mes, as a special treat, my father would take me in front of him
on his horse, and ride into the forest. I can remember yet the thrill of
those expeditions into that tropical fairyland. The tall trees stretched
before our path in a never-ending vista, festooned by gigantic creepers
covered with flowers; funny little chattering monkeys looked down from
the branches, and scolded us as we passed; gorgeous green parrots rent
the air with their screams; while tiny humming-birds and innumerable
brilliant insects luxuriated in the wealth of plant life. Sometimes we
would see the giant spiders which spin webs so strong that they will
often knock an unwary rider's hat from his head; or sometimes a puma or
a jaguar would slink away through the dense undergrowth, and I would
cling a little closer to my father's arm, and think what would happen to
me if I ventured alone into the forest. Of San Carlos and its
inhabitants I saw little; though my father was the British Consul, he
did not move in the society of the place more than was absolutely
necessary, nor, for good reasons of his own, did he wish me to become
very friendly with the children of his Spanish neighbours. I rarely, if
ever, visited any of the white villas that dotted the hill-sides, and
the pretty little dark-eyed Juans or Margaritas who sometimes peeped
over the cactus hedges were strangers to me.

On one day only in the year did my father relax his rule. He would allow
me to accept an invitation to watch the Carnival from the verandah of
the Government House. How immensely I looked forward to those occasions!
Juanita would proudly dress me in my best, and I would drive by Father's
side down the Corso to the great white house, where we were welcomed by
the Governor himself, and shown to a place of honour upon the balcony,
where we could see everything that was passing in the street below.

It was a gay sight. First came the priests in their gorgeous vestments,
carrying high the gilded images of the Saints; and behind them bands of
sweet-faced children dressed as angels, in long white robes, with soft
plumed wings fastened on to their shoulders. Carriages followed,
garlanded with flowers, in which sat men and women who represented Greek
gods, or nymphs, or famous characters from history, attended by tiny
boys with gilt wings as Cupids. After these came a mob of masquers,
jesters, clowns, harlequins, columbines, peasants of all nations,
fishermen, hunters, Indians, or s