76 
THE GOLDEN RIVER. 
Below the island the waters unite, and rush 
down the widening gorge, with waterfalls on 
either side. As far as you can see are these 
waterfalls, thundering down, clouded with 
spray at the base. The air is full of their noise 
and their foam. It is impossible to convey any 
idea of the remoteness of the scene. It was 
a spectacle of savage wildness, set in the 
tropical forest. You felt confronted not with 
a piece of scenery, but with a great event of 
nature. Except for the little group of yourself 
and your companions, huddled precariously in 
the midst of those roaring waters, there was no 
trace of man or man’s handiwork. You looked 
at something prior to man and untouched 
through time. 
Suddenly one of the guides shouted some¬ 
thing, but his words were swept away in the 
clamour. He gesticulated and pointed to the 
sky, and there, high overhead, flew a chain of 
brilliant macaws, making for their island, their 
long tails streaming behind them. We were 
almost too dazed with the roar of the Falls to 
take them in. Retracing our steps with care, 
for a stumble might bring disaster, we reached 
the forest again and dressed in our usual clothes. 
Then another mile or so through the jungle, and 
iwe came to a tiny clearing where we were to 
lunch. From here we could make our way, 
through a small tunnelled opening in the under¬ 
growth, to the edge of the cliff, and look down 
