VEGETABLE GARDENS 103 



your native escort. An adjournment is now made 

 to what looks like a very high circular native hut 

 without any walls, just a roof supported on poles. 

 This, you are informed, is primarily the dining- 

 room, but an apartment daily used for rest and 

 refreshment as well. Here cool the canvas water- 

 bottles, hanging high up in any breeze that may be 

 stirring. Here meals are served, and the succeeding 

 siesta is enjoyed. Three or four easy-chairs are 

 scattered about, one of which, a miracle of clumsi- 

 ness and comfort, was made, it appears, by the 

 commandant's carpenter, who is an Indian under- 

 going imprisonment (or at least confinement) for 

 some offence committed on a passing river steamer. 



After a little conversation on your journey and 

 plans, comes the inevitable invitation to visit the 

 vegetable gardens, so you go, accompanied by Joao 

 and Manoel the gardeners. You are surprised to 

 find an excellent selection of healthy vegetables, 

 and are politely sympathetic about the havoc 

 created by caterpillars and beetles among the cab- 

 bages and lettuces, by ants on the radishes, and 

 upon everything that grows therein by the stupidity 

 and unintelligence of the natives in charge : how 

 Joao transplanted the cress, and how Manoel 

 planted Morton's tinned peas under the firm im- 

 pression that they would give an excellent crop, 

 etc. etc. 



At sunset, a hoarse shout from the police 

 quarters is followed by the beating of a native 

 drum. Several important-looking native police, 

 armed with Snider rifles, appear, and with por- 

 tentous gravity crudely present arms, and you 



