6o TiMEHRI. 



altogether they were cool and pleasant retreats after the 

 hot thoroughfares, Carupano is scarcely worthy of any 

 further notice except that it is as bad as Port-of Spain in 

 respe6l to street-lighting (with pitch oil), somewhat in 

 advance in sanitary arrangements (dry earth) and worse 

 with regard to water, the precious element having to be 

 carried 3 miles by pack mules. A large sum of money was 

 voted for an aqueduft but it disappeared under the head 

 of " miscellaneous" — not far behind us there. 



The next point then for me was to find a vessel bound for 

 Margarita — several small craft lay at anchor, but none 

 seemed likely to leave before Monday. In the meantime, 

 as there was no hotel in the place I was very glad to 

 accept a room from a gentleman to whom I had been 

 introduced. The apartment had the usual heavy doors and 

 iron gratings, dark and something between a cellar and a 

 prison cell in appearance, but after a few articles of 

 furniture had been put in and a hammock slung up, it 

 proved cooler and more comfortable than I anticipated. 

 Breakfast and dinner were obtained at a kind of 

 boarding house opposite ; many and varied dishes 

 covered the table, but so extraordinary was the cooking 

 that I thought it could only have been inspired by the 

 demons of nightmares and dyspepsia.* 



On Saturday the 14th I was startled by the unexpe6led 

 hoisting of the main-sail of a little sloop. Some one said 

 it was " El Correo" or the post boat, bound for Pampotar 

 in Margarita, distant but 5 miles from my destination, so 

 with the frantic hope of quitting these indigestible shores 

 two days earlier than I expe6led, I rushed down the hill, 



* It is fair to my host to say that I was suffering from dyspepsia 

 already. 



