282 
PHYSICAL CHAEACTEEISTICS. 
level spot we readied, corresponded with the rude 
ascent. It was not more than ten feet wide, with a 
sheer precipice on either side — a sort of isthmus 
dividing the highest point of the island, — a steep 
acclivity which might he a citadel — from the part 
inhabited. Here we were met by the principal man 
at the head of the whole population. 
Our reception was not very ceremonious, and after 
the first display of curiosity, and the discussion of 
the object of our visit, they allowed us to wander 
about perfectly unmolested. On mentioning the sub- 
ject of King William’s “bad boh,” they declared 
he had no authority over them, and that they 
were determined to maintain their independence : 
with regard to his son, all said that he was neither 
killed by a gun nor by a cutlass, but “God took 
him.” 
The mother or woman who had charge of the. child 
told us he was burned by accident. 
The appearance of the town is what might be anti- 
cipated from such an approach. The surface of the 
island is so confined and uneven, that the huts, of the 
meanest description, are huddled together wherever 
there is an available spot, and seem almost 
piled one on another. They were swarming with chil- 
dren, goats, dogs, pigs, &c., and blackened by smoke. 
There is not the smallest space for cultivation, and but 
scanty browsing for the numerous goats. 
The people of this and the other Amboise Islands 
