Among the Indians of Guiana; being Sketches chiefly Anthropologic from the Interior of British Guiana

Front matter

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SEBESEE KEMHEEGRCCERERTERERES

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Preface

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In July 1877 I first landed in British Guiana, and on Christmas Day, 1879, the intermediate two and a half years having been spent, in about equal proportion, in wandering among the Indians and in the chief town of the colony, I left the country, as I then thought, for ever.

During the following two years, spent in England, whenever there came a perfectly fine day, whether in spring, summer, autumn, or in winter, and whenever I was able to spend those too rare opportunities of perfect life in wandering over down-country, or through English lanes and woods, or by that ever pleasant river which runs past Oxford town, then I felt that the unspeakable pleasure of such a day’ surpassed by far all that the days, and all that the years, however pleasant, which a man may spend in the tropics can afford. But when, very much more often, gloomy days had to be endured, then my thoughts invariably turned westward, and I longed to be once more among the deep shadows and broken lights of the gigantic tropical forests, on the sunlit waters of the broad rivers, or on the rolling, limitless savannahs, among which I had learned to know the vi PREFACE.

larger and more free ways of Nature. And so it happened that, two days before the Christmas of 1881, I once more came to Guiana.

During, and immediately after, my first visit to the colony, J had at various times and in various newspapers published disconnected sketches of my travels and, especially, of experiences among the Red men. These sketches very soon passing out of print, and there being among my papers much similar but unpublished matter, I, when finally settled, as I thought, in England, set to work to weave this material into a general description of the colony in all its aspects. Those who have tried a like task will understand how often I found myself in want of further information on almost every successive point. And so it happened that the work was not quite well enough patched together, was certainly not satisfactorily done, when I quite unexpectedly found myself about to return to the coleny of which I was writing. Then I put away my papers and determined to wait for further experience.

But certain papers on anthropological subjects among those which had already been published had attracted some attention, more perhaps than they deserved; and it was exactly these which were in a most finished condition. I therefore re-wrote and added to them, and now publish them in this volume, together with a few chapters descriptive of the country where dwell the Red men of whom my story more especially tells.

I ought to add that the substance of the chapter on

PREFACE. vii

Indian religion, and of that part of another chapter which deals with stone-implements, has already appeared in the ‘Journal of the Anthropological Institute’; that the two first chapters in the present volume are re-written from a paper read by me before the Royal Geographical Society ; and that the chapter on plant life appeared almost in its present form in the ‘ Gardener’s Chronicle.’ .

Most men like to record in their prefaces the names of those who have helped them in their work; but were I to allow myself this pleasure with any freedom I should far exceed all reasonable limits. I must, however, make mention, among the friends who have helped me in England, of Mr. E. B. Tylor and Mr. A. W. Franks, and also of the authorities at Kew Gardens; nor can I pass without mention, among those, dwellers in Guiana, to whom I am _ indebted for services directed toward the same end, Mr. W. H. Campbell, who, but that the accuracy of his scientific knowledge and the deficiency of his years deny, might, in all other respects, be regarded as the proverbial ‘oldest inhabitant’ of the colony; or Mr. N. Darnell Davis, a true West Indian bibliophile; or Mr. James Thomson, whose kindness, both as editor successively of the two newspapers in which most of my sketches appeared, and as my informant on many points; or Mr. G. S. Jenman, the official botanist, whose botanical knowledge of Guiana is in exceeding proportion to the comparative shortness of his experience there. Lastly, but by no means least, I here record my gratitude to the lady friend who drew for this book two of the coloured plates as well as two of the smaller uncoloured illustrations.

viii PREFACE.

As regards the other illustrations, the coloured figure of a new bird (Agelaus imthurni, Sclater) was prepared for me under the kind superintendence of Mr. P. L. Sclater; the Royal Geographical Society has been good enough to supply the map; the Anthropological Institute, with equal kindness, has lent a plate of stone-implements and one small cut which were engraved in dllustration of my papers published in its Journal; the engravings of scenery and figures were prepared from photographs taken for me; and the figures of Indian implements, etc., and of rock engravings, are from my own sketches. .

EVERARD F. in THURN.

PomMERooN Rrvpe, BRITISH GUIANA.

