FUERTEVENTURA 3 



One of two steamboats, working in connection with 

 one another, visits each of the Canary Islands once 

 a week, calHng at its chief port, which in the case 

 of Tenerife is Santa Cruz. From Orotav^a, on the 

 north side of Tenerife, where I was staying, a long 

 drive is necessary to reach Santa Cruz, whence the boat 

 is taken by way of Las Palmas in Grand Canary, and 

 so to Puerto Cabras, which lies on the eastern shore 

 of Fuerteventura. 



The journey now is very different to what it was 

 some ten years ago, when the enthusiastic naturalist — 

 for no one not interested in natural history would go 

 to Fuerteventura — must take his chance in the rough 

 seas which are often to be encountered between these 

 islands, trusting himself and his belongings to some 

 antiquated schooner which might very well take a week 

 over the voyage. 



The companion who I had hoped would have been 

 able to accompany me was unfortunately prevented from 

 doino- so, I therefore eno-aoed a o-uide from Orotava, 

 by name Lorenzo Garcia, to act as servant. 



As Lorenzo's name will be constantly appearing in 

 these pages it is perhaps as well that I should devote 

 a few lines to him, in order that the reader may be 

 familiar to a certain extent with his personality before 

 we start on our travels. He was about fifty years of 

 age, and had been one of the chief guides for the Peak 

 of Tenerife for a good many years. Lorenzo could 

 speak no English, and I, unfortunately, could speak but 

 little Spanish, so we were dependent to a great extent 

 upon signs as a medium of communication. At this 

 language he was an adept, and would illustrate in a 



