SOUTH AMERICA. 
33 
though a good price was offered for it; they gave 
to understand that it was powder and shot to them, 
and very difficult to be procured. 
On the second day after leaving this settlement, in 
passing along, the Indians show you a place where 
once a white man lived. His retiring so far from 
those of his own colour and acquaintance seemed to 
carry something extraordinary along with it, and 
raised a desire to know what could have induced him 
to do so. It seems he had been unsuccessful, and 
that his creditors had treated him with as little mercy 
as the strong generally show to the weak. Seeing 
his endeavours daily frustrated, and his best inten¬ 
tions of no avail, and fearing that when they had 
taken all he had, they would probably take his 
liberty too, he thought the world would not be hard¬ 
hearted enough to condemn him for retiring from 
the evils which pressed so heavily on him, and 
which he had done all that an honest man could do, 
to ward off. He left his creditors to talk of him as 
they thought fit, and, bidding adieu for ever to the 
place in which he had once seen better times, he 
penetrated thus far into these remote and gloomy 
wilds, and ended his days here. 
According to the new map of South America, 
Lake Parima, or the White Sea, ought to be within 
three or four days’ walk from this place. On asking 
the Indians whether there was such a place or not, 
and describing that the water was fresh and good to 
drink, an old Indian, who appeared to be about 
sixty, said that there was such a place, and that he 
had been there. This information would have been 
D 
FIRST 
JOURNEY. 
Lake 
Parima. 
