THE PLANT WORLD 217 



and bladder. On the high hills behind Inalahan the soil was in places 

 red and very slippery. Notwithstanding- the rain and the bad roads the 

 General would pause from time to time, exclaiming: "isn't this air 

 delicious ! " or " What a magnificent view ! ' ' The southern portion of 

 the island across which we passed is volcanic and mountainous, and offers 

 a striking contrast to the northern portion, which consists almost entirely 

 of a raised platform, or " meseta," of coralliferous limestone, so porous 

 that it will not hold water. The other day, in going from Agatia to Santa 

 Rosa, we noticed that the road ascended to the top of this platform by a 

 series of terraces which are not apparent from the sea, owing to the dense 

 vegetation. These ancient reefs show unmistakable evidence of successive 

 upheavals of the entire island. Santa Rosa itself and one or two neigh- 

 boring peaks which burst through the coral are undoubtedly volcanic. 

 The craters are no longer perfect in outline, but do not look very ancient. 

 They were evidently active after the upheaval of the platform, as the 

 adjacent coral rock shows evidence in many places of having been mod- 

 ified by heat, and to have afterwards formed crystalline carbonate of lime. 

 In the southern part, across which we passed to-day, there is a succession 

 of volcanic peaks, approximately a thousand feet in height. At places 

 the surface of the higher portion of the island is bare or covered with 

 sword grass with a sparse growth of ironwood i^Casuarina equisetifolia) , 

 to which I have before referred as characteristic of the flora of the outer 

 beach. Wherever this tree grows it is a sign of lack of drainage. Other 

 portions of the interior of the island have a pretty fair growth of grass, 

 sufficient to support cattle and carabaos, one or two herds of which we 

 saw as we passed along. On descending into a valley to ford one of the 

 streams we found the road, reduced to a narrow path, had by constant 

 usage cut so deep into the earth that it was impossible for the General 

 to ride through it. In places the perpendicular sides of the trail were as 

 high as a horse's head. 



During our trip the General had taken testimony in several villages 

 concerning the conduct of the friars who had been living on the island 

 Ijefore our arrival. It was apparently distasteful to him to induce the 

 natives to testify against their will. He reassured them repeatedly, say- 

 ing that he had come to find out the truth, and that he did not wish to 

 harm any one. The loyalty of a sweet-faced woman in one of the villages 

 was touching. Nothing would induce her to betray the friar who had 

 given her the house in which she lived, and who had supported her and 

 her children. When questioned as to the paternity of her children she 

 replied that their father was a Chamorro who had sailed away on a whal- 

 ing ship, but she refused to give his name. She caught the little ones 

 in her arms and held them as though she was afraid they might be taken 

 from her. And with it all she maintained a proud, dignified bearing, 



