of an Orchid Hunter. 21 



in breadth. The day of our visit being a holiday, 

 the young athletes of Trinidad were engaged in a 

 cricketing contest with a neighbouring island and the 

 Savanna was gay with bunting, as well as pretty faces. 

 We were very favourably impressed with the social 

 character of the people of Trinidad, who seem to me to 

 possess at once the stability of John Bull, combined 

 with the elegance of the Spaniard and the politeness 

 of the French. Visitors favoured with more time than 

 we were will, I have no doubt, agreeably prove what I 

 say to be true. For my own part, when the usual 

 sailing signal warned me that the Phantom was going 

 in search of fresh sights, whether I accompanied or 

 not, I was reluctant enough to leave so inviting and 

 genial a place. 



A few strong pulls brought us on board, and we 

 were very quickly under weigh for the harbour of 

 La Guayra, on the mainland of South America. The 

 morning after leaving Trinidad we passed alongside 

 the island of Margarita — a long, straggling, barren- 

 looking tract of land, which appeared to have little or 

 no cultivation and few or no inhabitants, and at once 

 associated with itself Robinson Crusoe-like adventures 

 for anyone having ill luck enough to be cast on such 

 an inhospitable-looking place. We were informed that 

 at one time this was a pearl-fishing station, and at 

 present there are some copper mines worked by 



