FAR AND NEAR 



dows of the houses. But when we reached the place, 

 how bitter was our disappointment to find that the 

 hirhts came from huf^e fireflies ! There seemed to be 

 a firefly carnival in that particular spot. When one 

 of these insects passed through or over a tree and 

 sent forth his ray, one could see the foliage distinctly. 

 Photographers say that the light is sufficient to " fog " 

 a plate. It was yet a long, tiresome ride to Chapel- 

 ton, which w^e found on a hill above the river — a 

 straggling street of poor, dilapidated houses — about 

 ten o'clock. We succeeded in procuring lodging in 

 a house w^here, I am sure, some of the odors had 

 kept over from the times of the Spanish occupation, 

 and where the beds were as hard as the middle of 

 the road. I sat in the little stuffy sitting-room, tired 

 and sulky, Vv^hile my companions higgled with the 

 black landlady about charges. No grass could be 

 had in town for the horses, and these had finally 

 to be taken three miles out to pasture by our driver, 

 Andrew. 



In the morning we drew the carriage up in front 

 of the lodging-house on the broad, grassy side of 

 the street to load on our traps. Before the luggage 

 was half on, a colored police officer appeared; with 

 great dignity and solemnity he ordered us to remove 

 the carriage, and asked for our names that he might 

 report us at Kingston for violating a village ordi- 

 nance. We had technically blockaded the street 

 (though ours seemed the only four-wheeled vehicle 



238 



