A DAY IN THE DEEP WOODS. I45 



atory raids, always returning well rewarded. In one 

 of these excursions the chief of the tribe captured 

 the wife of the governor of Antigua, who lived in a 

 secluded nook in that island, near the sea. She was 

 brought a prisoner to this place, to this very cave, 

 Meyong says, and held, contrary to their custom, for 

 ransom. I will not try to depict the wrath and de- 

 spair of the husband, nor the details of the pursuit he 

 at once organized, but merely state that he sought her 

 out, traced her to the Carib retreat by fragments of 

 clothing torn from her by cruel thorns, and eventually 

 succeeded in returning with her. She had been weeks 

 in captivity, but had been well treated. 



This, then, was the cavern in which that delicate 

 lady lay captive, nearly two centuries ago ! Truly, it 

 was a poor retreat for a tenderly nurtured woman, 

 but a grand one for Meyong and myself. After the 

 fire was well going, Meyong made a large torch, 

 w r hich he stuck in a crevice outside as a guide to 

 Coryet in his ascent. The crabs, which the sly fel- 

 low, with wise forethought, had deposited in a heap 

 by the rock as we had ascended, were then brought 

 in and some of them roasted ; and these, with some 

 cold boiled yam, made a grateful repast. We sat 

 over the fire till late, then spread our blankets upon 

 the earth and lay down to sleep. 



Several hours later I was awakened by a disturb- 

 ance, and rolling over quickly, saw Coryet standing 

 in the doorway. But it appeared more like his appa- 

 rition than himself in flesh and blood, as he stood 

 there shaking with cold. The dogs, which he held 

 in leash, as soon as released slunk into a corner with 

 their tails between their legs, uttering low whines. 