Contents

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Chapter I. A Journey In The Interior

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Outline Sketch of the Interior—Methods of Travelling—Bartica Grove—Moraballi—A Creek—Hauling the Canoes up the Rapids— Moé—Night in the Forest—Scenery—Half-bred Brazilians—Paiwarikaira—A Peaiman’s Vengeance+-Healthiness of the Interior» Aretaka—A Burning Mora-tree—Magic Sticks—Apooterie—Up the Roopoonooni—Scenery—Kaboori-flies—Stopped by Sandbanks— A New Crew—Quartama—A Pretty Pond—Pirara Landing . ae |

CHAPTER IL.

A JOURNEY IN THS INTERIOR (continued).

The Savannah—Indian Settlement at Quatata—Indian Visitors—A Buck-gun—The City of £1 Dorado—Rain after Drought—Start for the Brazils—Down the Takootoo—Fort St. Joaquim—Cattle Farms —Homeward—Fording Lake Amoocoo—The Rivers in the iat Season—A Notorious Murderer—Shooting the Falls . . 32

CHAPTER ITI.

THE KAIETEUR FALL AND RORAIMA.

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The Fall—First Visit—The Potaro River—Amootoo Cataract—The' Kaieteur Ravine—To the Foot of the Fall—The Kaieteur in Dry Weather,from above—The Kaieteur Savannah—A New Plant (Brvechinia cordylinoides, Baker)—A New Bird (Ageleus imthurni, Sclater)—A Second Visit to the Kaieteur—Beautiful Flowers— Portaging the Boat—The Kaieteur from above, in the Rainy Season —The best way to visit the Fall—Roraima .- . ‘ F 56 x CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

ASPECTS OF PLANT-LIFE.

Common Misconception of Tropical Scenery—The Special Case of Guiana—General Type of Foliage like that of Temperate Climates—Cvlouring of the Foliage—Colour of Flowers in Mass— Beauty of individual Flowers—Scent—Chief Types of Guiana Vegetation—A Scene in the Forest—Palm Forests—River-side Vegetation— The Cokerite Palm — Savannah ipa Plants . F ‘ ‘ P

CHAPTER V.

ANIMAL LIFE.

General Considerations—Mammals—Warracaba Tigers—The Colours of Birds—Bird-notes—Chief Forms of Birds—Scenes of Bird-life—- Reptiles—Alligators—Iguanas—Snakes—Turtles—Fish—The Dangers of Bathing—Insect Plagues—Butterflies—Beetles—Ants— Wasps—Mosquitoes—Sandflies—The Mosquito Worm—Jiggers— Bush-Ticks—Spiders—Centipedes—Scorpions . 3

CHAPTER VI.

THE INDIAN TRIBES.

Indian Groups in Guiana—The Value of the Groups—Race, Branch, Tribe, and Family—Classification of the Principal Tribes—Some unimportant or little known Tribes—The Term ‘True Carib’— Tribal Differences in Language, Physical Characters, and Habits— Geographical Distribution of the Tribes—Forest Indians and Savannah Indians—Probable History of the Tribes—Earlier Tribes: Warraus, Arawaks, and bie ecaiued Later Immigration of Carib Tribes . i 5 . . . ‘

CHAPTER VII.

FAMILY-SYSTEMS AND MARRIAGE-SYSTEMS,

Arawak System as Type—Description of the System—List of Family Names—Origin of the Names—Method of keeping Families distinct—Co-existing but Contradictory System of Bride-lifting— Evidence of the Existence of this latter System—Two rene Explanations . . . . ¢ s. 7 7 .

PAGE

. 106

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER, VIII.

APPEARANCE AND DRESS.

xi

PAGE

Physical Characters and Appearance—Artificial Modifications of the Body—Ordinary Dress—Body-painting—Ornaments—Regard for Personal Appearancé—Partial Adoption of European Dress

CHAPTER IX.

HOUSES AND SETTLEMENTS.

Distribution of the Settlements—The Three Chief Types of Houses— Warrau Pile-dwellings—Open Houses in the Forest—Walled Houses on the Savannah—Communal Houses in rare Instances— Pile-houses occasionally built on the dry Savannah—Benabs, or Temporary Huts—Probable History of Development of House-building among Indians—Various Thatch-materials

CHAPTER X.

