February 27, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
405 
PLANT HUNTING ON 
RORAIMA. 
I left Bat tika Grove on the 24th of September 
(1891) in a big boat with a crew of all colours; and 
or the way spent two hours with Dr. Law at the 
Penal Settlement. I met occasionally boats coming 
down from the gold-fields ; and about a week after 
starting, I met by chance Mr. R. Seyler of George¬ 
town, who later on joined me in my expedition. 
Nothing specially important occurred on this trip up 
the Massaruni and the Curabung. Vainly I tried to 
persuade some Indians at Camacusa to go along with 
us, but I was fortunate in getting at least five men at 
Mr. Barnard’s Cassava fields, called Potaring, near 
the mouth of Curabung. On the 15th of October 
I arrived at the foot of the Mecrebeh fall, in the 
Curabung, where I had to cross the Curabung 
mountain, and then the continual trouble to get, 
hands and provisions began. 
I sent the boat and crew back, wrote the last letters, 
and waited patiently the arrival of Indians, who, I 
was told, were living in 
this neighbourhood in 
great numbers. But it was 
not the case; most of them 
had died of measles, and 
the rest had gone in all 
directions. On the 19th 
I made a start with fifteen 
men of the Acawois tribe, 
heavily loaded, leaving a 
dozen hands behind. 
I climbed the Curabung 
mountain, 3,000 ft. high, 
and after three days' weary 
walking over a most disa 
greeable profusionof rocks 
and roots of all shapes 
and sizes, descended on 
the other 1 side to the 
Membaru creeks. Pterew'0 
encountered another 
obstacle—the journey had 
to be done again by water, 
and no woodskins were to 
be found; so while some 
men went back to fetch the 
rest of their loads others 
went out to find wood- 
skins. 
After four days' waiting 
both parties returned, and 
another start was made 
on the 26th of October in 
ten woodskins,and in com¬ 
pany with Mr. Seyler, who 
joined me at this place. 
We went down the Mem¬ 
baru, a tributary of the 
Massaruni, then some dis¬ 
tance up the latter river, 
then again up the Cam- 
arang river, where from 
the Sanall Indian settle¬ 
ment, whose chief, named 
Robert, had travelled once with Carl Appun, 
we got well provided with Cassava, Yams, Plantains, 
See., and after three more days by water came to the 
usual landing place of the Indians on the Ataparaoo 
river, on the 31st of October, and here our journey 
overland began. Here also we got some more new 
hands, put the loads, consisting of canisters with 
barter goods and wicker baskets with provisions in 
proper condition, and went off again next day—but 
not without having to leave loads behind again. 
After another ascent of a mountain of awful steep¬ 
ness and similar condition to Curabung mountain, 
we reach suddenly late in the evening the open 
Savannah and the boundary of this territory. There 
was said to be before us a village not far distant, 
called Ariamang, but, to our great disappointment, the 
houses were burnt down, the place deserted, and only 
a few remaining posts reminded one of the former 
habitation. 
Now, there were always open Savannahs to be 
sedn; on the left the peculiarly shaped forms of 
mountain ranges like Huyat ave-boe, Irarica-rima, 
Waiaka-biapa, and, far in the background, the 
gigantic form of the Kukenaam mountain. Splendid 
walking, innumerable wood islands, refreshing cool 
pir, with gentle breezes blowing' the various -sweet 
scents of the Savannah plants delighted us; many 
creeks and rivers, whose grass covered sides would 
certainly offer capital pasture lands succeeded each 
other. We stopped for a few days on a creek, 
awaiting our men with the loads; while in the 
meantime we were busy in collecting, in the sur¬ 
rounding woodlands, the Orchids which were the 
chief objects of the expedition. Another start was 
made on the 7th of November; and we three days 
later passed the first Indian village, Waibana, of the 
Arekana tribe, whose old chief gave us a cordial re¬ 
ception, and remembered some former travellers. 
We climbed west from Kukenaam, a hill of such 
formidable steepness that all other ascents seemed 
child’s play in comparison, and on the 10th of 
November, at midday, arrived in the village at the 
foot of Roraima. 
