RED ON DA AND ITS PHOSPHATES. 85 



closed at tlie other by a piece of plain glass. The box was slung 

 over the side of the boat, with the glass end submerged ; and on 

 putting one's face at the open end a new world was revealed be- 

 low the surface. From two to five fathoms below us the rocks 

 were covered with sponges and corals, and strange fishes swam 

 calmly among them. One large fish was a beautiful creation of 

 purple and silver, and there were many of the red and gold fish 

 so often seen in an aquarium. These latter were the principal food 

 fish of the region. The anchors and chains to which the tram 

 wires were moored were covered with a dense growth of seaweed, 

 which looked very pretty in the sunlight streaming down through 

 the water. 



The third day was spent upon the eastern side of the island 

 and upon the summit. Two gorges ran down the slope, beginning 

 nearly at the top. One was covered over much of its surface 

 with fragments of whitish rock, and ended in a cliff a hundred 

 feet in height. The other was the widest and steepest gorge 

 about the island, and extended to the sea ; however, it was im- 

 practicable of ascent, because of its steepness and its situation on 

 the windward side of the island. The sea was steadily carving 

 away the slope, and had made a deep bay with cliffs on either side 

 three hundred feet high. 



The climb from the cliffs at the edge of the island to the sum- 

 mit was very fatiguing on account of the steep ascent. In shaded 

 spots among the rocks beautiful gold and silver ferns grew abun- 

 dantly, and there were occasional holes where rain had settled 

 which afforded water for the wild goats and sheep. Almost at 

 the summit was the remnant of a deposit of guano. The deposit 

 was never a large one, but it led to the discovery of the mineral 

 phosphate. A few air plants, a species of Tillandsia, clung to the 

 projections of the rocks and formed almost the sole vegetation 

 at the extreme summit. The apex did not consist of a solid mass 

 of rock, but was a pile of huge bowlders without the phosphatic 

 cement of the lower slopes. Looking down the almost vertical 

 western wall, it seemed as though one could leap into the sea one 

 thousand feet below. From this point could be seen Nevis, to the 

 north and near by ; while in the distance was St. Kitts with its 

 cloud-capped Mount Misery. 



One of the drawbacks to exploring the island was a variety of 

 cactus which the workmen spoke of as " suckers." It resembled 

 the prickly pear in form and had a yellow blossom. Its joints 

 or sections were thickly covered with thorns or spines, which 

 were from three fourths of an inch to an inch and a half in length 

 and barbed at the tip. The joints were easily broken off, and 

 clung to anything upon which their spines could catch. The 

 animals about the place were almost always seen with from one 



