CATAMARANS 19 



noticed a thick-stemmed plant covered all over 

 with small spikes, and bearing leaves like those 

 of the geranium. We were warned by our friends 

 that this plant, when touched, gave a most painful 

 sting. Moseley mentions that, although he used 

 the greatest care when securing a specimen, he 

 got a sting, the results of which he felt for several 

 days afterwards. We afterwards saw this same 

 plant in Brazil. 



During the second day of our stay on Fernando 

 de Noronha a steamer, which visits the island 

 once every month, arrived, bearing mails for the 

 inhabitants. The advent of the steamer is much 

 looked forward to, as life on Fernando de Noronha 

 for a European is dull in the extreme. 



As soon as the boat arrived a large raft was 

 pushed off from the shore and anchored outside 

 of the surf. The raft resembled in shape a large 

 table, the legs of which were fixed to a platform 

 composed of a number of logs lashed together. 

 A boat was sent off from the steamer loaded with 

 packages of stores, clothing, letters, and other 

 things, and these were put on to the raft, from 

 which they were landed in native catamarans. 



The catamarans, which are built on the same 

 principle as the large raft, are of sufficient size 

 to carry one person with comfort besides the 

 native oarsman. They are especially adapted 

 for landing through surf, and they ride over 

 the breaking waves with wonderful buoyancy. 