- SOCIAL LIFE.

Ruling Authorities—Observance of Mutual Rights—Treatment of Women—The Story of a Day—The Story of a Life—Birth— Cowwade—Childhood—Personal Names—Marriage—Death—Burial

CHAPTER XI.

HUNTING AND FISHING.

Hunting Parties—‘ Beenas ’"— Dogs—Fish Poisoning—Bailing out Pools for Fish—Fish Arrows: Three Fish Arrows; a Three-pronged Fish Arrow—Hook and Line—Fish Traps—Turtle Arrows—Iguana Shooting—Guns—Game Arrows: Iron-headed Game Arrows ; Bamboo-headed Arrows; Poisoned Arrows—Bird Arrows: Special Arrows for Large and Small Birds ; Blunt-headed Arrows for Birds ~-Blow-pipes—‘ Calling’ ore eo kde of the Hunting Party . . . .

CHAPTER XII.

AGRICULTURE.

An Indian Field—Method of Cultivation—Cassava—Abandonment of

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Fiel€—Maize in the Mountains—Drought and Famine . - . 250 xii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE PREPARATION OF FOOD.

Pag Cooking done by Women—Fire-making—Staple Food: Meat chiefly in the form of Pepper-pot ; Cassava as Bread, Farine, and Paiwari— Effect of Cassava on Indian Physique—Salt—Occasional Food : Eggs, of Birds, seldom eaten; of Reptiles, often ; Insects; Fruits— Various Drinks. . : * 3 $ : . 4 . . 255

CHAPTER XIV.

MANUFACTURES.

General Considerations—Pottery—Basket-work—Spinning : Three kinds of Fibre; Two Methods of Spinning; Explanation of Co-existence of Two Methods—Weaving: Hammock-weaving; Rude Cloth-weaving — Boat-building — Bench-making—Weapon-making —Ornament-making— Musical Instruments—Poison-making—Preparation of Oils, Pitches, Dyes—Tobacco-production . ‘i . 269

CHAPTER XV.

PAIWARI FEASTS,

Feasting, Drinking, and Games—The Invitation to the Feast— Quippoo-writing—Preparations—Arrival of the Guests—Feasting— Dancing—Brawls—Racing and ice ar 7 game— Warran Shield-game . fe . . 319

CHAPTER XVI.

KENAIMAS AND PEAIMEN.

Relation of Kenaimas and Peaimen—The Kenaima—The Vendetta System—Real and Imaginary Powers of Kenaimas—The Kenaima’s Method of Work—The Peaiman—His Education and Powers—His Method of Cure—Wide Extension of the Peai System . . - 328

CHAPTER XVII.

RELIGION.

The Religion of the Indians an almost Unmixed Animism—Animism and Morality entirely Unconnected—Methods of Study—Indian Belief in the Two Parts of Man, Body and Spirit—Evidence of the

CONTENTS. xiii

PAGE Existence and Separability of the Spirit in Death, Sleep, and Visions—Power of Transmission of the Spirit into other Bodies— Spirits of Animals—Spirits of Fabulous Animals—Spirits of Inanimate Objects—Nature of Disease-Spirits—Indian Conception of the Spirit World—General Statement of the Lines along which Animism might pe expected to develop into Higher Religion— Indian Conception of Continuance of Spirit after Death of the: Body—Where Disembodied Spirits Dwell—No Supreme Spirits— Nature of the so-called Indian’s ‘Great Spirit ae ae and Ceremonies ; % 4 < é 3 ‘ . 341

CHAPTER XVIII.

FOLK-LORE.

* General Statement of the Nature of the Folk-lore—Elements of Error in reading the Folk-lore of Savages—Examples of such Error regarding God, Prayer, 2 Deluge, and a World-fire—Mythological Legends—The Arrival of Indians upon Earth—-The Origin of Cultivation—Animals and their Doings—Fanciful Explanations of the Facts of Nature—Fabled Animals—An Indian Jonah—Historical Legends . ; 7 7 : . 7 : : . : . 371

CHAPTER XIX.

