n; and as soon as
the natives saw that they were watched they moved off and were not again
observed, although the smokes of their fires were visible in several
points.

On the 17th we commenced our preparations for leaving this part of the
coast. The stores remaining were all carried on board. We had but eleven
ponies left, the greater number of which were so marked and scarred from
falls amongst the rocks that they would have been valueless if brought to
sale; besides which, to have cut and dried a quantity of grass sufficient
for them until we reached the Isle of France would, in the burnt up state
of the country, have delayed us many days, had we even succeeded at last.
On the other hand, if left free in the bush, two good mares which were
amongst them might possibly be the means of giving a very valuable race
of horses to this country. These considerations determined me; and the
companions of our weary wanderings were turned loose--a new race upon the
land; and, as we trusted, to become the progenitors of a numerous herd.

STATE OF THE PLANTS AND SEEDS LEFT AT THE ENCAMPMENT.

Our whole residence in this country had been marked by toils and
sufferings. Heat, wounds, hunger, thirst, and many other things had
combined to harass us. Under these circumstances it might have been
imagined that we left these shores without a single regret; but such was
far from being the case: when the ponies had wandered off, when all the
remaining stores had been removed, and the only marks of our residence in
this valley were a few shattered bark huts, young coconut plants, a
bread-fruit, and some other useful trees and plants, I felt very loth to
leave the spot. I considered what a blessing to the country these plants
must eventually prove if they should continue to thrive as they had yet
done and, as I called to mind how much forethought and care their
transport to their present position had occasioned, I would very gladly
have passed a year or two of my life in watching over them and seeing
them attain to a useful maturity. One large pumpkin plant in particular
claimed my notice. The tropical warmth and rains, and the virgin soil in
which it grew, had imparted to it a rich luxuriance: it did not creep
along the ground, but its long shoots were spreading upwards amongst the
trees. The young coconuts grew humbly amidst the wild plants and reeds,
their worth unknown. Most of these plants I had placed in the ground
myself, and had watc