Since my first visit a great change had taken 
place. At that time there were only two or three 
houses scattered over the district, and now there is a 
very large village on the left bank of the Kukenaam 
river, consisting of some twelve new houses, in the 
Odontoglossum crupum nobilius. 
centre of which stands the church—churchie as the 
Indians call it—with its immense high leaf-covered 
roof. The village was crowded with people who re¬ 
ceived us with great solemnity. In the centre of the 
people was a tall strongly built Arecana Indian, with 
a stern, grave-looking countenance, completely 
dressed from boots to hat, with a pair of braces over 
a thick coat, and this Indian was acting as clergy¬ 
man. The usual greeting and Kasiri drinking 
ceremonies being over, we began to put one of the 
houses which the chief gave us—the rent of which 
was a cutlass and a flask of powder—in order for a 
longer stay. The house I kept for ourselves and my 
interpreter, the Indian companions finding abode in 
different houses. 
Every day we started on the mountain early 
collecting plants, and in the meanwhile had some 
Indians sent out to clear the path for our intended 
ascent of Roraima. In a few days we had, with the 
exception of two of the principal species for which I 
came, sufficient quantity of Orchids, as they grow in 
abundance everywhere along the Kukenaam river, 
in the forests, and principally in the swampy 
Savannah below the cliffs of Roraima. While some 
people were employed in clearing the path and 
getting plants, we went with others ip- a southern 
direction to visit again Schomburgh’s Ru-imeru, a 
tributary of the Kukenaam and its fall, of which 
Schomburgh spoke in such high terms. Two days 
hard but comfortable walking brought us there. On 
the way we passed Schomburgh’s “ our village,” of 
which nothing but a few decayed poles and posts, 
and some traces of some clay-built houses, remained 
to mark the site. Seventeen times we had to cross 
rivers and creeks in those two days, and amongst them 
the Kukenaam seven times, and its water reached 
up to our waists. We made a camp below the fall, 
which descends in seven cascades some 300 ft. high ; 
collected some plants and took photographic views 
of the fall; and two days after, left and went back to 
Roraima, but by a different route. Meanwhile heavy 
rain had fallen. Kukenaam river and others were 
swollen to a considerable height, and were not with¬ 
out danger in crossing. 
On arrival we found everything ready for the 
ascent, and we determined to undertake it the next 
day ; but heavy rain prevented, and we delayed for 
another day. Our intention was not only to ascend 
Roraima, but to risk more 
and spend one night at 
least there, so as to get 
a thorough look about the 
place. Tothisendwemade 
all preparations, taking 
provisions, biscuits, some 
tinned meats and cocoa, 
but no hammocks, as we 
knew that there were no 
trees from which to sling 
them, but taking sufficient 
rugs and tents. After 
having made up light loads 
for each man we started 
earlyin the morning on the 
20th. Luckily there was 
no rain, and we found 
the path still in 
decent order from former 
ascents. Trotting over 
the Savannah, which is 
there 5,600 ft. high, then 
through a dense bush of 
low trees, stepping on 
fallen stems of trees, some 
times on all fours, getting 
hold of branches, bustling 
over rocks, never step¬ 
ping on solid ground, but 
sometimes on a surface 
treacherouslycoveredwith 
leaves but hollow under¬ 
neath, so that we sank in 
with one leg on the other 
—thus we toiled till we 
reached the perpendicular 
wall of the cliff. Here 
we had a short rest, await¬ 
ing the arrival of the men, 
of whom we had to send 
back one, he having fallen 
sick already; then again 
we continuedourclimbing 
up and down the ledge which runs along the wall in 
an oblique manner, the track sometimes so narrow 
that we had to keep very close to the wall. Here in 
many places paths were covered over with a most 
troublesome bamboo, which defied even the sharpest 
wood knives to sever them. At mid-day we came to 
the cascade, which descends in one leap from the 
top. Luckily there was little water, but still we got 
wet, having to cross in the deepest mud between 
the cliff and the falling water. On the other side we 
had to go up natural stone steps, which were so 
slippery with moss that the greatest care had to be 
taken in treading on them, and had to plunge over a 
certain kind of tall growing Bromelia with leaves fuli 
of water, which plants to our Indians, who had 
neither boots nor trousers, were very painful. \V e 
had now come nearer the top ; another courageous ' 
effort and the end was reached. It was one o’clock. 
(To be continued.) 
Lecture on Cottage Gardening. —At a recent 
meeting of the Stutton (Suffolk) Horticultural class 
the following resolution was passed: — “\Ye, the 
members of the Stutton Horticultural class, express 
our thanks to the Technical Committee of the Eas 
Suffolk County Council for providing us during the 
winter season with a course of twelve lessons on 
cottage gardening, given by Mr. Jordan, of Hark- 
stead, a very courteous, efficient, and practical 
teacher,” - - ■ • 
