very evening," I replied, "and at the cocoa-nut grove. There I shall also try our gaskets; my success with the fishing having put me in high hope for that exploit." While we were talking, Fidele had run off to the spring to quench his thirst, after his share of our feast, and came back, frisking about in an unusual way; which we observed, being amused for some time, till we perceived he wanted us to go with him. Eliza rose; and, on my doing the same, he ran before us, then came back, and then went on, playing gently forward, till we arrived at the fountain, and there we saw the object of his attention, - our lame goat, with two young kids at her foot. We were delighted at the sight, and almost as much so with the sagacity, nay, something like sympathy, of our dear little dog. While we gazed on the newborn creatures, he fell to lapping the stream; so that we really were induced to believe he had not even stopped to drink, when he descried the goat with her young progeny, till he had run back to bring us the tidings. My dear wife hastened to our house for some plantains to give the mother; and, as the goat and her kids were on the further side of the brook, I took up the little ones, and brought them across. When my Eliza returned, she fed the old goat from her hand, while I held the kids; and then we proceeded with them up to the cave; the poor animal following, and eating all the way. I deposited them within, leaving plenty of food near the mother for her sustenance. We were highly gratified by this expected event having terminated so propitiously; and, mutually congratulating each other, left our old lady to her nursery. I then took a spade, a hatchet, a sack, and my gaskets; and my dear wife being armed with her pike, and with her loins girded to make her petticoats the shorter, we set off for the cocoa-nut grove, distant about a mile and a quarter. On our arrival, we were glad to see the melon and pumpkin seeds we had planted a fortnight ago, well above ground; but there was yet nothing appearing from the yams or coccOS. I found little or no weedy herbage, to clear away from around the plants; but what there was I removed with the spade, which, however, I thought might be more conveniently done by a hoe. That finished, I deposited the spade under a shelvy rock, that stood about twelve or fourteen feet high, to the eastward of the grove. " Now, my love,” said I, " we will try what we can do with the gaskets." She owned afterwards she was afraid I should fall in attempting to climb the tree, but she waited patiently to see whether there was any real danger, before she expressed herself by more than a look of solicitude. In perfect silence she watched me take one of the gaskets, and pass one bight through the other round the tree, so that the depending bight made a stirrup at about three feet from the ground; into which I put one foot, and stood steadily, having one arm round the trunk of the tree above; and then placed the other gasket in the same way, a little higher, into the stirrup of which I set the other foot; then loosing the lower gasket, moved it above, making a third step upwards; then again loosing the other, and placing it uppermost; and so on. I ascended easily, and without danger, to the great thankfulness and rapture of my dear Eliza. Having gained the top, I took my hatchet from my belt, and, desiring my wife to keep out of the way, I lopped off the foot-stalks of the cocoa-nuts with little difficulty, and in a few minutes detached twentythree of them. This being done, I quickly descended, and felt quite disposed to exalt myself on my prowess; but my too partial wife left me no occasion to do so; she now, as ever, said all that selflove could most earnestly desire. We now threw the cocoa-nuts towards the rocky ledge, (our accustomed spot of refreshment here,) where we sat down, and I proceeded to cleave off the husks with my hatchet. The first I detached, I opened, and gave her the milk to drink, which she pronounced de licious: I regaled myself with the second: but we did not eat the soft pulp, although it was highly inviting; for, recollecting we had taken a fish dinner, we were afraid of disordering our stomachs. While I was clearing the husks from the other nuts, she engaged herself in sowing the pepper seeds in various little patches of good soil found amongst the rocky fragments of the ledge, and I saw with plea sure that the spots were well chosen. Having detached twenty-one young cocoa-nuts, besides the two we had used, I put them in my sack, with four old ones that had fallen from the trees, still in their husks, and which were beginning to germinate; then, throwing my sack on my shoulder, we turned homewards, full of satisfaction with the success of our expedition. The sun had set before we left the cocoa-nut grove, and the stars were out by the time we arrived at the plank house, where our simple supper was set on the table. We lingered over it, enjoying the tranquil hour, as we had nothing to dread, and well knew our way on board; and, as not a breath of wind was stirring at the time, I lighted a candle, to enable my dear wife to read a small portion of Scripture, which she desired to do. This pious exercise, however, was soon interrupted by a swarm of sand-flies, which tormented us to such a degree by their bites, that we were forced to decamp, and retire to our ship; which we gained without any accident, and found in our cabin a night of happy and uninterrupted repose. Wednesday, 30th. We paid our compliments early this morning to the two young strangers and their mother: we met her bleating at the mouth of the cavern, appearing rather distressed; for the kids could not follow her down the rocky step, which formed a natural threshold. Notwithstanding the noise she made, the wild pigeons, unscared, were pecking away, along with the fowls, at the corn scattered on the floor of the cave; neither did any of the party move a wing at our approach, and we were not disposed to disturb them. It was rather a mystery to us that they were sometimes to be seen, and sometimes not; we therefore supposed they only took up their night's lodging in this spacious cavern; but whether they built their nests there, or in the woods, we could not yet determine. I guided the kids down to their mother, and she immediately led them amongst the thicket. My dear wife stopped me here, to look at her collection of eggs. She had completed the deposit above, to twelve; besides two more, freshly laid ones, in another corner; and there were eight in the nest below, which we were glad to see, as it proved that at least more of the pullets had begun paying us this welcome tribute. Trifling as these things would be at our English home, in our solitude they were objects of the first importance. I now proposed our losing no more time, wishing to proceed immediately to our plantation business at the silk cotton tree. All my requisites were bagged, and at hand for conveyance; and she had only to take up her basket with refreshments, and a small bundle of her reedy canes, to try her skill in constructing another like it. The sea looked so placid, and the air was so sweetly fresh, I expressed a wish that she would venture along shore in the punt. She consented with alacrity; and first stowing our separate burdens safely in its bottom, I then seated her securely; and our little dog, without any hesitation, leaped in after his mistress. The water was perfectly smooth, and the punt rowed lightly on its surface. From the point, to the sandy beach below the silk cotton tree, the distance was about the same by water as by land, taking into the account the rounding of the rocky point just after starting; and I suppose we got to the cotton tree beach, in about the same time we should have done had we walked. Fidele was first on shore. I then handed out my wife; and, having put out our things, I drew the punt a little further along, to where the beach becomes rather elevated and rocky; and so it |