204 SUNSHINE AND SPORT IN 



with at the starting-point, take you a short distance 

 for a " car-fare," i.e. threepence, surely the cheapest 

 cab-fare in the world. 



But if Kingston offers little to detain the tourist, 

 there are many beautiful spots with ideal climate in 

 the island, which, not much more than a tenth of 

 the area of Cuba, is far more beautiful, an island 

 of mountains and of roads, thousands of feet of 

 mountains, thousands of miles of roads ; an island 

 of palm, tree-fern, banana, sugar-cane, pimento, 

 mighty cotton-trees studded with orchids, brilliant 

 flowers and beautiful birds. The climate is heavenly 

 in spring-time. Even in Kingston, by no means 

 its coolest town, the mean temperature lies between 

 70 degrees and 90 degrees, and up in the hills at 

 Moneague or Mandeville there is perfection for 

 twelve months of the year. 



The Moneague, a village which lies some miles 

 beyond the railway terminus at Ewarton, is a most 

 attractive resort, and has one of the best hotels on 

 the island. The afternoon train goes by way of 

 Spanish Town, and from Ewarton there is a drive 

 of a couple of hours over hilly roads that give 

 magnificent mountain views. St Ann has been 

 described as the " Garden of Jamaica," and cer- 

 tainly it is a beautiful parish. The early mornings 

 are gorgeous, and there was a short drive out to a 

 deep waterhole, belonging to Mr Roper, in which 

 we took a delicious plunge, frightening the little 

 " tikki-tikkis " that swam in the shallows, and caus- 

 ing no little amusement to a party of grinning little 

 piccaninnies assembled on the hill opposite. Then 

 there was polo at Orange Hall. The Roper family 

 can put a four in the field, and "hot stuff" at that, 



