MISTINESS OF THE
ATMOSPHERE.
403
m y part, was afraid lest I should again find the fogs o f t h e Rio N e g r o in the valley o f the Cassiquiare. N o o n e in these missions for half a c e n t u r y past had d o u b t e d t h e existence o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t w o great systems o f rivers; the i m p o r t a n t p o i n t o f o u r v o y a g e was confined t h e r e fore to fixing b y astronomical observations the c o u r s e o f t h e Cassiquiare, and particularly the p o i n t o f its e n t r a n c e i n t o the Rio N e g r o , and that o f the bifurcation o f t h e O r i n o c o . W i t h o u t a sight o f t h e sun and the stars this o b j e c t w o u l d b e frustrated, and w o should have e x p o s e d ourselves in vain t o l o n g and painful privations. O u r fellow travellers w o u l d have r e t u r n e d b y the shortest w a y , that o f t h e P i m i c h i n and t h e small rivers; b u t M . B o n p l a n d preferred, like m e , p e r sisting in t h e plan o f t h e v o y a g e , which we had traced for ourselves in passing t h e G r e a t Cataracts. W e had already travelled o n e h u n d r e d and eighty leagues in a b o a t f r o m San F e r n a n d o de A p u r e t o San Carlos, o n t h e Rio A p u r e , t h e O r i n o c o , the A t a b a p o , t h e T e m i , the T u a m i n i , a n d the K i o Negro. I n again entering the O r i n o c o b y the Cassiquiare w e had to navigate three h u n d r e d and t w e n t y leagues, from San Carlos to A n g o s t u r a . B y this w a y w e had t o struggle against the currents d u r i n g ten d a y s ; t h e rest was t o b e p e r f o r m e d b y g o i n g d o w n the stream o f the O r i n o c o . It w o u l d have b e e n blamable t o have suffered ourselves t o b e d i s c o u r a g e d b y the fear o f a c l o u d y sky, a n d b y t h e m o s quitos o f the Cassiquiare. O u r I n d i a n pilot, w h o had been recently at M a n d a v a c a , p r o m i s e d us t h e sun, a n d " t h o s e great stars that eat the c l o u d s , " as s o o n as w e should have left the black waters o f the Guaviare. W e therefore carried o u t o u r first project o f r e t u r n i n g t o San F e r n a n d o de A t a b a p o b y the Cassiquiare; and, fortunately for o u r researches, the prediction o f the I n d i a n was verified. T h e white waters b r o u g h t us b y degrees a m o r e serene sky, stars, m o s q u i t o s , and crocodiles. W e passed b e t w e e n the islands o f Z a r u m a and M i n i , o r M i b i t a , c o v e r e d with thick v e g e t a t i o n ; and, after having ascended the rapids o f t h e Piedra de Uinumane, w e e n t e r e d t h e Rio Cassiquiare at the distance o f eight miles from t h e small fort o f San Carlos. T h e Piedra, o r granitic r o c k which forms t h e little cataract, attracted o u r attention o n a c c o u n t o f t h e n u m e r o u s veins o f quartz b y which it i s 2 D 2