Our next, and, unfortunately, our last excursion was to the “Trou du Cerf,” or “Stag’s Hole,” a crater of perfectly regular form, filled with rich vegetation. This crater produces a very startling effect, for nothing betrays its existence till the visitor stands upon its very brink. Though the sides are steep enough, a path leads down to the centre, which is filled with water during the rainy season.
From the edge of the crater the visitor has a striking view over three fourths of the island. Before him rise majestic mountains with their luxuriant virgin forests, from which the steep, smooth mountain-tops come peering forth; wide-spreading plains, rich with sugar-cane plantations, bright with green foliage all the year round; and the azure sea, whose foaming waves fringe the coast with a margin of white foam—a wondrous landscape, wanting only a few rivers to make its beauty perfect.
The island does not suffer from want of water, but is too small to possess a real river; this, however, has not prevented the inhabitants from dignifying some of the larger streamlets with that title.
I left the Moon family with the greatest regret. It was through their friendship that I was enabled to visit any points of interest in the Mauritius: in the last few days of my stay I saw more than in the four long months I had previously spent in the island.
In most houses, especially in those of the Creoles, people made all kinds of protestations, and promised all manner of things; but the promises remained unperformed. Not the smallest service was rendered, not one of those attentions offered which are much more gratifying to a stranger than the board and lodging which every one can procure by paying for them. Still less did any among them think of making excursions to the more beautiful points. The people themselves have no idea that the beauties of Nature are pleasant things to see, and wonder that strangers should expose themselves to the slightest fatigue merely to see a waterfall, a mountain, or a fine view.
The men are solely and exclusively engaged in the business of acquiring wealth as quickly as possible: sugar is a sort of golden calf to them, and whatever has no reference to sugar is to them worthless. The women are not much better. They have too little education, and too much of the indolence so frequently found in hot countries to take an interest in any serious subject. With the exception of the care of their own valuable selves, the only thing that can rouse them into life is the agreeable occupation of inventing or disseminating slanderous gossip; and I have even found gentlemen who, in this charitable and exciting amusement, would for a few moments forget the claims of sugar. I did not escape the common fate. The amiable inhabitants, male and female, of Port Louis, have absolutely done me the honor to represent me as a poisoner; they absolutely asserted that I had been hired by the English government to poison Mr. Lambert!
That gentleman had brought from Paris some very valuable presents for the Queen of Madagascar, and had been so wanting in proper consideration for the feelings of people generally as to neglect to tell every one what the object of these presents really was. Of course, said Mauritian good-nature, it must be some secret political movement of the French cabinet, which the English government had found out, and had commissioned me accordingly to put this dangerous man out of the way.
Stupid as this fiction was, it obtained credence among the Creoles, and even among the French, and prevented me from undertaking an interesting little journey. Before setting out on his journey to Madagascar, Mr. Lambert went to Zanzibar and Mozambique, commissioned by the French government to hire negroes and bring them to the Ile de Bourbon. This is a new kind of mitigated slave-trade, discovered by France and countenanced by England. The negro is only in servitude for five years, and receives two dollars per month from his master, besides board and lodging. After five years he has leave to continue toiling, or he may die of hunger if he does not choose to work. He may buy himself this privilege earlier for fifty dollars (between seven and eight pounds), and may even return to his own country if he has money enough to take him home.
Mr. Lambert, knowing my fondness for traveling, and my eagerness to avail myself of every opportunity of seeing new lands, offered to take me with him. The French agent heard of this, and immediately went to Mr. Lambert to request him not to take me, alleging that I was employed as a spy by the English government. Whence this hatred of Creoles and French toward me, poor insignificant being that I was? The only reason I can suggest is that I associated almost exclusively with English families. But it was surely not my fault that English families sought me out, and always treated me with great kindness when I accepted their invitations? Why did not the French do likewise? All the favors and all the kindness I received came from English people: among the French residents, only Mr. Lambert and Mr. Genève showed me hearty friendship. The rest, like the Creoles, contented themselves with empty promises. I must confess that I contracted such a dislike to the French population of this part of the world, that I could not make up my mind to visit the neighboring island of Bourbon, gladly as I would, under other circumstances, have done so.
I am glad indeed that, when the desire to travel awoke so strongly in me fourteen years ago, I did not begin with the Mauritius. My zeal would soon have grown cold. Well—perhaps my readers would have been saved many a wearisome hour.