before me a bottle of our canary wine; and she placed a rich dessert also on the table, namely, an overripe pine and a fine shaddock. After so sumptuous a feast, I was not disposed to sink into the woodman again that day, but sat like a nabob, enjoying the fruit and beverage, drinking the health of my most excellent and courteous fisherman. My dear Eliza was quite happy in seeing me, for once since our landing, laying aside all care; and I believe, on this occasion I became a little exhilarated. We talked over the battle of the fish, which reminded us of Waller's battle of the Bermudians with the whale; and I laughed heartily again and again, of mirth neither natural nor habitual to me. After our more than usually generous regale, we extended some of its indulgencies to our crowding retainers without. We fed the armadillo from our fruit, played with the young kids, and treated their mothers with the parings of our shaddock and pine-apple. The poultry, too, were not forgotten. At sunset we retired to our marine abode. -- an excess Saturday, 9th.-I was very hot and uncomfortable all night; so that the excellency of temperance was brought practically to my mind. I could not eat my breakfast in the morning; neither did I feel any disposition for exertion. My anxious wife was much distressed, laying all the blame on herself, and urged me to take a dose of physic. "Dear Eliza," said I, "your honoured father used to quote a saying of Seneca: When I am sick,' said the Roman, I must either fast or take physic, and of the two alternatives I choose the former.'Now I am of the same mind, my best love! and I will abstain from eating till my stomach recovers itself." This point settled, she resignedly went to her needle-work, while I lounged about like a poor sick dog, refusing all food. In the evening I drank a little tea, but was no better, and my head ached. She now became very uneasy, and insisted on my taking a bolus of sweet mercury, some of which were in the medicine-chest; and I did so, and retired at the usual hour to bed. Sunday, 10th. I felt far from well when I arose, having scarcely slept; and some other medicine being proposed to me, I chose rather to swallow half a pint of sea water; and, before twelve o'clock, I was quite myself again. We then went on shore, where my dear wife read the church service, and then prepared some coffee for me, by way of dinner, which completely settled my stomach; and in the afternoon we enjoyed a pleasant walk together in the woodland region; closing the evening by reading the scriptures, and with prayer. Monday, 11th.-I arose pretty well my kind nurse disposed herself to her needle work, and I to finish my wood-cutting operation beyond the rivulet. At breakfast, my wife told me the third hen was sitting; and that, as two more of the ducks were missing, she had no doubt they also were employed in hatching. The poor cock was stalking about, a solitary individual, before the platform; and as we threw him some fragments of biscuit, he called his hens, as he picked the bits up; but they did not come, and he left the pieces untouched, walking away, as melancholy as any disconsolate, into the thicket. The armadillo now kept out in VOL. I. open daylight, roaming about his stoccado; and, being no longer under the influence of skulking fear, stood stoutly on his legs, with his head projecting to receive any donation we might throw to him; for he was not indisposed to taste meat, or biscuit, or roast yam, or whatever was put into his crib, but he liked the musk-melon the best. While at a frugal cold meat dinner to-day, I could not help comparing our shower of fish to the rain of quails in the wilderness; and indeed I reminded my dear Eliza of a remark she made as if in prophetic allusion, on the first evening we saw the mullet leaping from the water, when I expressed a desire to have some of them to vary our salt food. In the afternoon, while she returned to her needlework, I amused myself fitting up a place for the ducks, and their expected young broods when they should come forth, in a snug recess of the rock, about twenty yards on this side of the cave-spring. For I foresaw that the ducklings must be some time before they could march up with their dams to the thicket, and, if a rendezvous were not provided near the water, they might become wild, and we should lose them. In the evening we took our tea early, and soon after returned to the vessel, and to rest. Tuesday, 12th.-Early in the morning we embarked in the punt, with my usual husbandry accoutrements and a basket of provisions, with some seeds of the bird-peppers and capsicums to plant. It was a pleasant row to the beach of the plantation; and as soon as we landed, and had carried our refreshments up to the spurs of the silk cotton tree, I repaired to my field of labour, and set about hoeing the ground about our previous plantings, in every direction. I was fully repaid for all my toil, by seeing every thing pushing forward most luxuriantly. At noon, we lay down and took a nap under the tree; after which, being quite recruited, I did ample justice to the employment I had begun in the morning. When our tasks were finished, as my arms were more tired than my legs, we left the punt on the beach, and walked home through the woodland region; observing on our way the places in which I had planted the chocolate nuts, a few of which, I gladly saw, were up. CHAP. VIII. If you WE retired early, to avoid the sand-flies, and rested ourselves on the quarter-deck of the vessel, enjoying the refreshing coolness of the evening. "Dear Eliza," said I, "my agricultural labours are completed for the present, and you have done all the needle-work necessary; what do you say, then, to an excursion to-morrow to the other extremity of the isthmus? I wish to reconnoitre a little beyond the limits of our immediate residence." really wish it, my honoured husband," she replied, "we will go; but we are so happy and comfortable now, that I do not like seeking any change; and we know not whether we may not fall into some accident by the way."-"Dearest," I rejoined, "it is incumbent on us to know as much as we can of the island on which we are placed; therefore have courage, and I will go early in the morning and fetch the punt."-"No," said she, "we will go if you please." "Well, then, dear Eliza, "we will go : it always has been we, and I am content that it shall be always we, now and for ever, here and hereafter, my own best blessing!" I returned, embracing her tenderly. Wednesday, 13th. We arose with the dawn, and landed; then walked at a good pace round by |