A WOMAN'S EXPERIENCKS Ix\ VENEZUELA. 73 



tiny niches into which we later crept were more like the 

 vaults of a tomb than aught else. 



I doubt if either of us will ever forget that first night. Be- 

 neath the flooring and behind the planked sides of the vessel 

 was a mysterious underworld, densely ])oi)ulated by rats of 

 most sportive disposition. How they managed to live there 

 we never discovered, for we neither caught sight of one 

 throughout the voyage, nor were we ever troubled by raids on 

 biscuits or other edibles. 



There seemed to be some kind of a running track extending 

 around the hidden de])ths of the sloop. A race would start 



near the stern, the contestants tearing around W 's bunk; 



then the footfalls would die out toward the bow to become 

 audible almost at once on my side — a medley of sound indi- 

 cating a mob of invisible rushing creatures, galloping down 

 a mysterious homestretch. For some time we expected the 

 goal of each race to be some part of ourselves or our luggage, 

 but the " heat " would invariablv end on the under side of the 

 partition within a few inches of my ear, and then would fol- 

 low a general m.elee and fight, punctuated with shrill squeaks 

 and sc[ueals and vicious blows and sounds of tumbling, rolling 

 bodies. Were we in the mood we might have learned much 

 of rat vocabulary. But we did not then know that these 

 strenuous rodents ne\'er penetrated to the upper portions of 

 the sloop and this uncertainty kept alive our interest in their 

 manoeuvers throughout the night. 



Silence was unknown during this first night, and while the 

 rats were resting, other things occupied our minds and kept 

 away ennui — and sleep. The gurgle and splash of Isilge 

 water was a steady accompaniment of the pitch and toss of the 

 sloop, while now and then a sinister trickling came to our ears. 

 We called up to the captain and inciuired about it, and were 

 assured that it was " only a leak! " He had looked for it many 

 times, but could not locate it. This gave us food for thought, 



