e sea, and speak the Carib
language.' Of all these he speaks from modest hearsay, and less
confidently than Othello did to Desdemona. It is true that he relates
marvellous and fabulous things, but it is no less than just to
distinguish very carefully between what he repeats and what he reports.
For the former we have to take the evidence of his interpreters, who but
dimly understood what the Indians told them, and Raleigh cannot be held
personally responsible; for the latter, the testimony of all later
explorers, especially Humboldt and Schomburgk, is that Raleigh's
narrative, where he does not fall into obvious and easily intelligible
error, is remarkably clear and simple, and full of internal evidence of
its genuineness.

They had now been absent from their ships for nearly a month, and
Raleigh began to give up all hope of being able on this occasion to
reach the city of Manoa. The fury of the Orinoco began to alarm them;
they did not know what might happen in a country subject to such sudden
and phenomenal floods. Tropical rains fell with terrific violence, and
the men would get wetted to the skin ten times a day. It was cold, it
was windy, and to push on farther seemed perfectly hopeless. Raleigh
therefore determined to return, and they glided down the vast river at a
rapid pace, without need of sail or oar. At Morequito, Raleigh sent for
the old Indian chief, Topiawari, who had been so friendly to him before,
and had a solemn interview with him. He took him into his tent, and
shutting out all other persons but the interpreter, he told him that
Spain was the enemy of Guiana, and urged him to become the ally of
England. He promised to aid him against the Epuremi, a native race which
had oppressed him, if Topiawari would in his turn act in Guiana for the
Queen of England. To this the old man and his followers warmly assented,
urging Raleigh to push on, if not for Manoa, at least for Macureguarai,
a rich city full of statues of gold, that was but four days' journey
farther on. This, Raleigh, in consideration of the sufferings of his
followers, declined to do, but he consented to an odd exchange of
hostages, and promised the following year to make a better equipped
expedition to Manoa. He carried off with him the son of Topiawari, and
he left behind at Morequito a boy called Hugh Goodwin. To keep this boy
company, a young man named Francis Sparrey volunteered to stay also; he
was a person of some education, who had serv