Chap, ii.] PLANTS OF SAN ANTONIO. 55 



The Portuguese, at whose house we stopped, said that it 

 was impossible to ascend the mountain in the rainy season, 

 because of the falls of stones, or stone avalanches, which were 

 common and dangerous. All this I failed to find out before 

 leaving the town, the natives of the island there knowing 

 nothing of the mountain. At the house I got some coffee, 

 which was grown in the valley just below. 



I ascended the steep side of the valley, to a ridge about 

 1,500 feet above sea level, but did not find anything in the 

 plant way to reward me, the plants being the same as lower 

 down the slope. The oil tree {/atropha ciircas) grew up to the 

 top of the slope. There were none of the mountain plants 

 which occur at St. Vincent at this height. There were a good 

 many fungi. They apparently spring up luxuriantly during the 

 wet season. Plants generally grow at a lower level at San Jago 

 than at St. Vincent. Thus, Sarcosteiniiia Daltonl in San Jago 

 grows abundantly almost at sea level on the cliffs near the 

 harbour. In St. Vincent I found none lower than 900 feet. 

 The plant was in full bloom at San Jago. In St. Vincent I 

 found only a single blossom, though the plant was very 

 abundant. 



I exchanged a drink of ship's rum with my Portuguese host 

 for his cup of coffee. He had a very pretty young yellow wife, 

 who, on my return to the house, was pounding maize in a large 

 wooden mortar, assisted by a very black servant girl, each of 

 them wielding a heavy pestle, and striking alternately, like 

 blacksmiths on an anvil. A little water was sprinkled on the 

 maize to assist the process. 



John Antonio was well known all along the road, and most 

 elaborate courtesies passed between him and every one we 

 met, or whose house we passed by, sometimes a Creole, some- 

 times a Portuguese. He explained that the Creole greeting 

 which he used meant, " What you feel ? " In Portuguese he 

 always addressed every one as Sir, and after mutual congratula- 

 tion on the subject of health, he entered into a lengthy ex- 

 planation of who I was, which wasted a great deal of our time. 

 John was a thin, spare man, with a very ragged coat and 

 trousers, which had evidently once been respectable on a 

 previous owner. He was perpetually hungry and thirsty. 



As soon as the horses were rested we started back. I shifted 

 my single spur, for John and I wore a pair between us, to my 

 left foot, and managed to reach the town by 3 p.m., in time to 

 join a second seining party. The seining was suddenly brought 

 to a conclusion, for a south-west gale being expected, we were 

 hurried on board. A heavy swell had set in by the time we 

 reached the ship, so that there was some ditiiculty in getting 



