subdued undertones of a
thousand thousand night insects. At points overhead the soft blind
darkness melted imperceptibly into stars.

After a long interval we distinguished a distant faint rattling, that
each moment increased in loudness. Shortly came into view along the
narrow tracks a most extraordinary vehicle. It was a small square
platform on wheels, across which ran a bench seat, and over which spread
a canopy. It carried also a dim lantern. This rumbled up to us and
stopped. From its stern hopped two black boys. Obeying a smiling
invitation, we took our places on the bench. The two boys immediately
set to pushing us along the narrow track.

We were off at an astonishing speed through the darkness. The night was
deliciously tepid; and, as I have said, absolutely dark. We made out the
tops of palms and the dim loom of great spreading trees, and could smell
sweet, soft odours. The bare-headed, lightly-clad boys pattered
alongside whenever the grade was easy, one hand resting against the
rail; or pushed mightily up little hills; or clung alongside like
monkeys while we rattled and swooped and plunged down hill into the
darkness. Subsequently we learned that a huge flat beam projecting
amidships from beneath the seat operated a brake which we above were
supposed to manipulate; but being quite ignorant as to the ethics and
mechanics of this strange street-car system, we swung and swayed at
times quite breathlessly.

After about fifteen minutes we began to pick up lights ahead, then to
pass dimly-seen garden walls with trees whose brilliant flowers the
lantern revealed fitfully. At last we made out white stucco houses, and
shortly drew up with a flourish before the hotel itself.

This was a two-story stucco affair, with deep verandas sunken in at each
story. It fronted a wide white street facing a public garden; and this,
we subsequently discovered, was about the only clear and open space in
all the narrow town. Antelope horns were everywhere hung on the walls;
and teakwood easy-chairs, with rests on which comfortably to elevate
your feet above your head, stood all about. We entered a bare,
brick-floored dining-room, and partook of tropical fruits quite new to
us--papayes, mangoes, custard apples, pawpaws, and the small red eating
bananas too delicate for export. Overhead the punkahs swung back and
forth in lazy hypnotic rhythm. We could see the two blacks at the ends
of the punkah cords outside on the veranda, the