WHALING VOYAGE. 
229 
dozen brawny men running away with all their might 
down a hill, flinging their arms about to keep off their 
little assailants, and screaming out at the top of their 
voices from fear of their pigmy stilettos,— we found it 
necessary to keep up our retreat for upwards of a quarter 
of a mile before our determined pursuers gave up the 
chase, who no doubt much enjoyed their victory. As it 
was, we found several of our crew wounded ; one in a 
very dangerous place, the sting having passed through 
the upper eye-lid, and which confined him several days* 
When I commenced my first journey to the town, which 
is situated about eight miles from the port of Manta, the 
road being nearly all the way through a thick wood, 
which is formed of the beautiful cotton tree, that on our 
visit appeared in full bloom, and the gigantic cactus, 
which grows to thirty feet in height and of great thick- 
ness, and other beautiful trees and elegant shrubs, I 
was astonished at the great variety of rare and exquisite 
birds which here careered in their own native air, and 
warbled in the quiet shades of their own wild woods. 
Although I have visited so many various places and 
climes, I never saw half the number of beautiful birds 
during the whole time of my wandering as I had here 
suddenly presented to me during my short journey to the 
town. The woods were actually thronged with them— 
from the great silvery buzzard to the busy humming- 
bird appeared one vast chain of many-coloured links. 
One moment, a flight of lovely azure ones provoked your 
admiration, and, on their journey ending, the next,' in 
some shady grove or thickset jungle, your eye rested 
