28G . THE CRUISE OF THE ' CURACOA.' 



CHAPfER XX. 

 YSAB EL— SOLOMON GROUP. 



(SePIEMHKR 7 TO 10.) 



At AiK-li'ir in St. Gfoige".s Bay — Cocliatoo Island — Baiter — Ebon}' Trees — Trip 

 inland — Difficult Walk — .\ C'outov of Women — Hon.«es perched in Trees — 

 Pigeon Island. 



On Septenil)er 7, in the iiioriiiiig', soiul- minutes after the 

 Bishop's schooner, we weiglied nnd ]>roceecled on our court^e 

 to Ystibel Island. We ran for some time along the coast of 

 the line island of Florida, then passed before the island of 

 l^uena Vista, and soon sighted on om' sttirboaid bow the 

 outline of Ysabel Island, which appeared prettier and more 

 and more picturo:-qiie the nearer we got to it. At two P.M. 

 we anchored under Cockatoo or Ivistern Islet, in St. George's 

 13ay ; this island did not appear tu laive an\ grass land nor 

 open ground, but it ccrtainlj^ was covered, as far as I ct)uld 

 see, with ;i dense forest. The fine expanse of water at this 

 spot might have been taken for a large lake surrounded by 

 mountains, with ishinds in it of dillerent sizes and foinis 

 beautifully wuoded. There is a reef which runs off the 

 JN.W. point of Cockatoo IsUuid, to wliich we had to give a 

 wide berth, lioinid St. George's Bay there are no moun- 

 tains that, as 1 could judge, exceed 2,000 feet. 



