106 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



things known in the world are to be had in Eng- 

 land, but colour is one of the few, the wondrous few, 

 that are wanting. It seems to develop a new sense 

 when the sober British eye begins to take in all this 

 inconceivable wealth. The water itself gradually 

 lightening out of its blueness, as it steals along more 

 and more shallow to the silver sand, coquetting 

 through every charming subterfuge of azure and green 

 and grey before it breaks at last upon the little 

 pebbles, and owns itself only a limpid medium for 

 all reflections, colourless in itself. And then the 

 rocks that have tossed themselves about as if in sport 

 to secure these coy and tender wavelets, throwing a 

 stone or two into the shape of an arch, to be sure, as 

 is the fashion of the island ; what cool tones of brown 

 and grey what wild sulphureous touches what 

 russet stains that burn red in the sun ! The recollec- 

 tions of this day's voyage might suffice to brighten 

 up the leaden shadows for a whole lifetime at home. 

 It is just possible that on the face of the precipice, 

 as we rounded the rocks this morning from the 

 Marina, you might see some faint zigzag lines 

 scratched with an air of meaning ; and as the days 

 are endless on paper, and fatigue an unknown acci- 

 dent, we will take another direction this time, and 

 show you their signification. Here, for some reason 

 which we cannot explain, perhaps because it lies too 

 much under the shadow of Monte Solaro for great 

 productiveness, the higher slope is left to nature, and 



