110 



SANTA MARGARITA. 



from Monpox ; the country we had passed, 

 from about a mile and half from Monpox, 

 is tolerably well cultivated for about two 

 hundred yards in breadth, and had abund- 

 ance of orange, lemon, and nispero trees in 

 full bearing ; likewise great quantities of 

 plantains, the main article of consumption 

 among the lower classes. The plantain is 

 the most common and most prolific tree 

 of the country ; it grows to the height of 

 twenty or thirty feet, — the stem of a pe- 

 culiarly juicy texture; the leaves are large, 

 and have a graceful appearance, waving 

 with the slightest motion of the air, and 

 cheering the weary traveller with the pro- 

 spect of human habitation, and the proba- 

 ble supply of his wants. The fruit hangs 

 in clusters with a graceful curve ; there 

 are in general only two or three bunches 

 of fruit on each tree. A single blow from 

 a strong arm, with a good machetta, usu- 

 ally brings the tree down, when the fruit 



