35 To the River Plate and Back 



water within half a mile of the shore. Access to the 

 island is up a narrow cleft in the rocks on the southern 

 side. The island belongs to the Dutch. The inhabi- 

 tants are few, and are fair-haired descendants of the 

 original settlers from Holland. There is a small village 

 in the interior high up on the mountain. The people 

 enjoy the reputation of being skilled as builders of boats. 

 The sole spot on the island fitted for such work is a low 

 narrow platform of rock at the foot of the defile down 

 which they travel to reach the edge of the water. Here 

 they build and launch the craft, which they sell to the 

 people of the adjacent islands. As we passed Saba, 

 the Captain handed me a fine glass and bade me look. 

 There in the morning sunlight high up on the edge of a 

 cliff was a tiny house. A man in his shirt-sleeves was 

 leaning against the doorpost; a woman in the little 

 enclosure near by was milking a cow. Children came 

 and stood and watched the steamer as she went by and 

 waved their hands. We responded by waving our 

 handkerchiefs. To the southwest is the great Saba 

 Bank, a broad meadow of coral under the sea, which, in 

 spite of the great depth of the water close to the island, 

 shoals in places to six or seven fathoms, so that the 

 chart says, " rocks can be distinctly seen when over it." 

 We left it on our port side. 



Until noon of the I4th of November we were still in 

 sight of land. The last of the Antilles to sink below the 

 horizon was Sombrero, the Spanish Hat, a low, flat, 

 sun-baked expanse of coral-rock, topped by a small 

 lighthouse. We had caught our last glimpse for the 

 time of "lands of sun." We were now steaming quickly 

 north toward the cold and darkness of winter. Never- 

 theless the air was mild and balmy and remained so 

 until the end of the voyage had almost been reached. 



