44 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



or another visited most of these mountains, 

 approaching them by horseback trail through 

 other ranges to the south, but Guajaibon on the 

 east and Azucar on the west remained terra incog- 

 nita to all of us, and were two of the main objective 

 points of this trip. How best to reach them we did 

 not know, but from some points along the coast 

 we proposed making dashes for them, however 

 difficult the way. Those who have "hiked" only 

 in temperate regions can hardly understand 

 worrying about a matter of ten or fifteen miles. 

 In the tropics, however, there is a difference. 

 Exuberance of spirit and that do-or-die feeling 

 one has in the northern wilderness ooze out after 

 a few hours' struggle in a tropical jungle. 



When partial order had been attained and the 

 launch was transferred to the water, a party was 

 selected to go dredging, and another, in the 

 auxiliary, to visit an island not far away to explore 

 for Cerion. Our search for Cerion was never- 

 ending. The various species of this interesting 

 molluscan genus reported from the northwest 

 Cuban coast are little known, and as all of us 

 secretly entertained theories about the evolution 

 of this group of salt-air-loving land-shells, we were 



