66 THE MAROON PARTY ; 



stomach and swimming of the head, which is caused by sea-sickness ;; 

 a malady which, although laughed at by those who do not feel it, is 

 by far more, for the time, insupportable than even the yellow fever. 

 We felt no consolation when the captain said that the sea-sickness was 

 extremely healthful ; nor were we at all inclined to follow the pre- 

 scription of Goodenough, who recommended us to take a certain re- 

 medy for the disorder videlicit, a dish of salt-pork, seasoned with 

 molasses ! 



At our desire, the skipper endeavoured to get closer in shore, where 

 the sea is comparatively calm. To do this, we were obliged to make 

 a stretch towards the Bocas. 



" What is that triangular red streak in the sky, which slowly 

 crosses over the Gulph towards the Spanish main ?" asked Aikin. 

 Rattoon informed us that it was a flight of flamingoes, crossing from 

 Trinidad to the swampy lands, lying between the mouths of the 

 Guarapechi and the Orinoco They always fly in that manner, one 

 leading the van, and occasionally falling in the rear, while another 

 takes precedence. We were too distant to discover this change of 

 leaders. 



The sun, which had now risen ten degrees above the horizon, shed 

 its rays on their fiery plumage ; and their appearance, as they seemed 

 slowly to sail across the heavens, was inconceivably beautiful. 



Having got close to the land, we passed the singular fishing village 

 of " Sant d'Eaux," and came to anchor in a road about a mile below 

 it. Here we left the cutter in a boat, and rowed towards the shore, 

 Rattoon promising to shew us a natural curiosity worth visiting. By 

 his desire, the boat was pulled towards a mountain, covered, like all on 

 this coast and most on the island, with a crowded forest. This 

 mountain projected from the rest in bold relief. It was about 2,500 

 feet high, and rested on a natural arch of black rock. 



Under this arch or cave, rolled the billows of the ocean with a 

 sound like thunder. We approached this cavern, and surveyed it 

 with admiration, not unmixed with terror. The pier that projected 

 seaward, though necessarily strong to support the millions of tons of 

 rock, earth, and vegetation, was so diminished in appearance by the 

 immensity of the load it bore, that it looked to us like a small point. 

 And what rendered this more fearful to contemplate, was the circum- 

 stance that for ages the sea had been wearing it away. It was visible 

 that the continued action of the waves would so weaken this pier, as 

 to render it unable to support its Atlas-like burden ; and that the 

 arch and mountain would be, at some future time, precipitated with a 

 fearful effect into the waters. 



I looked around, above, and beneath the cavern with wonder ; so 

 did Du Bois. Aikin took out his pencil and paper, but relinquished 

 them in despair, being persuaded he could not delineate scenes of 

 such awful sublimity. Rattoon, although he had visited this extra- 

 ordinary spot before, gazed at it, rapt in admiration. Goodenough 

 was the only person who betrayed no emotion. A long and almost 

 breathless pause ensued. Silence was at length broken by the Ame- 

 rican, who, in a nasal tone, exclaimed, " I guess if that there moun- 

 tain falls, it'll 'mash up all the poor little fishes." Sundry shrugs of 



