38 JUNGLE PEACE 



steep road toward Mafolie, and behind us the 

 glory of this wonderful island unfolded and 

 spread, the roofs of the town shifting into 

 strange geometric figures, and the harbor circle 

 widening. We passed pleasant sunburned 

 Danes and negroes driving tiny burros laden 

 with small fagots and with grass. At one turn 

 a tamarind tree was in full blossom, and here 

 were gathered all the hummingbirds and butter- 

 flies of the island, or so it seemed. At last we 

 reached a ravine, dry as everything else at this 

 season on the island, and walked slowly up it, 

 catching butterflies. They were in great num- 

 bers and gayly colored. The strangest sight 

 was hundreds of large, brown millipedes cling- 

 ing to the stems of bushes and small trees, 

 apparently finding more moisture in the steady 

 tradewinds than in the soil, which even under 

 large stones, was parched and dry: dragonflies 

 were abundant, but the dominant forms of in- 

 sect life were butterflies and spiders. 



The road wound over the top of the ridge 

 and from its summit we looked down on the 

 other half of the island. No house or trace of 

 cultivation was visible and the beauty of the 

 view was beyond adequate description. Roll- 



