The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-11-23

He took in his largest boat, with himself,
sixty men, including his cousin, his neph-
ew, and principal officers. Another boat
carried twenty, and two others ten each.
ave had no other means" he says, in
his account afteward published. "but to
carry victual for month in the same,
and also to lodge therein as we could, and
to boil and dress our meat"
The Orinoco, at nearly forty leagues
from the sea, forms like the Nile, kind
of fan, strewed over with a multitude of
little islands, that divide it into numer-
Gus branches and channels, and force it
to discharge itself through this labyrinth
into the sea, by an infnity of mouths, oc
cupying an extent of more than sixty
leagues "The Indians who inhabit those
islands," says Raleigh, Gin the summer
have houses upon the ground, as in other
places; in the winter, they dwell upon
the trees, where they build very artitici-
al towns and villages. For between May
and September, the river rises to thirty
feet upright, and then are those islands
overhowed twenty feet high above the
level Of the ground, and for this cause
they are enforced to live in this manner.
They use the tops of palmitoes for bread !,
and kill deer, fish and pork for the rest of
their sustenance" Raleigh's account is
confirmed by later travellers. Humboldt
says, "The navigator in proceeding along
the channels of the delta of the Orinoco
at nj gbt, sees with surprise the summit of
the palm trees illuminated by large fires.
These are habitations of the GuaraonS,
which are suspended from the trees.-
These tribes hang up mats in the air,
which they fill with earth, and kindle Oh
layer of moist clay the fire necessary
for their household wants.
Passing up with the food and apcho-
ing during the ebb, Raleigh and lis com-
panions went on, till on the third day
their galley grounded, aud struck SO fast
that they feared their discovery must end
there, and they be left to inhabit like
rocks upon trees with these nations but
on the morrow, after casting out all her
ballast, with tugging and hauling to and
fro, they got her aAoat. After four days
more, they got beyond the influence Of
the tide, and were forced TO TOW against
violent current, till they began to des
pair, the weather being excessively hot,
and the river bordered with high trees,
that kept away the air. Their provisions
began to fail them, but some relief they
found by shooting birds of all colors, car
nation, crimson, orange, tawney, purple
and of all other sorts, both simple and
mixed. An old Indian whom they had
pressed into their service, was q faithful
guide to them, and brought them to an
Indian village where they got a supply
of bread, fish and fowl. They we're thus
ecouraged to persevere, and next day cap
tured two canoes laden with bread "and
divers baskets of roots, which were ex-
cellent meat
Raleigh treated the natives with hu-
manity, and in turn received friendly
treatment from them. The chiefs told
him fine stories about the gold mines, but
unfortunately the gold was not to be had
without labor, and the adventurers we're
in no condition 10 undertake mining op
erations. What they wanted was to find
n region like Mexico or Peru, only rich
er, where gold mi ght be found, not in the
rocks or the bowels of the earth, but in
possession of the natives in the form of
barbarc ornaments, that they would free
ly barter for European articles, or i'm
ages of their gods, such as Christians
might seize and carry away with an ap-
proving conscience.
Thus far their searh for such region
had been unsuccessful, and their ouly
hope was of reaching it by furter exp lor
ations- But the river was rising daily,
and the current flowed with such rapid
ity that they saw clearly if it went on to
increase as it had done for some time
past, it most soon debar all further pro-
gress. Raleigh found by talking with
the chiefs that they were all hostile to the
Spaniards, and willing enough to promise
him their aid in driving them out of the
country. lie accordingly ly told them that
he was sent by great and yirtuous queen
to deliver them from the tyranny of the
Spaniards. He also learned that the In
dians, with whom be was conyersing, were
an oppressed race, having been conquer
ed by nation who dwclt beyond tho
mountains, nation who wore large coats,
and hats of crimson color, and whose
houses had many rooms, one over the
other. They were called the Eperumei.
and against them oil the other tribes would
gladly combine. for they were the general
oppressors. Moreover the country Of
these Eperumci aboundcd in gold aud all
other good things.
He continued to make daily efforts to
ascend the river, and to explore the trib-
utary streams, but found his progress de-
barred, in some quarters, by the rapid
current of the swollen streams, aud in
others, by falls in the rivers. The falls
of one of the tributaries of the Oriuoeo,
the Carroll, he describes as 80 wonderful
breach of waters, running in three parts; ;
about twenty miles off and there ap-
prohahly these roots v ere no Other than p0ittoes