May i, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



269 



polo field and you were at the first tee. It was a poor drive that 

 didn't get a horse or a man, and the sergeant never knew what 

 broke the formation. Then at the last hole when you sliced on 

 the approach and cannoned on a carom — no, caromed on a — 

 well, hit one of the row of cannon, it only threw you off a bit, 

 and added to the zest. So I kept at it between whiles, and 

 awaited the boat that was to take me to Para. 



The owner of the Hotel is very much of a genius in mak- 

 ing his guests comfortable and, incidentally, amusing them. 

 Aside from dancing and bridge for those so inclined, as he is 

 not saddened or disgusted if you have other preferences, he has 

 a series of tallyho rides that are unique. With good horses, and 

 the only coach on the island, he is a whip who would be ac- 

 counted an expert anywhere. To be conveyed over the slippery 

 limestone roads on Saturday night, down through the indescrib- 

 ably crowded streets, cutting close corners, around the market 

 and out under the low stone arch set in a very inconvenient curve, 

 through "Murderer's Lane" and home, is a delightful experience 

 and not without thrills. Then, too, there are his special excur- 

 sions in the afternoon to the "haunted wood," the "baboon vil- 

 lage" and the "smuggler's cave," places not noted in the guide- 

 books, but full of fun and interest. 



I saw sights and wrote forenoons, and golfed at 3 130 each day, 

 and, by the time my boat arrived, was feeling very fit. Indeed, I 

 should advise any one coming in midwinter from the north to 

 stop at Barbados and get used to warmer weather, and inci- 

 dentally rested and refreshed before essaying the heat. 



Barbados is the water resort of those who find the climate 

 of South America too much for them. That is why I have given 

 it so much space, and why also I add the following personal 

 conclusions : 



Barbados is the oasis in the watery waste between New York 

 and Para where all wise travelers stop for rest and refreshment. 



No bother at all with customs. They only tax tobacco and 

 spirits. 



Everybody speaks English. The 200,000 residents are negroes, 



but at the same time British subjects. Two or three weeks' study 

 renders their English quite intelligible. 



Clothing is as good and as cheap as anywhere in the world. 

 Just the place to buy for a journey up the Amazon. No, it does 

 not fit. 



George Washington, our own George, came down here when 

 a young man, and the governor hospitably gave him an elaborate 

 breakfast and the small pox. 



Gentle showers almost every day. Good water. No fleas, few 

 flies, some mosquitoes. 



Bathing ideal, but beaches are few and guarded by coral reefs 

 that are like the broken glass on the top of an orchard wall. 



Living reasonable, labor plentiful, cheap, and profoundly 

 inefficient. 



Barbados is unique among the islands that crowd the southern 

 seas, in that it is dry, comparatively level, has no forests, is of 

 coral formation, and is said to be almost as healthy as heaven. 



TAKING LEAVE OF EARBADOS. 



It was 6 in the morning of a Sunday when the welcome in- 

 formation came that our boat was in. So we got up hur- 

 riedly, finished packing, and went down stairs, fearful that we 

 would not have time for breakfast, for it was said that her stay 

 would be only two or three hours at most. Somebody had blun- 

 dered, however. It was not ours, but another from Manaos and 

 Para, and soon a number of bright young American engineers 

 from the Madeira-Mamore railroad came in. After a year in the 

 jungle they were glad of a vacation and were friendly, jolly and 

 apparently as healthy as if they had been at work on the New 

 York Central. We waited until 2 p. M. and at last our boat did 

 arrive, and at 3 o'clock we started for the pier. We had to hurry 

 but managed to call at the postoffice and extract a letter from a 

 languid clerk after answering innumerable questions. Then I 

 went to the custom house and secured my revolver, and, boarding 

 a shore boat, got to the ship's side at exactly ten minutes of 4. 

 A pretty close shave, for she was to sail at 4 sharp. 



Tree at Museum Goeldi, 12 

 yielded 500 grams in 25 tappings. 



to 13 years old, Dr. Jacques Huber using his adjust- 



able knife, called by Bridge, Huber's 

 "perfect knife." 



Trunk of a Hevea at flood time, during which 

 these trees are not tapped. 



HEVEA BRASILIENSIS—TH.K RUBBER TREE OF THE AMAZON. 



