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Alexander von Humboldt: „Cataracts of the Orinoco“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1808-Ansichten_der_Natur_Wasserfaelle-14-neu> [abgerufen am 27.04.2024].
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| Titel | Cataracts of the Orinoco | ||||||
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| Jahr | 1852 | ||||||
| Ort | Edinburgh | ||||||
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Nachweis in: The Edinburgh Christian Magazine 3 (April 1851–März 1852), S. 204.
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| Sprache | Englisch | ||||||
| Typografischer Befund | Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung; Schmuck: Trennzeichen. | ||||||
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|204|
“From the rock of Manima a wonder-ful prospect is enjoyed. A foaming surfaceof four miles in length presents itself atonce to the eye: iron-black masses of rockresembling ruins and battlemented towersrise frowning from the waters. Rocksand islands are adorned with the luxuriantvegetation of the tropical forest; a per-petual mist hovers over the waters, andthe summits of the lofty palms piercethrough the cloud of spray and vapour.When the rays of the glowing eveningsun are refracted in these humid exhala-tions, a magic optical effect begins. Co-loured bows shine, vanish, and reappear;and the ethereal image is swayed to andfro by the breath of the sportive breeze.During the long rainy season the stream-ing waters bring down islands of vege-table mould, and thus the naked rocks arestudded with bright flower-beds adornedwith Melastomas and Droseras, and withsmall silver-leaved mimosas and ferns.These spots recall to the recollection ofthe European those blocks of granitedecked with flowers which rise solitaryamidst the glaciers of Savoy, and arecalled by the dwellers in the Alps ‘Jar-dins,’ or ‘Courtils.’
“In the blue distance the eye rests onthe mountain chain of Cunavami, a longextended ridge which terminates abruptlyin a truncated cone. We saw the latter(Calitamini is its Indian name) glowingat sunset as if in roseate flames. Thisappearance returns daily: no one hasever been near the mountain to detectthe precise cause of this brightness, whichmay perhaps proceed from a reflectingsurface produced by the decomposition oftalc or mica slate.
“When M. Bonpland and I returnedfrom the banks of the Rio Negro, weventured to pass the latter or lower halfof the Raudal of Atures with the loadedcanoe, often leaving it for the rocky dikeswhich connect one island with another.Sometimes the waters rush over thesedikes, and sometimes they fall with a hol-low thundering sound into cavities, and
|Spaltenumbruch| flowing for a time through subterraneanchannels, leave large pieces of the bedof the river dry. Here the golden Piprarupicola makes its nest; it is one of themost beautiful of tropical birds, with adouble moveable crest of feathers, and isas pugnacious as the East Indian domes-tic cock.
“In the Raudal of Canucari the rockydike or weir consists of piled-up granitespheres. We crept into the interior of agrotto, the damp walls of which werecovered with confervæ and shining By-sus, and where the river rushed high aboveour heads with deafening noise.
“We had accidentally more time thanwe desired for the
enjoyment of this grandscene of nature. The Indians had leftus in the middle of the cataract, propos-ing to
take the canoe round a long nar-row island, below which we were
to re-embark. We waited an hour and a-halfunder a heavy tempestuous rain; nightwas coming on, and we
sought in vain forshelter between the masses of granite.The little monkeys, which we had carriedwith
us for months in wicker cages, bytheir mournful cries attracted
crocodiles,whose size and leaden-grey colour shewedtheir great age. I should not here no-tice an
occurrence so usual in the Orinoco,if the Indians had not
assured us that nocrocodiles were ever seen in the
cataracts;and in dependence on this assurance wehad even ventured repeatedly to bathe inthis
part of the river. Meanwhile ouranxiety lest we might be forced
to passthe long tropical night in the middle ofthe Raudal, wet through and deafened bythe thundering noise of the falling waters,increased every moment; until at lastthe
Indians reappeared with our canoe.From the low state of the
waters, theyhad found the steps by which they hadintended to let themselves down inacces-sible,
and had been forced to seek amongthe labyrinth of channels for
a more prac-ticable passage.”—
Humboldt’s Aspects ofNature.
CATARACTS OF THE ORINOCO.