TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



233 



which the peat, or as it is named there, turf, had 

 been cut away and the excavations filled up again as 

 is the practice, shrubs growing about here and 

 there in a similar way ; but I soon came to see the 

 difference in substance. We walked across the place 

 till we came to the spot where the soft pitch oozes 

 up ; this cannot be walked over — at least I never 

 tried and would not like to try to do so. There were 

 many pools of water, some large, some small, but 

 none over which an active man — and I was active in 

 those days — could not easily spring. These pools 

 vary in depth from two to four feet and serve as 

 handy bathing places for the residents at La Brea 

 who may prefer it to a sea bath ; it is said to be good 

 for any one troubled with skin disease or rheuma- 

 tism ; a few men were bathing and a good many 

 women were washing clothes and bathing at the same 

 time, both having on the same amount of clothing, 

 which was next to nil ; the greater part of the wash- 

 ing of the locality is done here • it makes a fine wash- 

 ing and drying place, the many rivulets affording 

 abundant water and the dry hard asphalt serving as 

 a bleaching ground. You hear some people say that 

 you cannot stand for any length of time in " one 

 place 99 without sinking up to your ankles ; unless by 

 " one place 99 they mean to specify the spot where 

 the pitch is constantly oozing up, the assertion is 

 devoid of foundation ; it certainly would be danger- 

 ous to stand on this particular spot, and then if 

 you tried it, it would be more likely that you 

 would sink up to and over your head and not merely 



