THE PLANT WORLD 279 



reached it we found its leaves asleep also. Then, as the day was break- 

 ing, we came to some bushes of "Aroma" (^Acacia farnesiana), which 

 was just waking up and beginning to expand its leaves. Baza expressed 

 some curiosity at my stopping to look at these plants ; and when I told 

 him of their strange habit of going to sleep every night he exclaimed, 

 Hesus ! senor ; are they then alive ? " He apparently thought that if 

 they go to sleep they must have some sort of a soul or spirit ; and re- 

 garded them as uncanny or supernatural. He told me of certain trees 

 on the island, called " Nunu " (banyans), which have many trunks and 

 roots which hang down and strangle other trees about which they twist. 

 These he said are supposed to be haunted by miiti, or spirits of the an- 

 cients, though, for his part, he did not believe it. 



At this point we were joined by Don Joaquin Perez, to whom I have 

 previously referred as filling the office of governor of the island for a 

 time during the recent interregnum. Don Joaquin was going to his 

 ranch, which is situated near the site of Pago, a village on the eastern 

 shore of the island, of considerable importance at one time, which was 

 wiped out of existence by the terrible epidemic of smallpox which swept 

 this island in 1856 and carried off more than two-fifths of the entire popu- 

 lation. Notwithstanding the fact that Don Joaquin is one of the princi- 

 pales of this island, and occupies the highest social position, he was dressed 

 simply, like any other native, in a loose shirt and trousers, and wore 

 sandals. Hanging to his belt in a leather scabbard was his machete. 

 Conforming to the custom of the natives I also carried a machete, — a 

 very good one it is, — made by the village blacksmith and armorer of our 

 native guard, Don Joaquin Leon-Guerrero. The blade was fashioned 

 out of a condemned musket's barrel, with the steel from the spring of 

 the trigger welded in as an edge. The handle is of carabao horn and is 

 inlaid with coin silver. I was struck with the modesty of Senor Perez's 

 bearing as well as with the intelligence with which he answered my many 

 questions about agricultural methods and products of the island. Indian 

 corn, or maize, is the principal food-staple cultivated ; but the natives as 

 a rule plant only barely enough for their wants. Rice is grown in suit- 

 able situations, where the land is low and capable of irrigation, especially 

 in the vicinity of Inarahan on the east coast, and Atantano on the bay 

 of San Luis de Apra. Not nearly enough is produced for the need of 

 the island. Nearly every family has its own coffee plantation, its patch 

 of tobacco, and its coconut grove. Yams (^Dioscoreae) and taro {.Colocasia 

 antiquoruni) are extensivelj'^ planted, as well as sweet potatoes ; but the 

 natives usually sell the latter to ships which touch at the island, the crews 

 of which do not seem to care for yams and taro. It is interesting to note 

 that yams and taro have names in the vernacular of the island (Dago, 

 Nika, and Suni), while sweet potatoes are called by their Spanish- 



