66 CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES. 



than to bear about with you a clumsy cup. Its utility, 

 then, is second only to that of the cocoa palm. 



They had brought up huge bundles of the leaves 

 from the river below. Slicing the under side of the 

 mid-rib half-way through with a diagonal cut, leaving 

 a barb by which to attach it to the cross-pole, Fran- 

 cois handed the leaves to Joseph, who rapidly placed 

 them in position, attached to the pole and kept in 

 place by the projecting point, one row overlapping 

 the other. In a short time they had made a thick 

 roof, completely impervious to water, which was good 

 for a week, so long as the leaves remained green and 

 were not split and shrunken by the sun. 



A raised platform of poles, all cut with the cutlass, 

 was covered with a good layer of leaves, and upon 

 this I spread my blanket and reposed quietly all night, 

 my faithful boys stretched upon the ground, lulled to 

 sleep by the rushing of the waterfalls. 



"La belle," the firefly, illumined our camp in the 

 evening, and an odorous fire of the gum of the flam- 

 beau-tree gave both light and fragrant incense. Over 

 this, Joseph, in his French patois and broken Eng- 

 lish, told the story of the discovery of the lake by 

 Mr. Watt, the one who first surmised its existence, in 

 1875. This gentleman, a magistrate in the colony, 

 was prone to wander in the mountains in search of 

 adventure. One day he had penetrated farther than 

 usual, by following a valley that led up into the inte- 

 rior, and noticed in the air distinct and powerful sul- 

 phur fumes. Later, he set out to ascertain the cause, 

 taking with him two negroes as guides, but, through 

 the pusillanimity of his men, who abandoned him, 

 was lost in the forest for several days. Let Joseph 

 tell the story : 



