I, 



221 



[he heights of Floreana are almost continually 

 bathed in swirling mists. Rainstorms are rare. When the mists 

 become heavier than usual and the wind blows, the storms are 

 known as garuas. Mists veil the equatorial sun. Chill waters of the 

 great Humboldt Current cool the air and then it seems incongruous 

 that one could become so miserably cold just under the equator. 

 Fortunately the wet season is short. 



Were it not for the moisture of the garuas and the ever-present 

 mists, the Galapagos would be uninhabitable. In truth some of the 

 islands and islets are totally devoid of fresh water. These support 

 only scanty desert life. At lower altitudes, to which the mists rarely 

 descend, all the islands are desert-like. Some are so thickly grown 

 with desert scrub as to be almost impenetrable. Small wonder that 

 the Galapagos have hardly been explored at all! 



On the higher mountain slopes one finds a different world. 

 Moisture is sufficient to support dense tropical vegetation. Some 

 of the islands boast enormous hardwood trees. There are jungles 

 of tropical and semi-tropical fruit trees. Mosses, lichens and other 

 epiphytic plants typical of the rain forests are to be found in pro- 

 fusion. Orchid-like bromelias in season flower overhead. Ancient 

 citrus groves at blossoming time shed their perfume on the breeze. 



Peaks and high mesas of the mist-laden islands collect enough 

 moisture to create a few straggling springs of water and these pro- 

 vide means for residents to irrigate their gardens. It is possible to 

 grow almost any vegetable or fruit in different locations, particu- 

 larly on Charles and Chatham Islands. 



It was in such a setting that the isolationists of Floreana sought 

 happiness and release from civilization. They could count on the 

 climate and the processes of nature to keep them alive, but human 

 frailty brought tragedy to live among them. Jealousies and thievery 

 promoted hateful strife. None were bound by rules of conduct to 

 which they were accustomed in communal life. Each tried to 

 create his own world in a space too small for any such experiment, 

 even though there is a vast expanse of land. 



How the Baroness von Wagner struck upon the name Hacienda 

 Paradaiso never was explained. Probably it was suggested by one 

 of her masculine aides. They were not scholarly. Doubtless it was 

 intended to convey the idea of a sort of paradise, but the Spanish 



