we were the only visitants since the discovery of | derstood that this tarantula was a sort of immense the place by Columbus, more than three hundred and fifty years before, so wild and undisturbed did every thing seem. After quaffing liberally from the cool water, and refreshing our heated faces in the limpid stream, we made diligent search hoping to find some traces graven upon the surrounding rocks by the "great discoverer," which should establish its historic interest beyond a cavil, but not a letter or sign rewarded the effort; and our party fell to botanizing and gathering specimens of agate, jasper, and cornelian, with which the bed of the stream below abounded, while I took a position near by and was soon absorbed in the pleasures of penciling the beauties of the spring. A careful outline was nearly completed, when there came a realization that the fairest scene may lose its charms by a single discordant feature. black, hairy spider, some six inches in diameter, and of a variety whose bite is so venomous as to be fatal in a few hours, my sensations at the moment may be imagined. Hastily removing to a respectful distance, I made preparations for capturing the beast, and after a few minutes' cautious manoeuvring had his ugliness securely impaled upon a stout bit of sharpened reed. Just then one of the party came up, and after admiring the specimen, coolly informed me that the vicinity had quite a reputation as abounding in tarantulas, scorpions, and centipedes, besides occasional venomous snakes and anacondas. I was prepared to believe it, and also to depart; for the masses of verdure that seemed so beautiful in tint and form but a few moments before, were then only to be seen as admirable lurkingplaces for all sorts of venomous reptiles. Curi ous and graceful cacti became painfully suggestive of the living serpents they so closely resembled, and every rustle of an adjacent twig seemed a flourish of some vicious beast preparatory to pouncing upon the luckless wayfarer. We succeeded, however, in making a safe return to the beach, where our companions had already arrived and were parleying with a group of young natives from the opposite side of the bay. The tarantula which we exhibited still alive -and squirming upon the end of the reed attracted universal admiration. Thinking that the natives might be interested in examining it, one of our party displayed it to them so effectually that they fled shrieking to their canoes. They were a mongrel set, ranging from mulatto to pure African, half or quite naked, but very jolly. Evidently distrustful of our intentions, they soon paddled back across the bay to report their impressions in the town. We returned to the ship and found every thing in readiness for a jaunt across the bay. A well-appointed lunch-basket, a bucket of ice, a couple of fowling-pieces, and fishing-tackle, were stowed in the bow of one of the ship's largest boats, and our party, including the la CENTIPEDE. SCORPION. dies, embarked and pushed off, prepared for any thing, from stirring adventure and dusty antiquarian research, down to a quiet fish by the bayside and a lunch in some shaded grove. A few minutes' pleasant row transported us across the still waters of the harbor to a sandy beach, where the general landing-place was indicated by a large number of canoes drawn up just in the rear of a row of dilapidated stone buildings. Twenty or thirty Portobellans-men, women, and children were grouped around, aroused into quite animated exhibitions of pantomime and chattering discussion in regard to the probable reasons for this unusual descent upon their quiet town. A few pleasant words, however, made them our friends, if we could judge by their smiling faces and the alacrity with which several yelping curs that seemed inclined to dispute the landing were driven back among the ruins. They were by no means as ill-looking a people as I had been led to suppose we should find. True, they were of all colors, and the males were scantily dressed and ragged, and the children mostly naked; but the women were a good-natured, laughing set, rather neatly though very loosely attired in white muslin, with short sleeves and very low necks, some with a rich profusion of jetty hair flowing down their shoulders, and decorated with yellow or crimson flowers; while others, whose locks-or rather fleeces-refused to flow, were set off with pearl-mounted combs, and occasionally with a flaunting bandana. Suspended from the necks of all I observed some little relic or priest-blessed token, showing that whatever might be their condition, they had at least inherited some of the superstitions and outward signs of the religion of the ancient occupants of the place. During the disembarkation we were not a little startled by hearing a voice with a broad Hibernian brogue, and in gleeful accents, shouting out a volley of genuine Irish welcomes; and in another instant a brawny, sandy-haired son of Erin, disguised under a broad-striped splint hat, pushed through the crowd and capered about us, shaking hands with our sailors, and swinging his old splint in an ecstacy of delight. "Paddy" was evidently "abroad;" but how he came to be domesticated, as he evidently was, among the natives of this secluded region, was a riddle. This (as soon as the exuberance of his spirits was a little exhausted) he solved by informing us that the coasting schooner Sarah White, from Liverpool, in looking for a market about a year previous, had found it on a ledge of rocks just below the harbor, and had gone to pieces; while himself and five of his shipmates were rescued and brought to this place by the natives. His companions were taken off, after a couple of months' sojourn, by one of the little schooners that occasionally trade along the coast; but Paddy losing his heart to a fascinating Mestizo, had married her and settled down; then, as he said, "the haythens were all Christians in the ould place, an' plinty to ate and dhrink; an' it wasn't the likes o' him as ull be laving on an unsartinty." "Terence Malony, at yir sarvice," was a chip of the true Emerald, and evidently on the best possible terms with the people of his adoption; for as he bustled about, tucking under his arms our umbrellas, fishingtackle, etc., he tweaked the naked little natives, chucked the grinning wenches under their chins, and illustrated "a rollicking, divil-may-care Irishman" in the best possible style; while