262 TlMEHRI. 
So far the way had been but a very difficult climb up 
the slope. To this point others had reached. But above 
us, still to be ascended, rose the real difficulty — the 
cliff. 
From below, we had noticed, and carefully noted, a 
broad but uneven, and in many parts much-broken ledge, 
which runs obliquely up the face of the rock, from the 
top of the forested slope to the upper ledge of the cliff. 
It was obviously the path by which we should ascend. 
One difficulty which had presented itself to our eyes from 
below had already been overcome ; for, wandering with- 
out being able to see more than a yard or two of each 
side of us, up through the densely tangled vegetation 
of the slope, we had yet managed to strike the bottom 
of the ledge where, emerging from the slope, it passed 
up the cliff. The lower part of the actual ledge was, 
however, much broken, and its surface was much ob- 
scured by blocks of stone and dense plant-growths. 
Higher up, a yet more serious difficulty had seemed to 
present itself. For there, a stream of some size, falling 
over the upper edge of the cliff down on to the ledge, 
had worn away the latter, and made for itself a deep 
ravine — a break in the shelf. It proved, however, not 
very difficult to climb down into this gap, to pass (in 
that state of the water it was possible, though after 
heavy rain it might not be) actually through the water 
as it fell like very heavy rain, from 2,000 feet high on to 
our heads ; and then to climb up the other side of the 
gap on to the upper part of the ledge; and on, through 
a paradise of strange and lovely plants, to the top of 
Roraima. Then the pillar had been climbed, and we 
stood on its summit. 
