290 



THE TROPIC BIRD. 



bers, all feeding on the crabs which swarmed 

 throughout the mud-flat. At a considerable dis- 

 tance from us, and far beyond the reach of shot, 

 we counted above five hundred flamingoes^ which 

 were ranged in a straight line, putting us in mind 

 of a file of soldiers in the scarlet uniform. 



There could scarcely have been a more un- 

 favourable time for an expedition to the Grand 

 Connetable, as the spring tides had already set in. 

 The turbulence and angry aspect of the returning 

 evening tide showed us the folly and danger of 

 proceeding onwards. Wherefore I reluctantly aban- 

 doned the idea of visiting the stupendous rock; and 

 we took advantage of the tide of flood to regain the 

 town of Cayenne, which we reached after another 

 night of hardship, in a worse condition than when 

 we first set out. 



Exposure to the pelting rain on the preceding 

 night had brought on an inflammation of the oeso- 

 phagus, a complaint which I had never known 

 before. The act of deglutition became so exceed- 

 ingly painful, that I was obliged to live on bread 

 soaked in tea for three succeeding days ; and even 

 with this light food I barely escaped from using 

 the lancet. 



I now gave up all thoughts of procuring the 

 tropic bird, as I could not wait at Cayenne for the 

 period of neap tides, there being an American 

 brig just on the point of weighing anchor for Pa- 

 ramaribo, the capital of Surinam ; and I did not 

 wish to lose the opportunity, knowing that oppor- 



