Well has the immortal bard of the Torrid Zone[17] sung the marvellous exuberance of this plant in the following lines, which I regret to be unable to translate.

“Y para tí el banano,
Desmaya al peso de su dulce carga.
El banano, primero
De cuantos concedió bellos presentes
Providencia à, las gentes
Del Ecuador feliz con mano larga;
No ya de humanas artes obligado
El premio rinde opimo;
No es á la podadera, no al arado,
Deudor de su racimo.
Escasa industria bástale cual puede
Robar á sus fatigas mano esclava;
Crece veloz, y cuando exbausto acaba,
Adulta prole en torno le sucede.”

Silva á la Zona Tórrida.

Water being abundant throughout these gardens by the provident care of the inhabitants in bringing it in flowing streams from a great distance, they present at all times of the year, even during the driest months of summer, the perpetual spring-like verdure which constitutes their principal charm. Not far from here is the fine lake of Tacarigua or Valencia, which by its gradual but marked evaporation, is constantly adding to the already extensive area of fertile land nowhere to be found like it in the wide world, and which doubtless extorted, even from an Englishman, the following confession:

“It is a great pity Venezuela is so much out of the high roads of travel, and that the inconveniences, for Europeans, of getting at it, are so great. It is, in my opinion, the most beautiful country, as regards climate, scenery, and productions, in the world. The inhabitants are intelligent, civil, and honest; and although there is no excessive wealth in the country, there is, on the other hand, no great poverty, and actual want is unknown, where beef can be procured to any amount for a half penny a pound, and plantains and bananas almost for nothing. The inns are excellent, and travelling perfectly safe. You may, on the sides of its precipitous valleys, in a few hours, ascend from the productions of the torrid zone to those of the frigid. You may, if you like, dine off beefsteak and potatoes, cooled down with French claret or real London stout; or, if you prefer it, you may, in imitation of Leo X. and the Emperor Vitellius, feast your guests on joints of monkey and jaguar, and have your entremêts of parrots’ tongues and humming-birds’ breasts washed down with sparkling pulque, tapped from the graceful maguey growing at your very door. In fact, there is no luxury you cannot enjoy at a moderate expense. Servants are cheap; and you can buy a horse for five shillings, though it will cost you fifteen to have him shod! The shooting on the llanos and in the mountains, according to all accounts, is very grand. The woods are filled with jaguar and ocelot, to say nothing of snakes, and the plains with deer and wild cattle.

“If any kind fairy were to offer me the sovereignty of any part of the world out of Europe, with power to rule it as I choose, my choice would certainly fall on Venezuela. I am fully convinced it only wants a government strong and stable enough to ensure the necessary protection to capital and property, to render it one of the most flourishing countries in the world. I look back upon the few weeks I spent there as amongst the most enjoyable I ever passed; and if ever any opportunity was to offer of revisiting that delicious country, I should do so with pleasure. Any traveller, wishing to judge for himself, has only to go by the West India steamer to St. Thomas, where he meets the sailing-packet for La Guaira, which he reaches in four or five days; and with a few letters of introduction, or even without any, hospitality will meet him on all hands, and he will never feel a moment hang heavy on his hands.”[18]

And now, seated under the refreshing foliage of these paradisaical gardens, rather than expose you to the dangers of a demi-savage country, I will recount to you the adventures of a former journey, and the peculiarities of a still more wonderful region.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE
[1.][Frontispiece]—Map of Venezuela.
[2.]Caracas,[xxviii]
[3.]Morros de San Juan,[19]
[4.]The Llanos,[26]
[5.]Pounding Corn,[36]
[6.]Striped Catfish,[61]
[7.]The Caribe,[63]
[8.]The Electric Eel,[68]
[9.]Troop of Wild Horses,[84]
[10.]A Prairie on Fire,[97]
[11.]Encounter with a Crocodile,[114]
[12.]The Saman,[122]
[13.]Garzero,[137]
[14.]The Rodeo,[175]
[15.]Training the Boys,[200]
[16.]Mata-caballo,[210]
[17.]Coral Snake,[212]
[18.]Aristolochia Apurensis,[219]
[19.]The Jaguar,[222]
[20.]The Puma,[233]
[21.]Garzoneando,[242]
[22.]The Armadillo,[245]
[23.]The Great Ant-Eater,[257]
[24.]Among the Crocodiles,[281]
[25.]Young Crocodile,[282]
[26.]Crocodile Basking in the Sun,[292]
[27.]Our Leader,[329]
[28.]Capture of Spanish Gunboats by Llanero Cavalry,[350]
[29.]Dr. Gallegos Sewing the Belly of a Wounded Horse,[365]
[30.]Scenes at El Dorado,[391]
[31.]Arrow used in Turtle Shooting,[443]
[32.]Homeward Bound,[448]