I spent the day pleasantly with them, however,
and parted that evening with many kind wishes and warnings. The
Governor's engineer, who was one of the party, told me all he knew about
the river and said I would soon reach the terrible rapids known as the
Salto del Gitano--the Gypsey's Leap.
"After leaving the delightful company, I bowled away on a flying current
and ere long heard a roar below warning me that I was approaching a
dangerous point. I prepared to take it, no matter what it was. The river
closed in between two natural walls, as narrow as a canal, and danced
away at a lively pace. The water dashed over the rocks that obstructed
its passage, and was churned into foam and spray that leaped high into
the air. As the roar below grew more terrible, I lost some courage and
endeavored to check up, fearing to encounter backwater. In attempting to
stop myself, I grasped a rock as I was being carried by; but did not
have strength enough to resist the force of the current, and so was
hurled along. The current ran about thirty kilometers an hour, and the
rocks were so high on either side that only a small strip of sky was
visible overhead. The stream took on an abrupt turn about every hundred
yards and was running in the most peculiar currents.
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