Chapter IV
276. Thus the day of departure ever drew nearer and kept us all the more occupied as we still had many a thing to think of, and much to worry over that we had postponed to the very last moment. While my brother purchased what he wanted wholesale, I had to get mine retail when, like a prudent housekeeper, I never dared let out of my sight my working capital that had dwindled down to a minus quantity: – and yet in this noisy excitement, in the continual dread of having forgotten this or that, there was something at the same time so satisfactory and stimulating that it is still a pleasure to call to mind those days replete with petty worries, unnecessary doubts, and fallacious hopes. But it was all due to the fact of its being my first journey to the interior of a country that already in its civilised portion had opened quite a new world to me.
277. The whole of the preparations were finally completed and all purchases effected. Cases and boxes filled with peas, rice, potatoes, coffee, sugar, and some North American hams: others with guns, powder and shot, coloured print, and salesmpore (a blue light cloth), with knives of all sizes, looking-glasses, beads of different colours, fish-hooks, combs, scissors, needles and pins: barrels and kegs with North American salt-fish, pickled beef and pork, vinegar, rum and spirits as well as a few bottles of wine – everything was ready and waiting to be put on board the big schooner “Home” which had to take us to the mouth of the Waini or Guiana in the Atlantic Ocean.
Owing to our lodgings up to the present being fairly distant from the landing – stage, the transporting did not progress as quickly as my impatience could have wished, until it came to an end with the last of the astronomical instruments.
278. Morning of the 19th April broke on the whole of our crew, now in their neat and clean broad white-linen trousers and jackets with red facings and red ashes, who were assembled in front of our house, the inside of which since the first streak of daylight had become the rendezvous of all our friends and acquaintances. There was plenty of joking and chaffing about the deeds of heroism that were promised and adventures already experienced in advance, while warnings were offered gratis as regards accidents to come. As a matter of fact, bets were made on the success or that particular portion of it, for they could not resist their love of betting even where the future of their friends and associates was in question.
279. But while the best of humour prevailed inside the house, quite different feelings were being expressed outside it.
My brother’s boat’s crew consisted almost entirely of married coloured men and negroes and although the proposed line of route was planned for but a few months, a number of disquieting rumours relative to the hostile attitude of the Venezuelans towards the Expedition had given rise to so general a panic that the poor women already saw their men for the last time. With the most woeful expostulations they individually and collectively tried to soften their hard-hearted husbands and get them to turn back while there was still time, and not leave them and their unfortunate children in distress; but they, leaning on their oars painted in various colours, either manfully withstood all tears, entreaties, and prayers, or else interpolated some course expression during a momentary lull in the squalling tumult, at the same time looking very anxious to get away, while my genial South German, Stockle, started pitying the poor wives and tried comforting the children.
The heart of my little boy from Halle also seemed to have become too heavy, because he looked at me with eyes very far from as saucy as they were before.
280. It was already noon when in the company of our friends and a large concourse of people we stepped on board the schooner where we found all cases and barrels stowed away, and the two large corials wherein we were subsequently to continue our journey by river well protected on the deck. With the firing of our ship’s cannons and the repeated hurrahs of the crowds collected on shore, the anchor was weighed and the sails hoisted.
281. Thanks to a favourable wind blowing, the city with its envelope of palms seen disappeared from view: it was only the Lighthouse Tower that delayed it with its goodbye, until that also followed, when at last the fruitful stretch of country, the “Arabian” coast, brightened with the setting sun, emerged before us in the azure distance and bade us welcome.
The sudden onset of darkness deprived us only too quickly of the glorious sight. The name “Arabian” coast is a corruption of Arowabiecie, the term which the Arawak Indians apply to a small species of tiger cat, which is said to have been very plentiful here formerly.
On the other hand it is maintained that the word is a corruption of the Caribbean Coast, the Caribs having occupied this territory in large numbers.
Although our voyage along this coast had commenced so auspiciously, it became all the more stormy with nightfall: a rough evening was only to be expected from the black threatening thunder-clouds that already before sundown had towered over the distant ocean- horizon. The awful tempest burst of a sudden with a fury that our vessel could not face.
As if stormy at the very gates of heaven, the waves with their sharp-defined edges, momentarily illumined by a dazzling flash of lightning, soon made her the playball of their fancy and the pilot frankly admitted that he no longer knew his bearing:- a huge shock succeeded by a shaking of the vessel told us in short that we were stuck fast upon a sandbank. The storm and savage struggle of the elements fortunately abated after a while, to be followed by a strikingly contrasted calm which our schooner quite comfortably shared, for she could now ride peacefully at anchor.
283. What the gloomy night had mercifully hid, what the storm and excited waves had stunned, we discovered at break of day: the whole of the expedition suffered the pangs of sea sickness. Firmly chained to the sandbank we had to remain lying here until one o’clock in the afternoon when we were only released without further accident, from our involuntary standstill with the returning flood.
