ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. 125 



river, immediately opposite the town : a spot 

 which, from its solitude, appeared well suited to 

 this purpose. But, on rowing up a little creek, 

 we came unexpectedly to a large wooden house, 

 half concealed by the trees ; here we found a mer- 

 ry party of ladies who had fled on Christmas eve, 

 during the alarm. They carried us into the fo- 

 rest to show us a plantation of the tree which 

 yields the cocoa, or more properly cacao-nut, from 

 which chocolate is made. The cacao grows on a 

 tree about twenty feet high. The nut, such as 

 we find it, is contained within a rind of a melon 

 shape, as large as a man''s two fists, with the nuts 

 or kernels clustered in the inside. The fruit 

 grows principally from the stem, or when found 

 on the branches, still preserves the same charac- 

 ter, and grows from the main branch, not from a 

 lateral twig. 



Whilst we were losing our time with these mer- 

 ry gossips, a messenger arrived to inform the la- 

 dies that a boat had been sent to carry them back, 

 as the city was again restored to tranquillity. We 

 escorted them to the creek, and saw them safely 

 into their boat, having made more progress in our 



