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1787. and the valley along the river-fide feeming to promife the greateft
^ uaT variety of any part within my reach, I fixed on that for my afternoon’s
ramble.
When I got on the hanks of the river, one of the natives was
paddling backwards and forwards in a fmall canoe, feemingly for
his amuTement: on this it occurred to me, that a cruize by water
would be an agreeable variety, and perhaps give me an opportunity
•of feeing part of the country on the oppofite fhore, and more efpe-
•cially, as on the fide ©f the hill directly facing me, there was a
high wooden pile, feemingly of a -quadrangular form, which I
wifhed to examine. A couple of nails engaged my new waterman,
and he took me with pleafure for a paffenger. *
1 could not prevail on the man to land me near the place I have
ju ft been fpeaking o f ; he gave me to underftand, that the pile I was
-deCrous to fee was a Moral, or place where they buried their dead,
•and that he durlt not go near it.
Being difappointed in my expectation of examining this burying
place, I direfted the man to paddle leifurely up the river, that I
might have an opportunity o f viewing the furrounding profpects
which prefented themfelves to me, though thefe are very confined,
the valley being not more than a mile over, in its wideft part, and
narrowing gradually as you advance higher Up.
The river is not one hundred yards over, in the wideft part, but
in many places much narrower; it glides along in a fmooth pellucid
ftream, fcarcely perceptible, though this,’ I fhould imagine,
is not -the cafe in rainy weather, as the Eaftern fhore is fteep and
rocky.
Thefe
1 1 1
Thefe rocks feem to be in a great meafure covered with a thin 1787.
ftrata of the light red earth I have before fpoke of, and which, I ,__e *
doubt not, is wafhed into the river beneath by every hafty fhower
of rain; fo that'the water of this river is frequently muddy, and
its ftream rapid ; how far it branches out into the ifland, I cannot
fay, but there is reafon to fuppofe, from the appearance of the country,
that its fource is derived nearly from the center of the ifland...
After we had proceeded about half a mile up the river, my man
jumped haftily out of the canoe, without giving me the leaft notice,
by which means it was near being upfet. I was not alarmed at this
circumftance, as the water was not out of my depth ; but I was
rather furprifed to hear Bern, Berre, called aloud, by a voice which
I had feme knowledge of : on looking round, I law one of the natives
making haftily towards us, through the water, and the fame moment
recognized the man I engaged to attend me in the morning.
I had miffed him during dinner time, and not feeing him afterwards,
concluded he had left me -, but it feems the Matano I had
promifed him, operated fo powerfully, that he had watched my
motions the whole afternoon, and now took an opportunity to-
remind me of his diligence in attending me, and his concern for
my welfare whilft on the water.
My waterman (if I may fo call the man who belonged to the-
canoe) now got into her, and we proceeded up the river ; he jumped
out only to bale the water, which, being leaky, fhe made pretty
faft. By the time we had cruized about two miles up the river,,
the afternoon was pretty far fpent ; this made me think of returning,
efpecially as the valley which lies to the Weft of the river,
and through which I muff pafs in my way to the beach, feemed to>
promife a good deal of variety.
R The