still before us of being obliged to pass many more nights in the same situation, with the aggravation of suffering additional misery from our deficiency of provisions, especially as there was no prospect of arriving at any Indian hut or village until it had been long expended. We now cast off our rope from the trees and set forward. This current is so rapid in some places, that a man is obliged to swim on shore twenty or thirty times a day, and make his way along the side of the wood to the distance of one hundred yards, in order to make fast a rope to some tree, which is immediately hauled in by those on board. The rapid torrent, so often met with during the day, is occasioned by the abrupt windings and creeks of the river, and by large rocks raised flat, and descending gradually to the water. On these places the alligators are generally seen basking in the sun, with their mouths wide- open, until they are filled with all kinds of insects; the animal then lets fall its upper jaw, as instantaneously as one would shut the lid of a box. The alligators have the appearance of logs of wood, and have been often fatally mistaken; the general size is from eight to thirteen feet, the head and mouth being nearly a fourth of the length of the body. This day we finished the half biscuit we had left, and commenced upon the meat, which had now become much tainted and very offensive. I had a small carbine on board, and my companion a rifle, with which we amused ourselves by firing at the monkeys and parrots that were in

great plenty in the trees, and as we were obliged to keep within a few yards of the shore to avoid the strength of the current, we always had a good mark; but not being provided with a small canoe, we could not secure our game. Even with a canoe it would have been very difficult to find them in the thick underwood into which they must drop.

"This night was passed in circumstances equally disagreeable as on the former: and at the return of day-light we again continued our laborious voyage. We were not favoured by a breath of wind, and were therefore obliged to propel the boat by main strength: and this toil so exhausted the Indians, that we were often obliged to take their places for a few hours to let them sleep. They are the most lazy wretches imaginable, and, if not at last forced to resume their labour, would, rather than use any extraordinary exertion, leave the boat to the mercy of the torrent.

"This day we experienced some dreadful tropical showers, which wet through every thing we had about us. In order to reserve one dry covering for the night, Lieutenant W―― and myself stood up in the boat with our backs to the rain, and holding a blanket folded up under our coats, wrapped ourselves up in the other, as well as the length of it would admit: this kept the water out for some time; but the rain continuing six hours, we were perfectly soaked through, and were obliged to have recourse to our last blanket, which

was shortly in the same state as the other; yet we hoped that the shower would be over, and we could then dry them in the sun in an hour. To prevent getting wet is of the greatest consequence to an European on coming into hot climates, and a negligence of this precaution is generally attended with fatal consequences; as soon as the shower was over, the sun burst out again with the most scorching heat. We took this opportunity of drying our blankets, and got every thing right again for night. We halted two or three times during the day, at the bank or rocks, to dress our miserable victuals, which were now quite putrid. The manner in which we prepared this food was, first to wash it in the river, and having spitted a small piece on a stick, to roast or rather burn it in the fire; we again moistened the meat by dipping it at every mouthful in the water. How acceptable at this moment would have been the hardest crust, and a little salt to qualify this nauseous meal. Our prospect was now dreadful, for we had still one hundred miles to the first Indian village, and if we had not more wind than at present, must undoubtedly starve. It rained incessantly during the night; and the musquitoes being thus deprived of the free use of their wings, swarmed from the wood and got under our blankets, where they tortured us to that degree, that our hands were constantly employed in taking them from off our eyes and faces, where they most annoyed us. During our voyage the next day we were overjoyed at discovering a small canoe

VOL. II.

coming towards us, which was recognised by the Indian captain of our boat to belong to the Commodore, or largest gun-boat, on board of which was my Colonel; the canoe had only one Indian to guide it, and he brought a slip of paper directed to me from Colonel G. stating that he was the bearer of a bottle of rum, three biscuits, and a small piece of salt meat, which was what had been saved as the share of Lieutenant W-- and myself; and the Indian informed us, that they were now in a most miserable state on board the other boats.

"This supply, though small, was joyfully received by us; and we determined to be very sparing of our three biscuits, dividing one of them into four parts and making it serve us both a day.

"I will pass over many days of severe suffering that we sustained, from the oppressive heat of the sun by day, the continual rains during the night, and the necessity of subsisting on the most disgusting meat, which was now completely alive from putrefaction, and from which even the Indians turned with disgust. Suffice it to say, we arrived at an Indian village, named Sanchapa, in the morning of the eighth day from the time we had left the Spartan. We were here reinforced by two large boats, on board one of which was Commodore Dias, a Creole Spaniard, who commanded the whole of the Patriot gun-boats; he gave us the intelligence that the troops had stayed at Sanchapa during the night, and were now only a few miles in advance of us, and that

he had been anxiously waiting our coming to hasten us on; for it was expected that eight of the Royalist gun-boats were lying in ambush for us, as on the preceding day a schooner, laden with mules from Angostura, had been boarded by them and made a prize.

"The people in these boats presented, if possible, a more savage and fantastic appearance than those of our own. They were of both sexes, entirely naked, their bodies and long straight hair were daubed all over with red ochre, their arms and legs were bound round with string made of the fibres of the cocoa-tree, and plaited in a variety of figures. This is done while in their infancy, and occasions their limbs to swell above the bandage, which produces a very singular appearance. Sanchapa is a small village, built with rough branches of trees, and covered with the plantain and cocoa-leaf; it contains about 200 inhabitants, most of whom use this red ochre. They are a set of timid and cowardly people; their chief support is fish and beef, which they kill in the plains, where the cattle run wild ; they also hunt the tiger for the sake of its skin, which during the time they were under the Royalist Government, they disposed of to the merchants that traded up the Oronoco. They are armed with long bows and arrows, which they make and use very skilfully.

"We here received a fresh supply of beef, though not sufficient to last us to the next town, for we were again deceived as to the distance;