46 THE ATLANTIC. [chap. i. 



from the unmuzzled oxen, much more intent upon snuffling 

 among the sweet straw for the grains of wheat, and making the 

 most of tlieir brief opportunity. Within the house, whither 

 most of our party had retreated from the roasting sun, the first 

 large entrance room was encumbered with the beautiful ripe 

 ears of maize, of all colors, from the purest silvery white to 

 deep orange and red. It was high noon, however, and a lot of 

 bright-eyed girls, wlio had been husking the maize, had knocked 

 off work ; and on the arrival of the strangers, a lad brought out 

 a guitar, and they got up a dance, very simple and merry, and 

 perfectly decorous. 



Neither hosts nor guests understood one word of the others' 

 language, but by dint of signs, and laughter, and human sym- 

 pathy generally, we got on wonderfully well. It seemed to be 

 the steading of a well-to-do farmer. There were other houses 

 in the neighborhood, and a number of young people seemed to 

 have congregated, so that we liad a good opportunity of seeing 

 some of the peasants. The men are generally good-looking, 

 with spare, lithe, bronzed figures, dark eyes, and wide, laughing 

 mouths, with fine white teeth. The women in the A9ores are 

 usually inferior to the men in appearance, but at this farm some 

 of the girls were very good-looking also, with clear complex- 

 ions, and more of a Spanish than a Portuguese type. 



From Yilla Franca we drove along the shore to Ponta Del- 

 gada, where we arrived early in the evening. 



"While we were at the Furnas some of our companions started 

 in the other direction, to the Caldeira of the Sete-Cidades, and 

 were greatly pleased with their trip. This crater is probably 

 the most striking feature in the scenery of the island. The 

 road to it from Ponta Delgada goes westward for some miles 

 along the southern coast. It then gradually winds upward 

 through ravines festooned with Woodwardia, and among rug- 

 ged, volcanic masses clothed with faya and tree -heath, to the 

 top of a crest, between two and three thousand feet in height. 



