70 Sarrorp: NoTres oF A NATURALIST AFLOAT—IV 
his home. In the center of a clearing was a hut made 
of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves, with the bare 
ground for a floor and with two rooms. The only uten- 
sils I saw were a few gourds, an iron kettle and one or 
two earthenware pots for cooking. There were also a 
table, a bench, and two chairs. Around the house there 
was a small garden in which I saw growing some inferior 
_ tomatoes, large purple eggplant, ochra, red peppers, and 
Hibiscus sabdariffa, with acidulous red calices eaten by 
the natives, sometimes called Jamaica sorrel. But 
_ to me the most interesting plant was a large-leaved arum 
resembling Polynesian taro, which proved to be a species 
of = cclaitecies or “Carib cabbage.”’ 
Tt began to rain in torrents and I went into the hut for 
is clin The roof leaked in many places, although this 
: _ fact did not seem to cause the inmates the least concern. ae 
2 ‘The Dey intr< roduced me to his mother and eee : 
: company me back unless I should promise him a much _ 
larger fee than that which we had agreed upon. This — 
T refused to do; whereupon, « on taking my departure, the 
_ two women pointed to a road, which I was sure wot d 
take me toward the center of the island instead of to — 
_ the shore of the bay; so I thanked them, and followed — 
a the path by which we had come, as nearly as I could © 
- remember. This led me through several marshes and — 
_ Swampy places. My hands and face were scratched by — 
_ the sharp prickles of catclaws, and several times” my 
Ports was srreated by Lncaretina thickets, eg - 
1 snow-white 
