with loud
cries of defiance. As I saw the trees were cocoa-palms, I hoped to
obtain, by means of the monkeys, a supply of the nuts in the half-ripe
state, when filled with milk. I held Fritz's arm, who was preparing to
shoot at them, to his great vexation, as he was irritated against the
poor monkeys for their derisive gestures; but I told him, that though no
patron of monkeys myself, I could not allow it. We had no right to kill
any animal except in defence, or as a means of supporting life. Besides,
the monkeys would be of more use to us living than dead, as I would show
him. I began to throw stones at the monkeys, not being able, of course,
to reach the place of their retreat, and they, in their anger, and in
the spirit of imitation, gathered the nuts and hurled them on us in such
quantities, that we had some difficulty in escaping from them. We had
soon a large stock of cocoa-nuts. Fritz enjoyed the success of the
stratagem, and, when the shower subsided, he collected as many as he
wished. We then sat down, and tasted some of the milk through the three
small holes, which we opened with our knives. We then divided some with
our hatchets, and quenched our thirst with the liquor, which has not,
however, a very agreeable flavour. We liked best a sort of thick cream
which adheres to the shells, from which we scraped it with our spoons,
and mixing it with the juice of the sugar-cane, we produced a delicious
dish. Turk had the rest of the lobster, which we now despised, with
some biscuit.

We then got up, I tied some nuts together by their stems, and threw
them over my shoulder. Fritz took his bundle of canes, and we set out
homewards.

* * * * *

CHAPTER IV.

Fritz groaned heavily under the weight of his canes as we travelled on,
and pitied the poor negroes, who had to carry such heavy burdens of
them. He then, in imitation of me, tried to refresh himself by sucking a
sugar-cane, but was surprised to find he failed in extracting any of the
juice. At last, after some reflection, he said, "Ah! I remember, if
there is no opening made for the air, I can get nothing out." I
requested him to find a remedy for this.

"I will make an opening," said he, "above the first knot in the cane. If
I draw in my breath in sucking, and thus make a vacuum in my mouth, the
outer air then forces itself through the hole I have made to fill this
vacuum, and carries the juice along with it; and when thi