"Are they big islands, grandma? and are there many of them?" asked Ned.
"No, there are perhaps five hundred of them, but the whole group measures only about twelve thousand acres in all. They occupy a space only about twenty miles long by six broad."
"Then the group isn't worth very much, I suppose."
"Yes, because its situation makes it a natural fortress which can hardly be overrated. They form a bond of union between two great divisions of British America; on each side of them is a highway between the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic. There are many picturesque creeks and bays, large and deep, the water so clear as to reveal, even to its lowest depths, the many varieties of fish sporting among the coral rocks, and the beautifully variegated shells."
"And it has a warm climate, hasn't it, grandma?" asked Elsie. "I think that is why we are going there."
"Yes, the climate is said to be like that of Persia, with the addition of a constant sea-breeze."
"I shall like that," responded the little girl with satisfaction. "But what kind of people live there, grandma?"
"A good many whites and still more colored people."
"Slaves, grandma?" asked Ned.
"No; the islands belong to England, and years ago she abolished slavery in all her dominions."