ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
When we came to the end of the island we found 
another great barrier of foliated rock extending from east 
to west, 500 metres across. The basin showed, moreover, 
three sets of giant rocks on the left side. In the north¬ 
easterly part where the river narrowed again there stood 
a range of hills 300 feet high, extending from west to east, 
and parallel to the rocky barrier across the basin. A 
streamlet three metres wide coming from the southwest 
entered the Arinos from the left bank. The hill range 
which stood along the right bank of the river showed a 
rocky formation of a greyish colour right up to its summit, 
and was, in fact, a mere great rocky barrier with only a 
few trees growing in interstices which had been filled with 
earth and sand. The southern aspect of the range was an 
almost vertical wall. 
The river was proceeding mostly in a westerly and 
northwesterly direction for long stretches of 3,500 metres, 
4,000 metres, 2,000 metres, until we came to an 
equilateral-triangular island, 300 metres each side — 
Erminia Island. A small channel not more than twenty 
metres across separated this from an irregularly shaped 
island, 600 metres long, Niobe Island. After this came 
a low island of sand and gravel five feet high and 300 
metres long, with merely a few trees upon it, whereas the 
other two islands were covered with dense and most beau¬ 
tiful vegetation. The main channel of the river was 400 
metres wide. 
Araras (macaws) of great size and of a beautiful 
vermilion colour flew overhead, shrieking wildly at the 
sight of us. We began to find a great many jacares 
(Caiman fissipis) or crocodiles. Seeing one sleeping 
placidly on an islet of gravel I landed and photographed 
it, subsequently waking it with a start by throwing a 
stone at it. My men, who were following cautiously 
behind me, opened a fusillade and killed it before it was 
able to escape. 
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