Land and Sea 



the hill-sides with their cream-white grace ; on 

 damp rocks masses of liverwort abound to 

 charm the fern-lover. In an hour or two you 

 emerge from this little wilderness on to the 

 Caminho do Meio, the very steep road which 

 ascends to the east of Funchal. This alarming 

 road has an inclination of 23°, or one in two 

 and a third, and from its exceeding abruptness 

 has been nicknamed " Rocket Road." Facilis 

 descensus^ it is easy to toboggan down it in a 

 running car ; but how any one ever gets up it 

 is a mystery. Crossing it, you may pass through 

 a delightful little forest of eucalyptus trees, 

 their smooth straight stems springing to a 

 surprising height, and ascend to a winding 

 levada, affording very charming views of the 

 town, the sea, and the rocky Desertas, which 

 leads you in time to the pleasant mountain 

 village of Camacha. 



A very pleasant village indeed it is, lying over 

 two thousand feet above the sea-level, on a spur 

 of the higher hills, a few miles to the east of 

 Funchal. It was formerly much resorted to in 

 summer by those English whose business re- 

 tained them in Madeira, as is attested by the 

 presence of some agreeable villas, now little 



143 



