10 



BAHAMAN TRIP 



shallow water; long sand-bars, some exposed and some under water, 

 and a few cays showing to seaward. On one were a number of terns 

 and a pair of oyster-catchers. Shot one of the latter; as it fell in the 

 water a barracuda snatched at it, but was beaten off by one of the men 

 with a harpoon. There were a number of sharks about, some five or 

 six feet in length. Although our boat drew less than two feet, we 

 were stranded on a sand-bar until four o'clock. As a consequence it 

 was dark when we landed at Red Bays on the west side of the island. 

 As walking about at night is impossible, we did not attempt to reach 

 the settlement, but slept in a palm-thatched chapel near by. 



Tuesday, April 15. Walked a short distance back of the settle- 

 ment of Red Bays. The land was low, covered with palmettoes and 

 the brier tree (Terminalia, one of the plants which later proved to be 

 undescribed). Returning farther down the shore, first met with the 

 marly deposit so characteristic of the west side. It is a very fine de- 

 posit, and so soft that in some places I sank in halfway to my knees. 

 It extends back from high-water mark from an eighth to a quarter of 

 a mile. In some places along shore are mangrove swamps. There 

 were also some mangroves beyond high-water mark, but these are 

 small and apparently not thriving. About two miles below the little 

 chapel where we had spent the previous night, we again turned inland 

 across a savanna, a piece of level land covered with grass and rushes, 

 where we found a number of plants new to us. (See account of the 

 flora.) We then entered the pines and followed the path to an orange 

 grove in a coppet, known as Lewis Coppet, where the house that had 

 been vacated for us was situated. After some discussion three shil- 

 lings currency was agreed upon as the price of rent per day and two 

 shillings sterling to be paid the wife for the five days' cooking. This, 

 I may say in passing, was higher than the usual rates asked. 



April 16. Mr. Keith left. Very warm, thermometer 82. The 

 walking is very rough, but not as bad as back of Nicol's Town. There 

 are many banana holes. The soft soil covers the depressions in the 

 rock for a long distance from the water. 



April 17. Out shortly after dawn. Followed a path through the. 

 coppet southwest, then on through grass and palmettoes to a small 

 patch of woods beyond. Near here there was an agave in bloom, the 

 first we had seen. The flower stalk rose about twenty-five feet in the 

 air and was about eight inches thick at a distance of four or five feet 



