IX THE CINCHONA FORESTS 269 



position, but not so wide apart that a dog or a pig could have 

 got through the interstices. The whole fabric was, therefore, 

 abundantly ventilated, and only too frequently filled with fog, as 

 we found to our cost, in coughs and aching limbs, and in mouldy 

 garments, saddles, etc. 



Having reposed a day at Limon, Dr. Taylor went on with my 

 horses two days' journey to Ventanas, hoping to find Mr. Cross 

 there and to bring him up. During his absence I had to look 

 after killing the ox and drying the beef, and to repair our dwelling, 

 which was sadly fallen to decay, especially as to the roof. I 

 therefore set the Indians to drag bamboos and palm-leaves out 

 of the forest, with which we patched up the hut as well as we 

 could. I visited also all the Bark trees known to exist within 

 a short distance, and was well content to see on many of them 

 a good crop of capsules, which had already nearly reached 

 their full size on the finest trees ; on other trees, however, there 

 were only very young capsules, and even a good many flowers, 

 so that I might have obtained at least thirty good flowering 

 specimens ; but, wishing to gather as many seeds as possible, 

 I dried only a couple of specimens, which I had afterwards cause 

 to regret, for not one of the late -flowering panicles produced 

 ripe capsules. I learnt from the inhabitants that the trees had 

 been covered with blossom in the latter part of April and begin- 

 ning of May. 



When Dr. Taylor had been ten days at Yentanas, a brief note 

 from Mr. Mocatta was left at Guaranda by the Spanish minister 

 (on his way from Guayaquil to Ouito), informing me that Mr. 

 Cross had been taken suddenly ill, when about to start for 

 Ventanas. I therefore sent to recall Dr. Taylor, and, after his 

 return to Limon, our operations were confined to visiting the Hark 

 trees daily, which extended through a zone of about four miles in 

 breadth, and to collecting and studying the accompanying vegeta 

 tion. As we had a fair share of sun towards the end of Jinn , I 

 was in hopes the fruit would speedily ripen ; but nearly all through 

 the month of July the weather was cool, with a good deal of mist 

 and fog, so that the capsules scarcely increased in size, many fell 

 oil', and some were attacked by a maggot and curled up. On the 

 tree which bore most capsules they began to turn mouldy, the 

 UK mid being not fungi but rudimentary lichens. I began to tear 

 we should get no ripe seeds, and as the seeds had been especiallj 

 recommended to me in my instructions from Kn.;land. it may be 

 imagined how severe was my feeling ot disappointment 1 had 

 another motive for fearing the same result. Tin- people of Limon 

 had got a notion that I should buy the seeds of them, and one 

 mornin:'. when I made my round among the trees. 1 found that 

 two of them had been stripped oi \ < r\ pani< le, undoubtedly l>\ 

 some one who calculated on selling me the set This was \er\ 



