Accordingly we determined to push down: I was at the helm, the rest at
their paddles. But before we got half-way through the rushing waters
deprived the canoe of all power of steerage, and she became the sport of
the torrent; in a second she was half-full of water, and I cannot
comprehend to this day why she did not go down; luckily the people exerted
themselves to the utmost, she got headway, and they pulled through the
whirlpool: I being quite in the stern of the canoe, part of a wave struck
me, and nearly knocked me overboard.
We now paddled to some rocks at a distance, got out, unloaded the canoe and
dried the cargo in the sun, which was very hot and powerful. Had it been
the wet season almost everything would have been spoiled.
After this the voyage down the Essequibo was quick and pleasant till we
reached the sea-coast: there we had a trying day of it; the wind was dead
against us, and the sun remarkably hot; we got twice aground upon a mud-
flat, and were twice obliged to get out, up to the middle in mud, to shove
the canoe through it.
Pages:
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310