the objects of his delicate attentions attested their enjoyment of this apparently not unusual proceeding by repeated bursts of merriment, and an unmitigated display of ivory. Leaving the boat in charge of a couple of our sailors, we followed "Terence," who, as he assured us, knew "every fut o' the town," and filed through a narrow, dirty path between the dilapidated walls for a few yards, when we came out upon a regularly-paved way, evidently one of the principal streets of the ancient city. On both sides were remains of stone houses almost embedded in the overgrowing foliage, and from the inclosures of which arose trees-mimosa, gourd, orange, and palm-often as thick as a man's body. Some were patched up and built upon and against with bamboos, occupied, it appeared, almost equally by dogs, pigs, chickens, and natives, who seemed inclined to pay us every attention as we sauntered along. Numerous turkey-buzzards (or John Crow vultures, as they are sometimes called) were also domesticated among them, and so tame that they might easily have been dispatched with our sticks; but the people of this, as well as most tropical countries, look upon the buzzard as their especial friend, for they are usually their only scavengers. VOL. XVII.-No. 97.-C TERENCE MALONY. Paddy made himself especially useful by checking the undue familiarity with which the quadrupeds seemed inclined to favor us, and afforded an opportunity to examine the interiors of the cabins. Nothing could be more simple than their furnishing. A hammock swung across the entrance, serving as seat and lounge during the day and bed at night; a floor of the bare earth; a few bits of pottery and an iron kettle resting upon a pile of smoke-blackened stones just outside, seemed to comprise the entire parlor, bedroom, and kitchen furniture of the majority. A few had two apartments, one in rear of the other, and one or two an upper chamber, the means of access to which was a simple upright post with notches hacked on either side for stairs. In the far corner of one of the tenements we entered, sat an aged negress with a tightly-curled fleece upon her head as white as snow. Attracted by the exceedingly antique appearance of the crone, I approached for the purpose of rewarding her longevity with a dime or two, when she suddenly turned a complete somersault, and a huge grunter, with half a dozen little ones that had been ensconced under and behind her chair, rushed squealing out of the cabin. Comment on the intimacy seems unnecessary. Our ladies were the especial admiration of the females, who pressed upon them quantities of fruits and freshly-gathered flowers, stoutly repulsing any attempt at compensation. Attracted by the buzz of many voices, which seemed to proceed from a well-preserved ruin a little back from the line of the street, we advanced toward it, and through the open door and windows, innocent of sash or blinds, we land. were surprised to find its interior occupied erasing it with a little wooden scraper which he by a native school. Some thirty or forty taw- carried in his hand. Five or six of the smaller ny-skinned but bright-looking children, of boys were going through an oral exercise in ages ranging from three to a dozen years, were arithmetic with the teacher, and the remainder making the room ring with a chattering med- were conning their lessons aloud, each one in ley of sounds, which our appearance at the win- his own key, and all working with an earnestdows seemed only to increase. Their teach-ness that might shame some schools in our own er, a dark, meek-looking man, of about forty, in a sort of half-clerical costume, was walking up and down among them, apparently "lining" their lessons. Observing that we watched the proceedings with interest, he politely motioned us to enter. We did so, and seated ourselves on a rude bench, which was summarily cleared of its curly-headed little occupants for our use. About a dozen of the largest boys were ranged along in front of a low desk on one side of the room, tracing letters with pointed slips of bamboo upon the sand with which the desk was strewn; one acting as monitor passed up and down along the class, criticising the work, then After a few moments the master made a signal of dismissal to the school, and we entered into conversation with him as well as our indifferent Spanish and his meagre English would permit. As we had already surmised, from his clerical costume and the numerous images and pictures of saints suspended from the schoolroom walls, he was a Catholic missionary. On his own responsibility he had, several years before, sought out this unpromising field. Full of philanthropic zeal and religious enthusiasm, he had settled among this almost unknown and uncivilized people, and after much labor had succeeded in establishing a school. Poor in | ficing efforts. Already they were beyond what this world's goods, for a long time he struggled he had believed possible; and he had full confiwith his poverty and the apathy and ignorance dence that he should live to witness the entire of the people, subsisting upon the merest pit- regeneration of this degraded people. We could tance gained by the work of his hands, until at not refrain from expressing our cordial sympalast he so won upon them by his unwearied thy with the feelings which inspired the simplekindness and persevering labors, that he not hearted and praiseworthy missionary. A purse, only succeeded in surrounding himself with a containing three quarter-eagles, was made up, multitude of-for that country-well-condition- with which we requested him to establish prizes, ed children in his school-room, but gained the and distribute among his little flock as his judgposition of general adviser and oracle of the ment might dictate; and another, containing ten place. He was then in the receipt of quite a dollars, of which we begged his own acceptance, princely salary, namely, fifty reales per month- as an earnest of our admiration and regard. about seven of our American dollars-besides The gifts were taken with many expressions many gifts and other favors from his now appre- of gratitude; and as we were about resuming ciative and grateful patrons. His countenance our walk, he volunteered to accompany us and beamed with enthusiasm as he spoke of the re-point out the principal objects of interest. sults which were to follow from his self-sacri- | Under his guidance we pursued our way a |