INDIAN ANTIQUITIES,

The Various Antiquities—Rock-Pictures—Painted Rocks—Two kinds of Engraved Rocks—Shallow Engravings—Deep Engravings—The most recent Rock-Engraving—Comparative Study of the Rock- Engravings of the World—Shell-Mounds or Kitchen-Middens— Probable History of the Shell-Mounds—Stone Implements— Manner of Occurrence in Guiana—Some Typical Examples—Some Peculiar Examples—Standing Stones—Sites of Ancient Villages . 389

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATES.

PLATE 1. A Macusi in Full Dancing Dress. : : : Frontispiece 2. A Night’s Camp ‘i ‘ . . . : To face page 57 3. Portaging the Boat . . - : 7 61

. 4. The Kaieteur Fall (in dry weather), ‘ ‘ ie 66 5. Ageleus imthurni 7 7 7) 6. The Kaieteur Fall (in et Weather) » 16 7, Ackawoi Man and Woman ‘i : : ” 189 8. Two Feather Head-dresses : ‘ 5 is 198 9. Engraved Rocks at Warrapoota Fall ‘ 3 394

10. Stone Implements from British Guiana . ‘ ay 424

WOODCOUTS.

FIG. PAGE 1. Cobungra Woman, showing Leg-bands.. hae | ae’ * 28199 2. Macusi, with Nose and Lip Ornament. Z F : ‘ . 193 3. Method of making Queyu . 2 : 2 . : . . 194 4. Nose Ormaments . - ‘ . ‘ ‘ . . i . 198 6. Lip Ornament. . at - see . 4 . . . - 199 6. Cotton Mantle. i A . . 7 7 . : . 200 7. Nose Beena . . : F ‘ x = < ' . 229 8. Ant Beena . : é . ‘ . . , . , . 230 9. Fish Arrows - ‘ 7 F ‘ » 235

10. Turtle Arrow Hi : : . : , . - 239

12. Poisoned Arrows . - . . ‘ . . 243

13. Poisoned Arrow-points and Quiver fans same ‘5 3 : . 248

15. Quiver for Darts of Blow pipe 2 . . . 7 . . 246

16. Blow-pipe .. we - fey eg ye? Say ols oh 324T xvi ‘LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE 17. Fire-sticks s 7 4 ‘ : 3 ‘. . . 258 18. Cassava Squeezer . : 3 : : : ‘ . ‘ - 261 19. Types of Pottery . . . : . ‘i . : : . 275 20. Cassava Sifter ; 3 . . . . : } . 279 21. Macusi Bread-basket . 3 i ; Z : : F . 279 22, Arawak Bread-basket . . ‘ é : : . , £80 23, Carib Method of making ‘Hainicle ; : . . . . 289 24, War Clubs. . ‘ “ . . . . 299 25. Blow-pipe Darts, unrolled from Guard F ? ‘ : ‘ . 802 26. Darts, rolled as carried in Quiver . ‘ . . : «6802 27. Shoulder-ruff of Macaw-feathers . : : ‘ . : . 306 98. Drum... eee 808 29. Bone Flute . ‘ : . . : : : é . 7. 809 30. Pair of Wooden Flutes . gate . ‘ . . . $10 31. #olian Harp . . : : ‘ nm te , : . . 310 32. Dancing-sticks 7 i . : * ‘ ‘ : ‘ . 3822 33. Macquarie Whip . : z:> 8 : . a) % , . 826 34, Wrestling Shield oe ats . ; . . 327 35, Shallow Rock-engravings ‘ : ‘ : . : . 392 36. Deep Rock-engravings . : aos vote : , . 393 37. Temehri Rock, with engraving. 5 : ‘ : : . 3895 38. Rock-engraving on Camoodi Rock . . : i 7 Fi . 400 39. Rock-engraved Ship. . : d ‘ . 400 40. Spanish Galley (from tomb of Golumbas) P . : . . 4010 41. Mexican Picture-writing A ‘ : F ; . . 406 42. Rar-rings. bo oa. Ue re om wh Se RID 43. ie with Stone Blade . : : . ‘ : : . 425

MAP OF BRITISH GUIANA .. : . ‘: i . Atend

AMONG THE INDIANS OF GUIANA.

CHAPTER I. + A JOURNEY IN THE INTERIOR.

