63
TRINIDAD. tired, delighted, and burnt to brick-dust. The heat in the valleys is generally intense, as the great height of the mountains on either side excludes the wind, and the rays of the vertical sun are collected almost into a focus. After resting and eating sufficiently, we went on board the Eden for an excursion to San Fernandez or Petit Bourg, a village of some importance, about twenty miles or more on the coast to the south. However, the wind failed, and we all left His Majesty's ship, like uncourteous knaves as we were, and got into the steam-boat which attended upon us. Sir Ralph Woodford told us, that when this steamer was first started, he and a large party, as a mode of patronizing the undertaking, took a trip of pleasure in her through some of the Bocas into the main ocean. Almost every one got sick outside, and as they returned through the Boca Grande, there was no one on deck but the man at the helm and himself. When they were in the middle of the passage, a small privateer, such as commonly infested the gulf during the troubles in Columbia, was seen making all sail for the shore of Trinidad. Her course seemed unaccountable, but what was their surprise, when they observed that on nearing the coast the privateer never tacked, and finally that she ran herself directly on shore, her crew at the same time leaping out over the bows and sides of the vessel, and scampering off, as if they were mad, some up the mountains and