At the confluence of the Cameji and Orinoco we unloaded our baggage, and the Indians, familiar with all the shoals in the raudal, led the empty pirogue to the mouth of the Toparo river where the water is no longer dangerous. Each rock forming the falls of the raudal has a different name. As long as they are not more than 1. to 2 feet above water the Indians do not mind letting the current take their canoes; but to go up river they swim ahead and after much struggling tie cables to rocks and pull the boats up.

But the shores of Lake Valencia are not famed solely for their picturesque beauties: the basin presents several phenomena whose interpretation holds great interest for natural historians and for the inhabitants. What causes the lowering of the lake's water-level? Is it receding faster than before? Will the balance between the flowing in and the draining out be restored, or will the fear that the lake might dry up be proved justified?