Having reached the south of the Caravine raudal we saw that the winding Casiquiare again approached San Carlos. By land the distance from the San Francisco Solano mission, where we slept, is only 2. leagues, but by river it was 7 or 8. I spent part of the night outside, vainly waiting for stars to appear.

We followed the same route as Columbus had taken on his first voyage out to the Antilles. It is well known that during the crossing from Santa Cruz to Cumana, or from Acapulco to the Philippines, sailors barely have to worry about working the sails. We crossed the ocean as if descending a river, and would have been in no greater danger if we had made the voyage in an open boat.