122 MEMOIR OF FLEEMING JENKIN 



gleam out blue and purple colours such as pre- 

 Raphaelites only dare attempt, shining out hard 

 and weirdlike amongst the clumps of castor-oil 

 plants, cistus, arbor vitae, and many other ever- 

 greens, whose names, alas ! I know not ; the cistus 

 is brown now, the rest all deep or brilliant green. 

 Large herds of cattle browse on the baked deposit 

 at the foot of these large crags. One or two half- 

 savage herdsmen in sheepskin kilts, &c., ask for 

 cigars ; partridges whirr up on either side of us ; 

 pigeons coo and nightingales sing amongst the 

 blooming oleander. We get six sheep and many 

 fowls, too, from the priest of the small village ; 

 and then run back to Spartivento and make prepara- 

 tions for the morning. 



* June 18. 

 ' The big cable is stubborn and will not behave 

 like his smaller brother. The gear employed to 

 take him off the drum is not strong enough ; he 

 gets slack on the drum and plays the mischief. 

 Luckily for my own conscience, the gear I had wanted 

 was negatived by Mr. Newall. Mr. Liddell does not 

 exactly blame me, but he says we might have had 

 a silver pulley cheaper than the cost of this delay. 

 He has telegraphed for more men to Cagliari, to 

 try to pull the cable off the drum into the hold, 

 by hand. I look as comfortable as I can, but feel 

 as if people were blaming me. I am trying my best 



