y leagues of coastline similar to that which confronts us. In this
stretch there are at least a hundred mouths, connected one with the
other by thousands of cross channels. The whole delta is a bewildering
maze of waterways. Some of these are deep enough to carry our ship
well into the country; others are too shallow to float a ship's boat.
Moreover, the guide says that he has had a free passage up a channel on
one occasion that was impassable on another because of the shifting
sandbanks. One of the main mouths is very deep, but the current is
also of great strength. We take risks whatever we do."

"Is he sure that we are approaching the Orinoco coast?"

"Quite."

"That will do, then. We will skirt it until he recognizes a landmark."

The light breeze held steady, the tide was running in; so fair progress
was made. The land now stood out quite distinct from the water. Dark
masses of woodland could be discerned standing back on the fringe of
the tidal mud, but no opening was visible in the low, dark line.
Without going farther in, the ship's course was altered until it was
parallel with the coast, and all the afternoon they held steadily
along, looking for some landmark familiar to the Indian. But the coast
was so monotonous in its regularity that distinguishing features were
not plentiful. It was nearly sunset when, following an inward curve of
the shore, they discovered that they were in the mouth of a wide
estuary. The banks were miles apart, but, the tide being out, a turbid
current was distinguishable, flowing in great volume seawards. The
wind, for the time, had practically died down, and the current began to
swing the ship round, and bear her back to the Atlantic. Soundings
were taken, and about three fathoms of water discovered, where at least
twenty times that depth had been anticipated. This was disappointing,
for it was evident that they had turned into one of the shallow mouths,
and navigation might come to an end a few miles up. Captain Drake
dropped anchor well away from the shore and its pestilential night
mists, and made all snug against the morning. He recognized that the
navigation of the river was going to be no easy matter, and he decided
to go warily.

The tide ran again about midnight, and on the early morning ebb the
_Golden Boar_ stood out to sea once more, and went in search of a more
promising opening. They found one that Yacamo thought he knew, and,
taking advantage of the