THE PLANT WORIvD 27 



prayer. Near by a fine field of maize, patches of pumpkins, small water- 

 melons, beans, mandioca, and egg-plant. Around the garden-patches 

 were strips of bark of Hibiscus tiliaceus, like a long ribbon, forming an 

 enclosure. These are for the purpose of keeping out the deer, which are 

 very abundant on the island and do great harm to the maize and to 

 young coconuts ; it seems strange that they will not cross the ribbons of 

 bark. Although more than sixty years of age, Don Jose is very active ; 

 he climbed a coconut tree and brought me a young nut to drink. At the 

 brow of the hill the Sinahaiia road passes through a deep cut ; across 

 this a tangled thicket of lemoncito and wild yams, several calabash trees 

 {.Crescentia alata) marking the site of an ancient ranch, a number of Anona 

 retiadata trees, reminding me of our papaws (Asimina), and a few screw- 

 pines of the species called " Kafo " by the natives. Cutting our way 

 through the thicket we came to the crest of the hill, from which we had 

 a most magnificent view of the town below, the palm-fringed beach, the 

 turquoise-colored lagoon and the line of milk-white breakers separating 

 it from the indigo sea. On our right lay the broad valley almost entirely 

 taken up by the " Cienaga," or swamp, through which the Agaiia River 

 makes its way seaward. Made up my mind to buy this hill -top, if pos- 

 sible. Don Jose said it is the property of his nephew Don Vicente 

 Herrero, who makes no use of it, and that it is very stony and fit for 

 nothing but raising chickens. 



Down the hill to Don Jose's house, where we stopped for a cup of 

 chocolate. The cacao was grown on a ranch owned by Don Jose in a 

 sheltered valley near Fonte, not far from the village of Sinahaiia. The 

 chocolate beans had been toasted by one of his daughters, ground on a 

 stone dictate with a cylindrical stone mano (utensils introduced in the 

 early days from Mexico together with maize and cacao), and thickened 

 in its preparation by flour or arrowroot. It was of fine flavor. With the 

 chocolate was served excellent bread and butter, the bread made from 

 flour imported from the United States and the butter from some passing 

 ship (tinned). One of Don Jose's daughters was married this morning 

 to Shebata, the Japanese merchant, a most respectable young man. Before 

 his marriage he was baptised by Father Palomo, receiving the baptismal 

 name of Jose. Accompanied Don Jose in the evening to the home of his 

 daughter Dona Joaquina de Kaminga, where the newly-married couple 

 were staying. Don Jose took with him his violin and two of his sons took 

 a guitar and mandolin. It was delightful to hear the lively old gentleman 

 play the ' * Fisher's Hornpipe ' ' and ' ' Ror>^ O'More, ' ' tunes he had learned 

 in the palmy days when scores of whaling vessels used to visit Guam each 

 year, and when the crews would come ashore for relaxation after their 

 long and arduous cruises, "often dancing all night," said Don Jose, 

 " and spending money like water." After the assembled company had 



