36 TlMEHRI, 
to offer so serious a difficulty, so that only one doubtful 
point still remained to be passed, that at which the 
stream fell from Roraima on to the ledge. Our next 
attempt would, we hoped, be made on a finer and drier, 
and more especially on a clearer, day. And whenever 
that attempt might be made we delermined not to keep 
so near the inner edge of the ledge, under the base of 
the cliff, for we had found that this led us to an im- 
passable point, but to keep as close as might be to the 
outer edge. 
The journey downward was quick but far from plea- 
sant. As in coming up we had got over much of the 
ground by crawling on all fours, so in going down we 
passed much of the way, but involuntarily, by sliding 
in a sitting posture. 
For the next three days heavy rain and thunder was 
almost incessant. Then on Thursday, the 18th, came a 
bright morning, but with a few small clouds floating about 
down in the valley below us ; but in consequence of 
the late rains the bush was still very wet and the 
stream falling from Roraima on to our ledge was very 
full of water. However, fearing that the rainy season 
had really set in, we determined to try to get at least as 
far as the foot of the fall — the one remaining doubtfully 
practicable part of the ledge — in order at least to know 
whether this last point was passable or not. 
When we reached Whitely's station at the base of the 
cliff the weather was still clear. From there we followed 
the previous Sunday's path for a short distance, but soon, 
instead of going up to the top of the first spur on the 
ledge, to our Sunday's station, we began to cut a new 
path round the spur. 
