CHAPTER lY 



THE GAEDEN STEPS 



The air was laden with the sweet fragrance of 

 flowers. They wafted a delightful welcome to the 

 hardy explorers, who, worn with the long voyage, 

 viewed for the first time the rocky shores of New 

 England. Their soothing influence brought heart 

 to the wearied men, as they revelled in the spicy 

 odors that brought in their train pleasant thoughts 

 of the wonderful gardens they had left behind 

 them. From the sandy coast of Florida to the bleak 

 I^ew England shores they felt its enticing power. 

 So pungent was the perfume, that it touched the 

 heart of Barlow, one of the commanders of Ral- 

 eigh's expedition who wrote on landing on the 

 newly discovered shore, "We smelt so sweet and 

 strong a smell, as if we had been in the midst of 

 some delicate garden. The woods were not such as 

 we find in Europe, barren and fruitless, but the 

 highest and reddest cedars, pines, cypresses, and 



many others of excellent quality. Of grapes we 



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