52 LILIES. 



could not have felt more rapture at his Egyptian dis - 

 coveries, than I did in beholding the beautiful and 

 novel sight before me, such as it has fallen to the lot 

 of few Englishmen to witness. Fain would I have 

 plunged into the lake to have procured specimens of 

 the magnificent flowers and leaves; but knowing that 

 these waters abounded in alligators, I was deterred 

 from doing so by the advice of my guide, and my 

 own experience of similar places. 



" I now turned over in my thoughts how and in 

 what way flowers and leaves might be obtained ; and 

 I clearly saw that a canoe was necessary, and there- 

 fore returned promptly to the town, and communi- 

 cated my discovery and wants to the Correjidor or 

 Governor, who with much kindness immediately or- 

 dered the Cacique to send Indians with a yoke of 

 oxen for the purpose of drawing a canoe from the 

 river Yacuma to the lake. Being apprised that the 

 canoe was in readiness, I returned in the afternoon, 

 with several Indians to assist in carrying home the 

 expected prize of leaves and flowers. The canoe 

 being very small, only three persons could embark ; 

 myself in the middle, and an Indian in the bows and 

 stern. In this tottering little bark we rowed amongst 

 magnificent leaves and flowers, crushing unavoidably 

 some, and selecting only such as pleased me. The 

 leaves being so enormous, I could find room in the 

 canoe but for two, one before me and one behind; 

 owing to their being very fragile, even in the green 

 state, care was necessary to transport them ; and thus 

 we had to make several trips in the canoe before I 



