The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-10

routes becoming quite impracticable on account
of the heavy rains that had recently fallen; they
therefore went to Cariaco and embarlSing in
canoe with the botanical and geological spec-
mems which they had collected on their Journey
they returned to Cumana by sea.
Across the Country.
They remained ut Cumana some time making
preparations Tor a journey to the Oronoco ana
Rio Negro. They had before them a ten months
route across country without any communlca-
tiOn with the coast; and, having furnished them
selves with intelligent guides, on November 10
they left Cumana once more and sailed down
the Manzanares to Caracas. 1t was the dry sea-
son, and while there they saw the savannahs on
fire, kindled to improve the vegetation. In
February they set out for the Oronoco; and the
first marked object they saw on their Journey
was famous tree, known throughout the pro-
vince by the name of the Iamang del Guayrc,
1t was species of mmosa its trunk sixty feet
high and nine inches thick. It's beauty and
popularity were in its hemisphere head five
hundred and seventy-siX feet in circumference,
with the branches bent downward in the form
OF an umbrella. The early conquerors OF the
province this tree i'm the same state rs Hum
bodt did; he considered it at least as old us the
dragOn-tree of OrOtavO.
The travellers iourneyed by night, on account
of the excessive heat. They visited the hot
spring of Trinchera, which they found of n tenn
peraturc sufficiently high to boil eggs; and while
passing through the valleys of Aragna they saw
trees. the trunks of which yielded from incisions
abundance of glutinous milk, devoid of acridity,
and of balmy smell They both drank of it,
and were told that it formed a very nourishlng
part of the native diet These valleys were
luXurantly fertile, producing everywhere plan
tains wateTmelOns and calabashes. Here also
they saw numerous bands of bowling monkeys
going slowly in procession from tree to tree,
through the forests. The uniformity of their
movements was very remarkable. When the
trees did not touch each other the male who led
the party suspended himself by his tail, aud
dropping from the branches, swung himself to
and fro until his oscillations brought him within
reach of neighboring bough. The whole
file performed the same movement on the same
spot.
When the travellers entered upon the llanos
they found the plains level for thirty square
miles. In these vast and profound solitudes
vegetation was sCant and rare and no dwellings
were to he seen upon the drcary wastes. 1t was
not until they had journeyed two days and two
nights that theyreached lonely farm, where they
rested, and the following morning resumed their
way on horseback, at two O'Clock, to avoid the
heat of the day. Arrived at Calabozo they
found Spanard. who had constructed an cleo
trcal machine. But what Humboldt had the
greatest curiosity to sec here were the
GymnOti, electrical Eels.
He and Bonpland went. therefore, in company
with several Indians, to make hoir experiments
in the open air; for so great w dread the
natives had of the shocks ..-y caused that
though Humboldt offered Two piastres for Il
strong and vigorous fish, if brought 70 his house.
he failed in obtaining what he desired. They
were conducted by their guides to a stream
which had shrunk into a muddy basin during
the drought and which was surrounded by fine
trees To catch the gymnOU in nets
tremely difficult, and the Indians fished for them
with horses in the following manner:-They
secured the plain until they had collected about
thirty wild horses and mules, which they drove
into the pool. The tumult brought the cells out
of the mud and excited them to battle. These
aquatic serpents--of a yellOwish, livid hue
swan on the surface of the water, and crowded
under the animals, which the Indians pre-
vented from escaping with their long har-
poons. Stunned by the noise, the eels
defended themselves by repeated discharges
of their electric batteries and several horses
sank beneath the violence of the invisible
strokes which assailed them on every side, while
others, with eyes expressing the utmost anguish,
and names erect, endeavored to fly from the
contest Two horses were soon drowned;
stunned by the shock, they sank, and were una
bic to rise again in the long struggle between
the gymnoti and the other horses The travel
lers anticipated that all the animals would be
thus destroyed but after time, the ecls were
wearied out and dispersed; they would require
long rest and much nournishment to repair the
galvanic force they had lost. Some of them
now approached the edge of the posl, and the
Indians took them with their harpoOns, eXpe-
riencing no shock as they raised them into the
air. when the cords TO which the harpoOns W ere
fastened became dry
The Rio Apure.
The travellers left Calabozo well satisfied with
their stay, and towards the end of March ar
rived at the mission of San Fernando, from
which place, two days later, they set sail up the
Rio Apure in Il large canoe, managed by pilot
and four Indians, for the Oronoco. They soon
entered region inhabited only by Jaguars, ta-
pirs and crocodiles. In some parts the river
was nine hundred feet wide, and straight as II
canal with magnificent forest trees on its banks.
In others, where the shore was open they saw
rs many as eight or ten crocodiles lying on the
| sand. Bonpland went ashore to measure dead
| one and found it twenty-five feet three inches
| in length The travellers heard of girl who
saved her life, when seized by one of these ter
| rble creatures, by thrustng her fingers into its
eyes: it Quilted its hold but bit off her left arm.
| The crocodile is an excellent swimmer. even
against the strongest currents, but it turns
| slowly, and so occasionally loses its prey.
| While going up the river the whole party COM
monty slept ashore in hammocks, sung between
| the trees, and were terribly disturbed by the
cries and bowling of the beasts by night. At
| Joval they saw jaguar as large rs a Bengal
| tiger: and one day when Humboldt had landed,
| he suddenly found himself within eighty PAGES
| of a aguar lying under ceiba tree; but he made
| A swift silent detour, and escaped safe to the
| boat. Thus far they had been sailing on the Rio
| Apure, but now they came to
| The OrOnOcO,
with lovely hills and majestic granite mountains
in the distance. A vast plain OF water spread
| around them like lake, and the shores, parched
| Inv tbe heat, were bare as the sea-beach. At low
| water the river was six thousand teet wide; in
| the rainy season it increased to thirty-two
| Thousand. Proceeding southwards the noun
tains of Encaramada appeared 10 rise from the
uater ne if seen on the horizon of the sea. The
| natives of the district have tradition OF great
Hoods that once prevailed there where the waves
| of the sea beat against the lofty granite rocks
which the travellers saw sculptured at an I'M
mense height with hieroglyphic figures. AT
the time OF the great waters said the indians,
| G. 4l,,,g t,,f flnnf