THE WEB OF ISLAND LIFE 189 



miles ahead did not seem so appalling. 



Only the wind remained to tantalize. While I was cooking 

 the doves it swirled the smoke into my face, scattered the ashes 

 and ruffled my hair. The tatters of my shirt vibrated noisily; 

 my trousers flapped and clung about my ankles. I plodded down 

 the beach in the same direction I had taken the day we were 

 wrecked. Fortunately there had not been much wind then, for 

 had it approached the intensity of this latter date we would 

 have been lucky to escape with our lives. The surf on the out- 

 lying reefs was tremendous; the wind had free sweep all the 

 way from Portugal over two thousand miles away. 



Soon I reached the lake where I had seen the flamingos. Curi- 

 ous, I eased down the rampart dune and through the border- 

 ing mangroves. The lake was quite deserted except for a few 

 gallinules which disappeared between the roots. Behind the far 

 shore was a low matting of vegetation, grass and thatch palms 

 which covered a low hill and which continued into the valley 

 beyond. These palms were very small, not over four feet in 

 height. In other portions of the island the same species reached 

 twenty or more feet; here the rush of air had stunted their 

 growth. All the other plants were in proportion; sea grape, 

 usually head high, scarcely reached the knees. The effect was 

 startling. I felt as though I were gazing at a tall mountain side 

 instead of a sand dune not more than thirty feet high. 



While crossing the lake to examine these dunes I made a 

 momentous discovery. The smooth silt underfoot suddenly be- 

 came hard and jagged; irregularly so. Reaching down I prodded 

 with my fingers in the chalky mud. I came up with a piece of 

 coral in my hand. It was reef coral, the uppermost branches of 

 staghorn. Digging deeply I shoved aside the clinging muck; 

 as far as I could go were other branches, still in perfect condi- 

 tion. This was the line of the old reef! By walking down the 

 center of the lake and criss-crossing I verified my fact. The site 



