A Sojourn in Cuba 



scrambling among some low rocks gathering 

 ferns and vines, when I was startled by finding 

 my face close to a great snake, whose body was 

 disposed carelessly Hke a castaway rope among 

 the weeds and stones. After escaping and com- 

 ing to my senses, I discovered that the snake 

 was a member of the vegetable kingdom, ca- 

 pable of no dangerous amount of locomotion, 

 but possessed of many a fang, and prostrate 

 as though under the curse of Eden, "Upon thy 

 belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat." 



One day, after luxuriating in the riches of 

 my Morro pasture, arid pressing many new 

 specimens, I went down to the bank of brilliant 

 wave-washed shells to rest awhile in their 

 beauty, and to watch the breakers that a power- 

 ful norther was heaving in splendid rank along 

 the coral boundary. I gathered pocketfuls of 

 shells, mostly small but fine in color and form, 

 and bits of rosy coral. Then I amused myself 

 by noting the varying colors of the waves and 

 the different forms of their curved and blossom- 

 ing crests. While thus alone and free it was 

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