Outline Sketch of the Interior—Methods of Travelling—Bartica Grove— Moraballi—A Creek—-Hauling the Canoes up the Rapids—Moé--Night in the Forest—Scenery—Half-bred Brazilians—Paiwarikaira—A Peaiman's Vengeance—Healthiness of the Interior—Aretaka—A Burning Mora-tree—Magic Sticks—Apooterie—Up the Roopoonooni—Scenery— Kaboori-flies — Stopped by Sand-banks— A New Crew—Quartama--A Pretty Pond —Pirara Landing.

HE who would see the beauty and the great, though undeveloped capabilities of the only English part of the continent’ of South America, must leave behind him the flat and swampy coastland of Guiana, and, passing up wide rivers and through vast forests, reach the magnificent and wide savannahs, intersected by the rugged mountain ridges which lie on the furthest limits of the colony, and stretch away into the interior of the continent. In so doing, the traveller will have to encounter many difficulties and some hardships ; but, on the other hand, his travels will be through a land the marvellous beauty of which will more than recompense his pains, and where new objects will occur at every turn to draw his thoughts away from all discomforts. Nor have many travellers yet been before him ; so that, though he will have the labour of making his own path, this will be counterbalanced by the pleasure of visiting untrodden ground.

The country may be said to consist of four tracts, lying one beyond the other, parallel to the coast-line. Of these only the outermost or sugar tract, which lies nearest to the

_ sea-coast, is at present cultivated and inhabited to any considerable extent. Next to this is the timber tract, from which alone timber has as yet been remuneratively brought to market. This extends toward the interior as far as the lowest cataracts on the various rivers. It is at present impossible to cut timber profitably beyond these cataracts, owing to the difficulty which there would be in carrying any cut beyond that to market; so that an imaginary line, roughly parallel to the sea-coast, and cutting each of the great rivers at their lowest cataracts, marks the further limit from the coast of this tract. This part of the country is only very sparingly inhabited by a few wood-cutters, white men and black, and by a few Indians.

The two remaining tracts are entirely uninhabited except by widely scattered Indians of four or five different tribes. The forest tract immediately succeeds the timber tract ; and lastly, furthest from the coast, lies the savannah tract. The former of these is everywhere covered by dense forests, as yet untouched by the woodcutter, and consisting largely of the two most valuable trees of the colony—greenheart (Vectandra rodiai) and mora (Mora excelsa). The land in all these three tracts is generally low, flat and swampy, though in the forest tract the level is occasionally broken by sloping hills, by solitary mountains, and even by low and unimportant ranges.

The last of the tracts is formed by the savannah of the interior. This must be distinguished from the meadows, also called savannahs, of the coast and forest tracts. Nearly all the small tributary streams of those regions rise in treeless marshes, which are under water during a large part of the year ; and these are called savannahs. Again, along thé banks of the Berbice and Corentyn rivers, often not far from the sea, there are considerable patches of open grass-land; and these, too, are called savannahs. But the chief savannah, that which forms the savannah tract, is of all the land of British Guiana farthest from the sea; it borders on the Brazils, from which it is only separated by the Cotinga and Takootoo rivers; and

TOPOGRAPHY. 3° it is continued without any significant interruption into the great grass-plain which occupies so much of the interior of South America. Our share of this large meadow is about 14,000 square miles in extent. On it stand the only considerable mountains of British Guiana.

There are no roads in the colony except that which runs along the coast. But four great rivers, the Essequibo, the Demerara, the Berbice, and the Corentyn, run, nearly paralle to each other, from the interior to the sea; and into these pass many ‘tributary streams, often of considerable size. The four main rivers are the high roads, and their tributaries, together with a few Indian tracks through the forest, perhaps hardly discernible to an unpractised eye, are the cross roads, along which all travelling within the forest region must be done by canoe or on foot. When once the savannahs are. reached, it becomes possible to travel either, as before, along the rivers or by walking. It was up the largest of the rivers— the Essequibo—that I made my way in 1878 on. to the savannah, over which I passed to the remote edge of the colony and on into Brazilian territory.

