394 
DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. XXIV.—B. P. 
all hands, and take my meals in common with the rest. 
Not being very particular, I did not at first notice 
that I came in for all the refuse of the pot; hut one 
day, being short of provisions and the last remnants 
having been cooked, I was rather astonished to find 
that my men had dined and never taken the least 
thought of me; nay, more, had actually cooked a fowl 
upon which I had rather reckoned, and devoured every 
particle. I tell this story for the benefit of any future 
travellers on the Mosquito coast. Let the men provide 
themselves; take your own provisions, and keep them 
locked up; never allow the slightest feeling of mis¬ 
taken generosity to induce you to share any portion 
with the crew, otherwise you will certainly repent 
having done so. 
The marks of the hurricane of eighteen months 
before were everywhere perceptible. The surround¬ 
ing forest in all directions had been laid low; ex¬ 
cept where a gigantic tree, more sturdy than its 
fellows, had resisted the fury of the blast, losing 
only about a third of its grand proportions, but leaving 
the trunk absolutely bare of branches, often stripped 
of its bark, and in many instances blackened just as 
if it had been struck by lightning, or as if a great 
forest fire had devastated the country. 
It was indeed a melancholy sight, and I especially 
felt for my crew, all keen hunters, who lamented the 
visitation most feelingly, on the ground that it had 
destroyed the game, both on land and in the water, 
for many miles around. Indeed, it was impossible 
not to be struck with the absence of animal life; even 
