ff, have
found themselves unable to escape and have here perished miserably;
looking out of the cavern to the last for that assistance they were never
doomed to receive? If they had managed to enter these caves by a narrow
pathway running along the face of the cliffs, which the Spaniards
afterwards destroyed, such an occurrence might readily have taken place.

Having completed my examination I dismissed the boat and walked back to
Santa Cruz, from whence we sailed at five o'clock this evening.

CHAPTER 2. TO BAHIA AND THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

ATMOSPHERICAL PHENOMENON AT SEA.

Nothing important occurred during the voyage from Tenerife to Bahia; but
one atmospherical phenomenon I think is worthy at a future day of further
enquiry.

I remarked constantly, just at sunset, in these latitudes, that the
eastern horizon was brilliantly illuminated with a kind of mock sunset.
This in a short time disappeared, to be soon succeeded by another similar
in character, but more faint. I observed at the same time, in the western
horizon, the regular sunset, and then two appearances, like those seen in
the east; perhaps this may be fully accounted for by a triple reflection,
as in the common theory of the rainbow.

LAND AT BAHIA.

August 17.

We came in sight of the coast of South America about noon, and dropped
anchor in the harbour of Bahia at four P.M.; and about half an hour after
I went on shore with Mr. Lushington, a person of the name of Wilson
taking us in his boat: there was a slave in the boat, and, not knowing
that he understood English, I asked Mr. Wilson several questions about
slaves in general, and he gave me a good deal of information on this
subject, mentioning among other things that the price of a good slave
here varied from 90 to 100 pounds, he happened to state that the slaves
were wretched in their own country, and that frequently large numbers
were sacrificed to their gods. I never saw so fine a burst of natural
indignation as the slave in the boat evinced at this statement; his lip
curled up with scorn, his dark eye grew vividly bright, and his frame
quivered as he made an impassioned reply in Portuguese; I could not
understand all that he said, but caught enough to know the tenor of it,
that "this was not the case; Englishmen or foreigners never visited his
country, so how could they know." It was not so much what he said but the
scornful bitterness of his manner that made an impression on me, not
easi