96 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



"The Slaughter," so called because it was here 

 that Bencomo, the ancient Guanche king, en- 

 trapped the invading Spanish army and annihilated 

 it. Here, at the posting inn, I was welcomed by 

 the portly landlady with proverbial heartiness, and 

 sat down to a real Spanish dinner, very good, 

 though rather garlicy. 



After an hour's rest we inspanned, and started on 

 the second stage of the journey. The grand valley 

 of Orotava now opened up to view, and the famous 

 peak, for once, at this time of day, was free from 

 cloud. This is said to be one of the finest views in 

 the world. The road descended now for a consider- 

 able distance, then rose to a height of about a 

 thousand feet. We reached the Villa Orotava at 

 nightfall. The day was the Jiesta of San Isidro, the 

 patron saint of the villa, and the town was en fete, 

 being gaily decorated and illuminated. Amongst 

 the many pretty decorations I noticed a triumphal 

 arch wholly composed of agricultural implements, 

 and these of the rudest and simplest sort. Iron- 

 shod wooden ploughs, mattocks, wooden prongs, 

 and so on, — all such as are used here even to-day 

 in unscientific agriculture ; which, however, thanks 

 to the productiveness of the soil, is sufficient to 

 support this comparatively thriving town. After a 

 stroll through the streets I was glad to get back 

 to the fonda, where I found an excellent bed, for 

 which, in addition to early morning coffee, they 

 charged me the modest sum of tenpence. At 

 daylight the carriage came to the door, and I 

 started immediately. Our first stopping-place was 

 the picturesque and historic little town of San 

 Juan de la Rambla, once the headquarters of the 

 Canary wine trade, and from whence many a good 

 pipe of sack formerly found its way to London 

 coffee-houses. The wine made here is still good 

 if drunk on the spot, but will not bear transport. 

 After a short rest we again started and reached 

 Ycod de los Vinos at 10 a.m. and here stayed for 

 breakfast ; then away down the newly-made 

 carretera to Garachico. 



Farther than this no wheeled vehicle may at 

 present go, so I engaged a couple of camels for the 

 rest of the road. These animals, after being 

 loaded, arose with a grunt of dissatisfaction, and 

 we started, myself on foot. Immediately after 

 leaving Garachico we passed over the black lava 

 stream which, during an eruption of the peak 

 nearly two centuries ago, utterly destroyed the 

 town of Garachico, and most of its inhabitants. 

 It is strange to stand and watch it now,— black, 

 silent, grim, — and to picture its cruel, relentless 

 grandeur on that awful May morning of 1705. 



We next reached the church of San Pedro, at 

 the side of which, on a stone bench, are seated six 

 skeletons, enclosed by iron railings, over the 

 doorway of which is a quaint inscription in old 

 Spanish, somewhat to this effect: "Wayfarer, 



watch well, and take care what you do, for you will 

 soon be as one of us." The skull of one had 

 fallen off and was lying in his lap. This seemed to 

 suggest the idea that he had done it for a joke, to 

 enliven the otherwise rather solemn proceedings. 

 The idea of this show was no doubt kindly meant 

 by its author as likely to be a check on the 

 waywardness of youth. Those six dead and 

 bleached Canarios looked so hot in the blazing 

 sun, and so altogether unbecoming, that although 

 the priest, a pleasant-mannered man, told me he 

 had some more inside the church if I cared to 

 see them, I declined with thanks, and was quite 

 glad to turn my back on the scene. 



We now passed over the narrow road through 

 fields of waving sugar-cane, and presently came 

 to a large sugar factory at Daute, which is under 

 the able management of Mr. Richard Tonge, an 

 Englishman who, living alone in this out-of-the-way 

 place, has done much to improve the agriculture 

 of the island. He has, moreover, done yeoman's 

 service to sugar planters generally by his observa- 

 tions of the habits of the moth-borer, Chilo saccharilis, 

 the larva of which is such a very serious enemy to 

 the cane, boring into the heart of it and destroying 

 whole acres. Mr. Tonge has adopted a method by 

 which this injurious insect is now practically 

 eradicated on the estates here. 



At four p.m. I reached the cable hut, a small 

 corrugated iron house, seven feet by ten feet, fitted 

 with a heavy testing table, the legs of which are 

 imbedded in the earth, free from contact with 

 the floor, so as to prevent vibration affecting the 

 sensitive measuring instruments. I started at 

 once to set up my instruments, which, to 

 my great satisfaction, proved none the worse for 

 the long journey. This operation took some 

 hours, and I was glad, after a dinner of bread 

 and tinned meat, to roll myself in my blanket, and 

 turn in. I slept well in spite of numerous rats 

 which I vaguely realized were sometimes running 

 over me during the night. Next morning I turned 

 out at four a.m., and lighted my mirror lamp, and 

 commenced to watch for signals from the ship. 

 This " spot watching," as it is humorously called 

 by electricians, is slow work, and the day passed 

 uneventfully. The only incident of interest was a 

 dark object appearing in the surf, about a quarter 

 of a mile away, and presently left high and dry on 

 the beach. It turned out to be a dead camel. I 

 immediately started my boy off with a sharp knife 

 from the tool-box to cut off its hump, which was 

 soon hanging to dry in the sun. A camel's hump 

 in these islands is something Mr. Wemmick would 

 include in the category of "portable property," 

 and is worth from £2. 10s. to £1, the fat from 

 it being esteemed by the islanders as a certain 

 remedv for rheumatism and other ailments. 

 The day's watch being resultless, I ceased my 



