CHAPTER II 
Letter II. Habana. — Happy darkies — Black-gin's Leap — Beautiful 
spiders' nests — Disagreeable insects — ^A praying mantis — ^A picnic. 
Lettbr III. Macnadb House. —Townsville— Charters Towers gold 
field — Herbert River — A kind welcome — Critical Kanakas — Ingham 
— A variety show — Fever — Saved from ''swimming home." 
Habana. 
We arrived at this plantation yesterday, lunching on 
the way with Mrs. P., who has the very perfection 
of a little bush house. She has also a wonderful 
collection of insects, and a latter selection of native 
orchids than I have yet seen anywhere. 
The country all round is very like New Zealand, 
even to the Whares which the Kanakas have put up in 
preference to wooden houses. All day long we hear the 
crushing of the sugar-mill and the sing*song cry of the 
natives, who possess that peculiar knack which all dark 
races have of being able to throw their voices out to a 
great distance. They have a very happy time of it on 
these plantations, and all seem very jolly witK their 
wives, children, and those belongings most precious to 
them, including fowls and pigs. We used to hear most 
harrowing tales of their ill-treatment— don't believe a 
word of it. They have an agent who looks well after 
them, and the most trivial complaint is inquired into. 
They are all recruited from the South Sea Islands, and 
they contract to work for three years in the planta- 
C 
Digitized by LnOOQ IC 
