Seven months up the Puruni Riuer. 
By H. I. Perkins, F.R.G.S., 1st Government Surveyor. 
LEFT Georgetown on the sixth September, 
1887, for the purpose of surveying placer 
claims in the Puruni, and on the morning of 
the 17th reached the surveyor's camp in the district. 
The journey was somewhat protracted, since I was 
detained for three days at Bartica Grove waiting for a 
crew, and from the fa6l that the men, the greater number 
of whom had evidently been imbibing freely of rum, 
beer and various other rum-shop abominations,, were 
unable at first to paddle or haul the boat through the 
rapids for any length of time continuously. The 
weather was favourable all through the voyage, and 
the trip had been a fairly pleasant one, but for the 
intense heat at midday in the Mazaruni, when the sun 
shone with pitiless force. 
The river at the time, owing to the drought, was low, 
so that at the rapids large masses of rock usually covered 
with water when the river is in full stream, stood out 
bare and naked, and reflected the heat to adjacent 
objects ; and as the boat, before ascending a fall, 
approached close to the rocks on either side the channel, 
the sensation was like that experienced on nearing a 
furnace, the hot glow from which dried up one's juices 
and induced a feeling of exhaustion and faintness. It 
was refreshing at times to soak one's hat in the river, 
and to pour water over one's head ; but the boat hands 
were to be envied, for they were at frequent intervals in 
