BEAVA. 317 



such a cup of coffee as I never tasted save on this favoured 

 spot, and a delicious puros* given me by one of my new 

 acquaintances. Fruits, comprising every variety of orange, 

 shaddocks, pine-apples, guavas, figs, and bananas, replaced 

 the more solid materials, and, in honour of the English guest, 

 a couple of bottles of exquisite Madeira, of most remote anti- 

 quity, were uncorked with no small degree of pride by our 

 host, who remarked at the same time that it was very unlikely 

 he would often again taste anything like it, or perhaps at all, 

 as the grapes on the island of Madeira were at this time 

 totally destroyed by the disease. 



This important part of the day's proceedings being con- 

 cluded, preparations were made for the shooting expedition, 

 and for this purpose a very dirty and mysterious-looking 

 personage, yclept Peter, was sent for. I had before seen the 

 same individual acting as a pilot, in which capacity, when he 

 directed the course of our schooner into the harbour, he made 

 a great display of a few words of English that he had picked 

 up, and evinced the presence of the bump of cupidity to an 

 extraordinary degree. Everything he saw he either tried 

 to pocket or expressed a desire to possess; and I remember 

 whilst in the cabin of our vessel, after he had begged for a 

 lump of rotten cheese he saw in the steward's pantry, which 

 he had immediately transferred to some part of his person, 

 he made a snatch at a small comb that lay on the table, 

 observing " My wife got plenty 1 e 1" 



Peter on this occasion had thrown aside his marine occupa- 

 tion, and instead of indicating the presence of rocks and 

 shoals, had volunteered to point out the whereabouts of 

 rabbits and guinea-fowl. He was followed by two dogs, 

 equal in grotesque appearance to himself; one was of the 

 large double-nosed Spanish pointer breed, but literally all 



Real Havannah cigar. 



