startled me. Every 
fifth or sixth leaf on the ground beneath our hammocks, 
was covered with a phosphorescent light. I rubbed my 
eyes several times to be sure I was not dreaming, and at 
last leant over the hammock, and picked one up. There 
was no mistaking the faft. The leaf was covered with some- 
thing which gave it a luminous appearance on both sides. 
