126 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OB, 



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CHAPTER X. 



Anchor in Selango Bay. — An Afternoon's Liberty. — The People and their 

 Houses. — Beautiful building Materials and comfortable Homes. — Con- 

 trivance to keep noxious Vermin from the Houses. — ^Furniture. — Span- 

 iard circumventing Monkey. — Monkey circumventing Spaniard. — Fruits, 

 and the Cherimoya in particular. — Visit to Banana-orchard. — Crabs 

 which are red, and that do run backward. — Wooded on the Kubber- 

 tree, and sought Store of Limes.- — See our first Monkeys. — Abundance 

 of Monkeys revealed; pelt them with Oranges. — Cheapness of Fruits. — 

 Ship richly supplied with Fruits. — Correcting false Impressions as to 

 Fare.— The Kunaways.— Eliska Chipman.— "Wicked Bill." 



At about 3 p.m. we dropped anchor a short half-mile from 

 the beach of white sand, which appeared to extend around 

 the entire bay, broken in places by the encroachment of 

 mangrove-bushes. Again we have before us a scene of 

 tropical luxuriance and beauty. A few dusky .spots beneath 

 the shade of the grand trees mark the town, a place of no 

 importance at present, save as a resort for an occasional 

 whale-ship. As soon as all was made snug on board, the 

 captain good-naturedly allowed us to go on shore, with in- 

 junctions to be moderate in eating the tempting but danger- 

 ous fruits of the country. 



The two boats assigned to us wer^ crowded, and we pull- 

 ed off on our short holiday, mischievously rocking the boats 

 and making the sombre old wood around ring with the jolly 

 chorus of a rowing- song, so thoroughly determined were 

 we to give a full notice to human and monkey natives that 

 we were coming. The result of our boisterous play was a 

 capsized boat and a moistened crew; those who were able 

 swimming to the shore, and the remainder clinging to wreck 