To give some account of the interior of Guiana is a necessary preliminary of my task. On each of my journeys I wrote down day by day the story of my travels. These diaries might, therefore, be transcribed with hardly any alteration. But such a diary, however interesting to the traveller himself and to his friends, and however many interesting facts it may contain, must always be tedious to the general reader. On the other hand, it is very difficult to give a description of a comparatively unknown land without using some such thread, on which to string the facts, as is afforded by a journal. And this is in a special degree true of the interior of British Guiana; for all that is known about it amounts but to a very considerable number of disconnected facts. I shall, therefore, use the diary of one of my journeys as a thread on which will be strung all pertinent facts derived either from my own experiences or from those of previous travellers in the same region.

B2

A line of steamers, largely subsidised by the Government, runs from Georgetown to the Berbice on the one hand, and to the Essequibo on the other; and smaller steamers run twice in each week up the Essequibo, the Demerara, and the Berbice. These steamers are almost the only means yet attempted of opening up the colony. The small steamer runs up the Essequibo for a distance of about thirty-five miles from the mouth, partly for the convenience of the few who travel in that direction, but chiefly for Government purposes, the penal settlement of the colony being situated on the Mazeruni, a large tributary of the Essequibo. It was by this latter steamer that I reached the outskirts of civilisation, at Bartica Grove, which stands at the junction of the Mazeruni with the Essequibo.

Leaving Georgetown-early in the morning, we passed for two hours along the coast, and then ran into the Essequibo. On board was a most heterogeneous and picturesque crowd of East Indians, Chinese, Indians, Negroes, together with Portuguese and a few other white men. Nearly every individual of this crowd travelled with a strange assortment of luggage, varying from a bedstead or waggon toa pair of live fowls or a parrot. On either side of the river the banks were low and swampy, densely covered with courida bushes (Avicennia nitida), mangroves (Rhizophora mangal), and palm-trees. In the evening, about four o’clock, we reached Bartica Grove.

Bartica Grove, once a flourishing mission station, is now reduced to a few wooden huts, used as stores, a church recently half-restored from a most ruinous condition, a few small living houses, and some timber-sheds. These latter are picturesque buildings, consisting of a few upright posts supporting roofs of withered palm-leaves. Under their eaves colonies of gigantic green spiders, as large as thrush’s eggs, watch their webs, undisturbed from year’s end to year’s end. The whole sleepy, beautiful village lies under the shade of an avenue ,of large mango-trees. From this avenue the view riverward is of an enormous stretch of water; the view landward is of a tangled shrubbery of flowering bushes, from

BARTICA GROVE. 5 which rise groups of graceful palms, and is bounded in the distance by the edge of the forest. The ditches and paths in the village are choked by great masses of maidenhair ferns and silver-backed gymnograms.

The decaying village is now chiefly inhabited by so-called ‘river-men.’ These are idle negroes and half-castes who make a living on the timber-grants, or as bestthey can. There are also a few inhabitants of a better kind, chiefly store-keepers. As many of the river-men have had considerable practice in passing the falls which so greatly obstruct the rivers of the country, these men have generally been employed as boat-hands by travellers into the interior. They are, however, as‘ I had found on a previous occasion, an unmanageable and disagreeable set, and it is, therefore, far pleasanter to employ only Indians, who are not only much more easily managed, but also—and this is a most important consideration to a | traveller who must make companions of his crew—are far more pleasant in manner. Having already made the necessary arrangements, I was met at the Grove by a crew of Macusi Indians who were to accompany me into the interior.

The party consisted of my companions Messrs. Flint and Eddington, myself, and our Indians.

For some distance from Bartica Grove we passed through scenery which, if somewhat monotonous, is yet extremely beautiful, and is characteristic of this timber tract. The river in this part varies from about one and a half to two miles in width. A few islands of various sizes are scattered through the reaches. The banks on both sides of the river, as well as the islands, are everywhere clothed, down to the edge of the water, with rounded masses of foliage, generally laurellike in character, and really, though not apparently, rising to a great height. The whole scene is on so gigantic a scale that these forests seem hardly more than low bush. There was but little flower to add to the colour; but here and there, highest among the banked foliage, a mora-tree, breaking into ‘ new leaf of most varied shades, white, pale liver-coloured, a deeper red, and occasionally even a deep bright crimson, stood out in vivid contrast with the varied greens of the surrounding ~ trees. Lower on the bank of foliage, the large white and crimson flowers and huge dark pods of the white chocolatetree (Paohira aquatica, Aubl.) attracted the eye to where small flights of day-bats, startled by our passing boat, flitted about among’ the roots which rose from the water in the shadow of the overhanging trees.

