224 CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES. 



pearance of having been hollowed out for the recep- 

 tion of jewels or bright metal ; as the author of the 

 article mentioned above remarks : " In the wooden 

 objects, as in the stone one, the eyes excavated for 

 precious stones are plainly visible, but the stones are 

 wanting." ' 



The same author quotes Herrera's account of the 

 visit of Columbus to Cuba, when a party, having 

 penetrated to the interior, returned with glowing ac- 

 counts of their reception by the Indians. They found 

 a village where each house contained a whole gen- 

 eration. " The prime men came out to meet them, led 

 them by the arms, and lodged them in one of the new 

 houses, causing them to sit down on seats made of 

 a solid piece of wood in the shape of a beast with very 

 short legs and the tail held up, the head before, with 

 eyes and ears of gold." 



This relic of antiquity was undoubtedly taken by 

 the Caribs from their enemies of Haiti, and brought 

 here by the captor, or it may have belonged to a 

 captive Arowak living among the Caribs. The same 

 old negro who found the " stool " was of our party, 

 but he could not afford any further light except to say, 

 " Me tink him b'long to Injun seat." 



Beneath the cave, a hundred feet farther down the 

 cliff, was a grotto sparkling with lime crystals. In 

 descending to this, we found some great birds, which 

 are seldom seen except high in air, sailing above the 

 ocean, the Tropic-birds {Phacthon celhcrcus) ; and 

 they sat so quietly upon the shelves of the cliff, per- 

 mitting us to approach, that at first we took them for 

 young birds. We soon were convinced that they 

 were adult birds by finding some eggs beneath them, 



