THIRD JOURNEY. 



191 



We went on the sand-bank to look for their nests, 

 as this was the breeding season. The coloured man 

 Turtles' showed iis how to find them. Wherever a 

 nests. portion of the sand seemed smoother than 

 the rest, there was sure to be a turtle's nest. On dig- 

 ging down with our hands, about nine inches deep, we 

 found from twenty to thirty white eggs ; in less than 

 an hour we got above two hundred. Those which had 

 a little black spot or two on the shell we ate the same 

 day, as it was a sign that they were not fresh, and of 

 course would not keep : those which had no speck 

 were put into dry sand, and were good some weeks 

 after. 



At midnight, two of our people went to this sand- 

 bank, while the rest stayed to watch the cayman. The 

 turtle had advanced on to the sand to lay their eggs, 

 and the men got betwixt them and the water ; they 

 brought off half a dozen very fine and well-fed turtle. 

 The egg-shell of the fresh-water turtle is not hard, like 

 that of the land* tortoise, but appears like white parch- 

 ment, and gives way to the pressure of the fingers j but 

 it is very tough, and does not break. On :this sand- 

 bank, close to the forest, we found several guana's 

 nests; but they had never more than fourteen eggs 

 a-piece. Thus passed the day, in exercise and know- 

 ledge, till the sun's declining orb reminded us it was * 

 time to return to the place from whence we had 

 set out. 



The second night's attempt upon the cayman was a 

 repetition of the first, quite unsuccessful. We went a 

 fishing the day after, had excellent sport, and returned 

 to experience a third night's disappointment. On the 

 fourth evening, about four o'clock, we began to erect a 