Some fifteen miles above the Grove, the river suddenly contracts to a width of less than a quarter of a mile, forming a narrow reach called the ‘ Monkey Jump,’ through which the current forces its way with great violence. Passing through this we came out in a very few minutes into a new reach of. the river, wider than before.

With a careful pilot a small steamer might penetrate a little beyond the ‘ Monkey Jump,’ to a point a few miles before the first falls on the river at Aretaka. A few years ago a path was cut through the forest from this highest’ point navigable for a steamer to the Kaieteur fall on the Potaro river, which in height, volume, and in the beauty of the surrounding scenery, must rank among the very finest falls in the world. Probably, however, it will be long before this path, which was cut under Government direction in the hope of attracting strangers, is made easy enough for the ordinary traveller. At present it has not been once used, and much of it is already obliterated by the rapid growth of tropical vegetation.

Opposite to the point from which this path starts stands Moraballi, a cluster of three houses, inhabited by a woodcutter and his family, and interesting to us as the last civilised houses which we were to see for six months.

The scenery was characteristic. The sheet of water, some four miles in length and from two to three in width, was closed at either end by a curve in the course of the river. The smooth and lake-like water was broken in some half-dozen places by projecting rocks on which there was perhaps a bush or two, or at least some long waving grass. In one place a school of white river porpoises was splashing

MORABALLL. . 7 up the water. The banks framing the scene were everywhere clothed with a dense mass of trees, the foliage of which passed in varied and rounded curves down to the edge of the water. These trees, really of enormous height, seemed but a low, even-topped, far-extending ‘bush.’ In one place only were the banks cleared of trees; and there, under the shade of two enormous clumps of gracefully arching bamboos stood the wooden-galleried cottages of Moraballi. Among these houses were a few crimson-flowered hibiscus bushes, and behind was a tree, at that time white with flower, like an English cherry-tree in May. A wonderfully clear, yellowish light was over the whole picture.

Just beyond the houses, Moraballi creek runs into the Essequibo. These creeks, or tributary streams, some of which are ef such considerable size that they might well be called rivers, are very numerous throughout the courses of most of the rivers of Guiana.

It was in passing up this very creek, on a previous occasion, that I first understood the beauty of a tropical forest. On the main rivers the scenery is too large to be well understood ; but these smaller streams give more definite impressions. Moraballi creek is about the width of the Cherwell at Oxford. The bright, dark red, wine-coloured water runs, arched over by gigantic trees and palms and ferns, through dense shade. The swampy banks are thickly set with ferns and large lily-leaved aroids. At the water's edge a carpet of half-transparent filmy ferns and mosses is kept continually moist. From the trees which meet overhead, roots and leafless stems of wiry creeping plants hang down to the water; and on some of these humming-birds fix their tiny nests. There is no colour; the light is very dim ; the air is very cool and almost chilly. But in one place, where a tree had fallen and left a space in the forest roof, the glorious and intensely blue sky appeared, its colour thrown into extraordinary vividness by a wreath of scarlet-blossomed passion-flower which had thrown itself across the open space from tree to tree, On the fallen tree, now lying leafless and branchless across the stream, almost touching the water, perched a great grey-blue kingfisher, which, frightened by the approach of our boat, flew screaming down the dark, arched streamway which lay beyond us.

But I should never end were I to try to describe all the beauties of this creek; so I must satisfy myself by adding that the peculiarly impressive effect of a tropical forest is never more apparent than in such creeks,

Leaving Moraballi, we soon reached the farthest point to which the tide runs. This is some sixty miles from the sea, at the first rapids, called Aretaka, which separate the timber from the forest tract. These rapids, which interrupt the course of the river for upwards of fifteen miles, are very similar, differing probably only in their greater or less length, to most of those which obstruct the rivers of Guiana and render navigation difficult; so 4.6 a description of these will serve to give a general idea of all.