"But they say Roraima is inaccessible, so what is the use of attempting the impossible?" said one of the party, who had been out hunting.
"I believe that the flat top of the mountain is inhabited, and that up there is the famous island city of El Dorado," responded the first speaker. "There is almost unlimited wealth to be had by finding it, and these cowardly Indians are afraid to go near it."
"It will be a long, tedious journey," said the hunter, "and I doubt if we can persuade the slaves to accompany us."
"They shall go," said the other, firmly, "and if there is any sign of rebellion we have a remedy," he continued, pointing to his gun with a smile that was not pleasant to see.
It was as the hunter feared. The Indian porters and servants were nearly frantic at the idea of being compelled to approach the dread mountain.
"The whole place is weird and uncanny," they declared, "and the demon mountain is surrounded by haunted woods, filled with camoodis and didis."
When asked what a camoodi was, they explained that it was a gigantic snake with a hood over its head, and whose breath killed whatever it touched, while the didis were man apes, ferocious and terrible to see.
"It is a foolish superstition," said the Spaniards, in derision, "and we will not listen to such idle tales."
"Roraima is an island, connected underground with the other mountains, and the lights you see on the tops are put there by the demons to lure us on to destruction."
"If it is inaccessible, how do these demons manage to get up there?" asked the Spaniards.