The Republican journal., 1902-04-10

annexed to the greatest Republic"
and it rests with Uncle Samuel to
hasten or retard the day by his record
in Porto Rico and Danish islands that
are about to come into his possession.
Trinidad, the largest island of the wind
ward group-larger than all the rest of
them put together. about fifty miles
long by thirty wide. lies close up under
the lee of Venezuela: or, as somebody
has stated it, stands like dot above
really fragment of the continents
broken off by some ancient terrestrial,
convulsion and gradually separated by
the mighty erosion of water from the
great river whose delta reaches out into
the Atlantic six hundred miles or more.
Aside from the strip of brownish-
green water with which the Orinoco
stains the Atlantic. there is no more
delightful voyaging anywhere than the
approach to Trinidad Passing through
the narrow channel called Boca del
Draga r'Dragon's Mouth''), between
tall dark ifs croWding close on either
side. You enter the magnificent Paria
Gulf-the great embouchure of the
Orlnoco, itself a iand-locked harbor,
ninety by forty miles, shallow enough
for ships to anchor anywhere Imagine
ninety miles of the bluest blue that
Nature ever painted-an ultramarine
50 vivid that the summer sky above it
looks pale and faded. Imagine on one
side the Venezuelan mountains of
Cumara- rugged. mysterious, impene-
on the other side the towering cliffs of
Trinidad, crowned with wreaths of
vapor and covered to their tops with
gigantic trees of darkest verdure,
except where flushed in places with the
crimson bois immortelle. Sunny
valleys unfold between the mountains,
golden with sugarca or green with
cocoa palms and tropical jungles.
Mangrove thickets outline silvery
beaches, the trees standing knee-deep
in the water at their old tricks of lur-
ing oysters out of the depths when the
tide is in, to cling to the submerged
branches and be left high and dry when
the tide recedes. You remember that
Columbus wrote of the curious phe-
nomenon he found here of ''oysters
growing on trees
! The celebrated "Dlaga' has four
mouths, each with craggy islets scat
tered through it like broken teeth-all
tufted with cacti and draDed with bios
soming creepers, and silent as the
grave except for the cries of boobies
and plover-the only inhabitants of
these miniature Edens There are other
passages in and out of the Gulf of Pa
ria-notably the Beca del Sierpe, Ser
pent's Mouth and the Mouth of the
Monkey Columbus sailed his cara
walls through every one of them, that
summer of 1885, and finally returned to
the open sea through the Dragons
Mouth. On that memorable fourth
trip to this side of the world he met
with many discouragements. After be-
ing butfeted by wind and waves and de-
layed by Gains for several months, he
became reduced to the utmost extreme
ty. There was only one small cask of
fresh water on the ship, and the sailors
had long been on half-rations. The
heat of the dodrums-as belt of wind
less area along the equator is called
had opened the seams of his caraval
till it leaked so badly that two-t thirds of
his men were kept constantly at the
pumps. In these dire straits the PRAYER
full old Admiral promised his patron
Saint that if any new land was discov-
cred he would name it in honor of the
Holy Trinity. A few hours later the
triple peaks that mark the southeastern
corner of this island sprang suddenly
into view, and of course Columbus re-
garded them as heavensent confirma-
ton of his pious intention. Soon as
land was reached he knelt upon the
sands with all his crew and redeemed
his promise. solemnly consecrating the
island to the blessed Trinity, to whom
he attributed his salvation. He tarried
here long time, finding needed rest
for himself and his men, and they were
able to repair their ship, calking the
seams with the natural pitch of the