190 THE COCAL. 



that I had fancied ahoiit the magnificent possibilities of land- 

 scape gardening in the Tropics. A grass drive, as we should 

 call it in England a "trace," as it is called in the West 

 Indies some sixty feet in width, and generally carpeted 

 with short turf, led up hill and down dale ; for the land, 

 though low, is much ridged and gullied, and there has 

 been as yet no time to cut down the hills, or to metal the 

 centre of the road. It led, as the land became richer, through 

 a natural avenue even grander than those which I had already 

 seen. The light and air, entering the trace, had called into 

 life the undergrowth and lower boughs, till from the very 

 turf to a hundred and fifty feet in height rose one solid 

 green wall, spangled here and there with flowers. Below 

 was Mamure, Eoseau, Timit, Aroumas, and Tulumas,"^ mixed 

 with Myrtles and Melastomas ; then the copper Bo:s ^lulatres 

 among the Cocorite and Jagua palms ; above them the heads 

 of enormous broad-leaved trees of I know not how many 

 species ; and the lianes festooning all from cope to base. 

 The crimson masses of ISTorantea on the highest tree-tops were 

 here most gorgeous; but we had to beware of staring aloft 

 too long, for fear of riding into mud-holes ; for the wet season 

 would not end as yet, though dry weather w^as due or, even 

 worse, into the ^rreat Parasol-ant warrens, which threatened, 

 besides a hea^^ fall, stings innumerable. At one point, I 



1 Canna. 



