RELIGIOUS
337
INCURSIONS.
San F e r n a n d o d e A t a b a p o , S a n C a r l o s , a n d S a n F r a n c i s c o S o l a n o , art; t h e m o s t
considerable
missions of the U p p e r Orinoco. as in t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g
settlements
villages o f S a n Balthasar a n d J a v i t a ,
t h e a b o d e s of the priests are neatly-built lianas, a n d s u r r o u n d e d b y g a r d e n s . pirijao p a l m s were t h e m o s t g a v e u s an a n i m a t e d Guaviare.
He
undertaken
to
in t h e m .
Under
w h o have d e s e r t e d of
years
us
how much
bapo, and on t h e western
I took
poitos.
declivity
I w a s a s s u r e d also b y s o m e
Guaviare
of the
San Fernando
los
the
A c c o r d i n g to the
t h e distance is o n e
o f t h e provinces
confluence
or ten
among the
of t h e Cordillera
de la suma Paz,
first villages
the
neophytes
o n t h e b a n k s of t h e A t a -
h u n d r e d and seven l e a g u e s only from
to t h e w e s t
journeys,
a b o v e eight
off, a n d d i s t r i b u t e d
observations
Llanos.
these
A l l , e v e n w o m e n a n d old m e n , t a k e
I n d i a n s o f t h e missions as serfs, or
formerly
mission
o n t h e Rio
s o u l s , " are desired b y t h e
the village, children
A n d e s , n e a r t h e Paramo
of these
the
t h e p r e t e x t of recovering
a g e a r e carried
astronomical
of
o f his i n c u r s i o n s
" f o r t h e c o n q u e s t of
I n d i a n s of t h e m i s s i o n s . part
ornaments
t h e president
account
related
houses, covered by
T h e tall t r u n k s o f t h e
beautiful
I n our walks,
plantations.
among the
A t S a n F e r n a n d o , as w e l l
of Caguan
to the
and San J u a n de
Indians, who dwelt
o f t h e island o f A m a n a v e n i ,
o f the Rio Supavi,
beyond
t h a t g o i n g in a boat o n
(in t h e m a n n e r o f t h e s a v a g e s )
s t r a i t ( a n g o s t u r a ) a n d t h e principal
cataract,
beyond they
the
m e t , at
t h r e e d a y s ' d i s t a n c e , bearded a n d clothed m e n , w h o c a m e in standi
of the eggs
alarmed
the Indians
redescending
of the terekay
the Guaviare.
bearded white
men came
It
from
S a n M a r t i n , t h e Rio G u a v i a r e the
rivers A r i a r i
turtle.
so m u c h , that they is
This
fled
probable,
t h e villages
meeting
precipitately, that
of Aroma
these and
b e i n g f o r m e d b y t h e union of
and G u a y a v e r o .
W e must
n o t be sur-
prised that the missionaries o f t h e O r i n o c o and t h e A t a b a p o little
suspect
h o w near
they
live
M o c o a , Rio F r a g u a , a n d C a g u a n . t h e real the data,
distances
longitude. and
the A n d e s , vol.
II.
of
that
these
can b e k n o w n o n l y I t was
a n d t h e information
Popayan
t o t h e missionaries
In
Pasto,
in I
by
consequence gathered
to t h e west
of
desert c o u n t r i e s , observations of
of
astronomical
in t h e c o n v e n t s of of
the Cordillera
of
1 formed an a c c u r a t e ideaideaoft h e respective
z