Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-27

But In the country up the mountain sides
and on the great estates Of the sugar planters
al the surroundings Of the musty, sleepy town
are changed Here are great one-story ram
bling houses built at the end Of broad lanes
lined on both sides by the giant trunks of the
Mstritius palm Here are great piazzas whose
pillars are entwined by thick and sweet-smell-
ing vines Here are glorious lawns blushing
In tho thousand glows Of tropical flowers. Here
In the day, in cool and woody rambles, the
Traveller feels no sense Of the heat of the sun
overhead, nor at night. when the mountain
winds come perfumed rustling through thick
foliage- A life of ease. of comfort. of rest and
Incidence Six weeks OF II almost taught me
TO forget and to repent of the object had In
view and that had drawn me TO the beautiful
island Day by day the difficulties increased as
TO reaching Madagascar. The French had long
since bombarded Tamatan and taken possession
Of that seaport Their naval force on the west
ern coast had been largely augmented and their
cruisers strictly bloekaded all the small Mala-
gasy trading ports for 700 miles Trade with
the great island and Mauritius was practically
deal; all communicate had ceased except
very occasionally, when some daring dealer in
cotton goods rlsked schooner load to some
more southern post. In all the difficulties that
encountered me from the first moment of nv
landing at Port Louis there was none that CON
cerned me more than securing the help of
some sble-bodied companion-one to whom /
could taxi and who could converse with me
and the Mslagasy as well: some one who knew
something OF Madagascar, of the country the
people and how beet 10 avoid all those dangers
with which my ears had been hIled since first
mace known my desgn. l had freely adver-
tisei in the little French weekly paper prb-
hshs't IN Port Louis. Ny host in the
country, too, had let it be widely known about
the island The natural consequence fol-
lowed had for the ir-tfew days days a host
OF apPlis1nts- Aud such applicants. Adven-
turers, broken-down spectators. cas,sxays
from ships and the riffraff of floating haIf-cre
ole English population. None suited mn.
Il did not see = single face that felt 1 could
rrst In so long and dangerous an adventure
finally gave II up and decided to proceed
alone Meanwhile l had arranged by half
charter with French ~ ntleInan on the island
TO 60 over to Madagascar and hell land n cargo
of cotton goods with which little vessel he
owned had long been loaded The day came
Mt las. for her sailing. and having all my goods
aboard. bid farewell to my Kind friends in
NaCritius and set sail for the coast OF the great
African island
ALONE IN A CROWD. q
was practically alone. knew no one in
the motley crowd that peopled the deck of the
schooner. The captain was French creole OF
vlA.inous countenance. He spoke a little
ptoksn English. but was surly, oyerbearirg
aud cruel The crew consisted OF four men
All ersoles, who spoke only bad French. The
uo<.h passengers were all French people of
TIE lowest caste, taking their chance again in A
county rom which they had been driven by
We aaiAsa-y. In the weeks passage TO the
coast would sit for hours on the roof OF lie
nttle low house on deck buried in my own re-
nections; talking, for days, to no one and ind
ing no solsee IN the certainty now of the des-
Perafe adventure i had undertaken. One
morning heard shout from forward and saw
some of the crew leaning over the
schooners rail and pointing eagerly down
NJ he sea- I walked forward and
looked over. A large school Of dolphins were
sporting IN the foam that the bluff bows Of the
ys>snl nada I've OF three Of The msp get