284. The Arabian Coast along which we now made our way consists, like the whole stretch of coast-line in general, of alluvial land which form on its decomposition an exceedingly fruitful soil.
This is luxuriantly overgrown with the glistening Rhizophora Mangle, Avicennia nitida and tomentosa as well as with Laguncularia racemosa and Conocarpus erectus Jacq, which with their refreshingly bright green foliage provide an extremely pleasant fringe to the flat coast-line, but at the same time contribute a very great deal to its unhealthiness owing to their peculiar root branches for the most part being raised above the surface: the two former block and retain in their labyrinthine ramifications much of the detritus brought down by the rivers and deposited on the coast by the tide, where they fairly poison the air with their decaying decomposition.
285. In spite of this harmful influence, the ever fresh green of these bushes gives the extensive flat lands a really delightful charm, which is still further increased by the many mingled coloured flocks of red ibis, white egret, rosy-red spoon-bill and beautiful proud flamingo as well as by numbers of other water birds: it is the loveliest edge for the rich carpets unrolling itself behind. With incoming flood and at eve the countless feathered hosts fly back with dire discordant din to the green-leaved coastal bushes and trees, to wait there for the ebb tide or for the dawn: it is extraordinary that the different genera then keep completely separate from one another.
286. On the afternoon of 21st April we reached the mouth of the Waini and after landing our baggage on a large bank composed of sand and shell fragments heaped up by the waves, and sending the schooner back to
Georgetown, started to pitch our tent: this was easier said than done because none of the tent-posts would hold in the soil which was loose and constantly giving way.
287. After satisfying my most necessary requirements: I commenced to examine more carefully the composition of our shfting plot of ground. The extensive elongate bank consisted, as just mentioned, of an accumulation of sand , shell and shell fragments which the powerful current had collected here the molluses themselves however had got lost, already probably on their involuntary journey. Although the real native country of many of these snails and shells was the Indian Ocean, the Senegal, China and the South Seas, they must nevertheless also be forthcoming on some as yet unknown stretch of the Atlantic Ocean, because the current could not have brought them from these situations here. Thus I found: Marginella coerulescens Lam, Natica marochiensis Lam, Buccinum Miga Adans., Dolium fasciatum Lam., Nucula rostrata, Fusus Morio Lam, Pyrula melongena Lam, Purpura cataracta Lam.
288. It often happens that a resident of the coast when looking of a morning for some such sandbank upon which perhaps only the day before he was enjoying a view of the raging turmoil- no longer sees it. These banks generally disappear just as quickly as they develop, or their previous contour becomes altered so strikingly that one does not recognize them again in their altered condition. With the incoming flood, the blustering surf seemed as if it likewise wanted to attempt similar changes upon our perishable abode, a cause for anxiety o which was soon added the torments of an intolerable heat, because no tree, not even a shrub, protected us from the scorching and fiery sunshine, that rendered even the inside of the tent insufferable. Fortunately at least we were saved the terrors of mosquitoes because every attempted attack of theirs was repulsed by that true ally of ours, the sea breeze.
289. According to my brother’s arrangements we were to remain here until he had fixed the geographical situation of this spot as accurately as possible: at the same time in conjunction with Mr. Glascott he wanted to learn how far the bed of the Waini might be navigable.
290. The sandbank offered nothing but a countless supply of waterbirds which, hastening here in swarms of thousands from the coast during the ebb, and surprised at our unexpected visit, settled down on the far water-side. Amongst them were the glorious flamingoes which already at a fair distantance away might mislead one into thinking a company of English soldiers was on the march along the shore. Hundreds of rose-red spoon -bills (Platalea Ajaia Linn.) lustful for robbery but keeping us all the time in view, was wading through the shallow waterholes: associated with these and taking similar precautions were long rows of Ardea Ieucogaster Wagl., A. nivea Lath., A. leuce Ill.,and A. coerulescens Lath., as well as dense crowds of sand-pipers and snipe (Charadrius, Numenius, Scolopax). Outside of these lines the greatest varieties of duck were rocking themselves on the shapely curved rollers of the lightly moving surf, while enormous processions of scissor-bill (Rhynchops) in close rank, flew slowly along immediately above the surface and ploughed up the water with their peculiarly constructed beaks. With a shot putting an end to these brisk activities the deafening cackle, scream and chatter suddenly subsided, whereupon the trees and shrubs along the shore became temporarily covered with blossoms that were foreign to them. For hours together I used to watch this ever changing struggle, the watchword of which is a continual feud and strife between and among the different genera: it was only the fear of my gun that was able to ensure a shot armistice which even the red ibis and white egret when put to rout willfully misunderstood. It was peculiar never to see the young birds of the former species flying with the older ones, but in their own separate flocks, as could be recognized already at a distance, because the grey feathers of the youngster only changes into the fiery red of the adult during the course of the third year. The flesh of the young bird being extremely tasty, it continually served as a target for our guns.
