284 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



brought face to face with a far slower and more tor- 

 meriting death. These islanders everywhere find the 

 means of the meagerest living where nobody else 

 could find anything at all; at least they know how to 

 discover crabs and edible shell-fish on the barest rocks, 

 and to find sweet water here or there, so as to pre- 

 serve the lives of such unfortunates until further help 

 can be supplied them. On the sea-shore, at all events, 

 there are generally to be found some means of sup- 

 port. On most of these islands, especially the smaller 

 of them, it would be useless to look for fresh water. 

 But the inhabitants, if there is need, can supply the 

 lack. They dig, if only with their hands, in the sand 

 on the shore, and in this way get water somewhat 

 strained of the salt. Besides, they have recourse to the 

 trees. A parasitical plant (Tillandsia polystachya L.), 

 called here ' wild-pine,' grows on the branches and 

 trunks of divers trees. In the hollows between the 

 leaves of this plant rain-water is long kept; and from 

 this source travellers, or negroes working in the 

 woods, often refresh themselves. They have learned 

 it of the birds, accustomed from of old to resort to 

 these super-terrene springs. 



Many times the finds made by these people are very 

 handsome, and it is known that divers families have in 

 this way come suddenly into great riches. Just now it 

 is related in Providence how such a boat got 60,000 

 piastres from a sunken Spanish vessel. This is gen- 

 erally believed to be the fact, although the finders 

 deny it so as not to be obliged to pay in the fifth and 

 the tenth. 



They always have on board the most practiced 

 divers, who fetch up much costly merchandise and 



