134 



CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES. 



Meyong's skin was proclaimed by that worthy in a 

 howl of dismay. 



Meyong was a good boy and generally very trac- 

 table, but he would never listen to my advice and wear 

 his shirt inside his pantaloons. He said it was the 

 fashion to wear it outside, and used an expression 

 equivalent to that in so common use among the ladies : 

 "To be out of fashion is to be out of the world." 



I argued with him and entreated him, but in this he 

 would have his own way ; and I really believe that if 

 every man in the Carib nation were bitten by a bee 

 every day in his mortal life, he would still persist in dis- 

 playing a flag of distress above his nether coverings. 

 And thus he went on, with alternate howls and 

 exclamations of sweeter character, such as mid douce, 

 (honey sweet,) until the great palm troughs were full 

 enough and I concluded it would be well to desist. 



Early in the proceedings he had whistled shrilly 

 several times, and when I asked the reason, he said it 

 was to call the maljini. "Mai fini"was the name 

 given to the hawk, from its cry ; but this applied to a 

 small bird of the fly-catcher family, which would come 

 and eat the bees and thus diminish the number of 

 Meyong's assailants. The bird came, a small, shy, 

 gray bird, which approached cautiously, evidently 

 astonished to see a human being up in a tree sur- 

 rounded with smoke, and another at the foot of the 

 tree. But he did not stop to speculate, but worked 

 assiduously, and soon he was joined by others ; 

 though their united efforts failed to lessen perceptibly 

 the angry swarm. 



Supplied with all the honey I cared for, I sat con- 

 tentedly upon a fallen log, with my feet thrust down 



