Kofola Dift 178f 35773 Bancroft Library A VISIT TO THE KAIETEUR FALLS. EARLY in April, 1872, a party of gentlemen,* including three officers of the garrison in Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana, and a civilian resident in that colony, determined to pay a visit to the Falls of the Kaieteur, discovered for the first time in April, 1871, by Mr. Brown, the Government Surveyor, and subsequently visited by Sir George Young, Mr. Brown, and Mr. King, in July, 1871. Owing to their interesting account of these Falls, scientifically described by Mr. Brown in a paper which was read before the Royal Geographical Society of London (vide Report, R.G.S., for July, 1871), a certain enthusiasm arose throughout the colony on the subject, and a general ambition to organize fresh parties of explorers to witness this beautiful and unhackneyed reality of nature. It being impossible to improve on the description of the Falls already given to the public by Mr. Brown, we determined to supplement this by illustrations of them and of what might be interesting in the way of scenery along the banks of the great river Essequibo and its tributary the Potaro, by which our route lay. We therefore took with us a photographer, * The party consisted of the Honourable H. S. Bascom, M.C.P., and Major Webber, with Lieutenants E. H. Banfather and H. F. Jackson, of the 2nd West India Regiment. B with his apparatus, chemicals, &c., which added greatly to the difficulty and expense of the undertaking. The result, however, compensated well for these, and we obtained twenty-one good views. Mr. Sproston, of Georgetown, having kindly placed one of his steamers at our disposal, and all our baggage (small as regarded the person, but sufficiently bulky in the way of provisions and "matériel ") being on board, we got under way about 6.30 o'clock on the morning of the 11th of April, 1872, for our first stage on the journey. This was H.M. Penal Settlement, about seventy miles up the Essequibo, on its left bank, and near the point where the rivers Mazaruni and Cuyuni join and swell its already expansive waters, which, some twenty miles wide, debouch into the Atlantic by four channels formed by Leguan, Wakenaam, and Tiger Islands. After thirteen hours' steaming we arrived at our destination, disembarked, and were, by the kind permission of His Excellency Governor Scott, received at the Government building called the Commissioners' House, where we were comfortably lodged. On the following morning we were disappointed by the non-appearance of our river men, called in Canada "voyageurs," who, to the number of twenty-two, had been engaged to row us up the river, act as carriers where necessary, make our camps water-tight, and themselves "rum-tight,”—the latter true one way, but not always so in the other sense! These men were half-breeds, descendants of Dutch fathers, and Indian mothers of various tribes, stout athletic fellows, well acquainted with river navigation, rapids, and their sometimes hazardous ascent or descent. It was not until late in the afternoon that they turned up from their homes across the river, a place called Bartika Grove; and being assembled, the terms of our agreement were read over to them (vide Appendix), to which they assented, receiving each five dollars in advance, and promised to be ready with their batteaus at daybreak next morning for our, I may say, real start on the journey. Having thus lost one day at the settlement, it was on the 13th of April that the early morning saw us busily engaged loading the batteaus and a sort of barge, 'The Lady Barkly,' called a tent - boat, kindly lent us by His Excellency the Governor. This boat was roofed in the centre, thus affording covered accommodation for four or five individuals, eight oarsmen being equally distributed in front and rear of what may be called the cabin, which was furnished with lockers, and held us and part of our baggage. A most energetic, useful man, named Christian, whose services were kindly placed at our disposal by Mr. Cox, the InspectorGeneral of Police, accompanied us in the tent-boat, which, with the river captain (Petersen), thus contained fifteen individuals, the photographic "appareil," and a large amount of stores, the balance of the latter, the river men's canisters, hammocks, &c., &c., being stowed in three unkeeled boats, or batteaus, as they are locally named, the Macouria,' Tiger,' and Ungrateful Wretch.' The latter belonged to one of our men, who had so christened her in commemoration of his being jilted by a brown but frail one, who received his presents but "kep company" with another! It being necessary to drive a substantial ringbolt into the 'Lady Barkly's' nose, whereby to attach six or seven fathoms of rope for the purpose of hauling her when necessary up the rapids, and to complete a few repairs to the roof stanchions, our departure was delayed a little, and the sun had well overtopped the eastern woods before the splashing of the Lady Barkly's' oars initiated the start. The batteaus, with their paddlers, followed abreast in the rear; a boatman's song arose with general chorus, and we were off merrily-merrily. This sunny aspect of affairs, however, was not to last; a lowering bank of clouds came rolling from the east, accompanied with distant thunder, and soon the rain. came down with promise of a deluge. This, however, was one of those contingencies we were prepared to meet cheerfully; but our temper was sorely tried when our flotilla with common accord made for the shore below Bartika Grove, and the men, through one of their spokesmen-a sulky, ill-conditioned fellow-declared it was necessary for them to land for breakfast: this after about one hour's rowing! However, there was no help for it, and for at least an hour and a half we, the passengers, were kept waiting in the tent-boat while the crew were wishing adieu to their friends, among whom they had got, unfortunately for us. At last we were off, the rain still falling. One of our party made a sketch of our condition. This, with its novelty, and lunch, helped to pass the time until about half-past four P.M., when we rounded Monair's Point and disembarked at Thessalonica, otherwise called St. Mary's Mission. Here were scattered some ten or twelve Indian huts of the Accowaio tribe, and in the centre a school and chapel house, with an indifferent tenement for the schoolmistresses, two white ladies, who welcomed us gladly, and civilly placed all their belongings at our service. Christian now commenced to cook; the men slung our hammocks in the school, and we prepared to pass our first night in the bush here amidst semi-civilization. We dined in the schoolmistresses' hut, thankful for the use of chairs and table. The rain, which had ceased at 5 P.M., recommenced with darkness, and lasted all the night. When we were giving directions for the morrow's start, the sulky spokesman, after some preliminary muttering with the men, approached one of our party, and represented that he and they had religious scruples about travelling on Sundays-they had no scruple, however, about claiming wages for these as for any other days! This we had not counted on, and as it affected the amount of provisions estimated for our journey, a difficulty (now past remedy) was caused. To compromise the matter, we agreed to remain sufficiently long for all the party to attend Divine Service in the morning, and then to resume our way. The school mistress assured us that 200 Indians attended this service weekly, and were zealously "seeking for light," under their christianized chief Antonio, who, we understood, origi |