LA ESPERANZA 47 



uniform to pay us an official visit, we could offer 

 him helado de guanabana — or soursop ice — that 

 delicacy of all Cuban delicacies. When the Amer- 

 icans discover guanabana as a flavoring for ices 

 and beverages there will be a great trade in this 

 delectable fruit. We blessed Torre for this nice 

 little attention. Our first dinner on deck was in a 

 stiff breeze that blew the arroz amarillo off our 

 forks. We had not learned then, as we did later, 

 how to protect ourselves from the elements. 



The Cerion hunting party met with no success 

 whatever. Their island proved to be merely a 

 mangrove flat harboring swarms of mosquitoes. 

 They made some good dredge hauls, however, in 

 two fathoms of soft bottom near Cayo Arenas. 



We slept fully dressed and under blankets, this, 

 our chilliest night on board. 



