166 WHALING AND FISHING. 



sufficiently difficult to keep dry under the most 

 favorable circumstances, great discomfort ensues. 



But rainy weather is made no account of in a 

 "spouter." If whales are seen, the boats are 

 lowered in the middle of the most violent sq'iall. 

 Sundays and rainy days are no holidays in the 

 whaling serv/'ce. 



"When our cruise, however, extended over toward 

 Bourbon and the Isle of France, we had again 

 delightful weather. One day we sighted Bour- 

 bon, and sailed close into the land, in order to ex- 

 amine thoroughly for whales. The island is very 

 mountainous, and has, lying as it does in the track 

 of the Trades, a weather and lee side. It was the 

 lee side which we now approached. I never in 

 my life saw a more enchanting country. In the 

 distance were the blue mountain peaks, thrown in 

 uncouth volcanic masses against the sky. In the 

 foreground was a narrow strip of beach, dotted 

 with white houses, peeping forth from umbrageous 

 groves. And rising above these, was the hill side, 

 every inch of which for miles, was in the highest 

 state of cultivation. Here were the plantations 

 of sugar, coffee, cloves, and tobacco. Each field 

 was bordered by neat rows of coffee trees, be- 

 tween which ran the streets. The whole appeared 

 in the most perfect order, and the scene, viewed 

 from a distance of a mile at sea, was enchanting 

 beyond description. It was like the realization 

 of a dream of Arcadie. 



The rsader can easily imagine the feelings with 



