As the shades of eve came slowly down,and the twinkle of the lantern at the Sumter's peak denoting that her Captain was out of the ship, caught my eye, at one of the turnings of the road, and reminded me, that we had wandered far enough. We retraced our steps just in time to escape a shower, and sat down, upon our arrival on board, to
The hills were clothed with deeper brown,
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of coal received, on board, the same afternoon.
This was very satisfactory progress.
We sent down the fore-yard, for repairs, and the engineer finding some good machinists on shore, with more facilities in the way of shop, and tools, than he had expected, took some of his own jobs, of which there are always more or less, in a steamer, on shore.
As the sun dipped his broad red disk into the sea, I landed with my clerk, and we took a delightful evening stroll, along one of the country roads, leading to the northern end of the island, and winding, occasionally, within a stone's throw of the beach.
The air was soft, and filled with perfume, and we were much interested in inspecting the low-roofed and red-tiled country houses, and their half-naked inmates, of all colors, that presented themselves, from time to time, as we strolled on. We were here, as we had been in Maranham, objects of much curiosity, and the curiosity was evinced in the same way, respectfully.
Wherever we stopped for water—for walking in this sultry climate produces constant thirst—the coolest ‘monkeys’—a sort of porous jug, or jar—and calabashes, were handed us, often accompanied by fruits and an invitation to be seated.
Fields of sugar-cane stretched away on either hand, and an elaborate cultivation seemed everywhere to prevail.
The island of Martinique is mountainous, and all mountainous countries are beautiful, where vegetation abounds.
Within the tropics, when the soil is good, vegetation runs riot in very wantonness; and so it did here.
The eye was constantly charmed with a great variety of shade and forest trees, of new and beautiful foliage, and with shrubs, and flowers, without number, ever forming new combinations, and new groups, as the road meandered now through a plane, and now through a rocky ravine, up whose precipitous sides a goat could scarcely clamber.
Baltimore, MD. Kelly Piet & Co. 1868.
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