138 FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA 



forts as still remained to him, procure for her, 

 for a time at least, some repose, refreshment, and 

 security." 



For some time the party devoted their time to 

 exploring their immediate surroundings, in a land 

 which appeared to them a haven of rest and of 

 surpassing loveliness. They penetrated into forests 

 of great extent, to points on the mountain -tops 

 from whence a succession of wooded ravines and 

 steep mountain-sides, clothed with a luxuriant and 

 ever- verdant vegetation, delighted their eyes ; the 

 mountain streams giving life to a scene where, 

 except only for the songs of countless birds and the 

 hum of insect life, all was still. No four-legged 

 animals or reptiles were to be seen. Fruits in 

 abundance seemed as if awaiting them, and in the 

 crannies of the rocks they found honey possessing 

 the odour of violets. An opening in the extensive 

 woods, which was encircled by laurels and flowering 

 shrubs, presented an inviting retreat, and a tree of 

 dense shade, the probable growth of ages, offered 

 a verdant canopy of impenetrable foliage. In this 

 spot they determined to form a residence from the 

 abundant materials with which Nature supplied 

 them. This state of innocent happiness was not 

 destined to last long, as, though apparently serenely 



