h our countrymen were much in want, not to be found in the stores of
the place. They were, however, quickly disposed of, and I was then at
leisure to amuse myself as I thought fit. I made several excursions on
shore with my brother when he could get leave, and I had thus an
opportunity of learning the productions of the island. The chief food
of the lower orders and slaves is yams and the _jatropha_, or cassada,
of which there are two species commonly known, the _jatropha janipha_,
and the _jatropha manihot_. The former contains a strong vegetable
poison, which is destroyed by boiling; the latter is merely slightly
narcotic in its effects, and both are easily converted into wholesome
food. The root, after being well washed and dried in the sun, is
usually scraped into a coarse powder, from which the juice is expressed:
it is then dried a second time and formed into thin cakes, very similar
in appearance to Scotch barley-cakes. The bread thus made is called
manioc. Tapioca is also a preparation of the root. Plantains, bananas,
melons, and mangoes abound, and the last are especially fine. The
climate is healthy, but the Mauritius is occasionally visited by
terrific hurricanes, which commit great damage both afloat and on shore.
We soon made friends among the French residents, and one of them, with
whom I had had some transactions, invited William and me, and a military
acquaintance, Captain Mason, to his house in the country. We were most
hospitably entertained by our worthy host. The house was large and
airy, with a verandah running round it on one side sufficiently broad to
enable us to sit out and enjoy the cool breeze, while we sipped our
coffee. We had proposed returning that evening, but the wind got up, it
rained heavily, and became very dark. Our host pressed us to stay, and
as William's leave extended to the next morning we accepted his
invitation, he undertaking to put my brother on board in time. Our
companion, Captain Mason, was a quiet, amiable man. He was married and
as he expected to remain on the island, he had, he told us, sent for his
wife from the Cape of Good Hope, where he had left her. I cannot now
describe the incidents of our visit.

The next morning, soon after daybreak, having taken an early breakfast
of a lighter character than suited our English appetites, we drove back
to Port Louis. The weather had grown worse instead of improving, and as
we drew near the town we saw in the di