ce a superb view over a large portion of the
island is obtained. We were mounted on small horses active as goats.
Each horse was attended by a _burroquero_, literally a donkey driver.
They were fine athletic fellows, armed with a _rabo_, a cow's tail at
the end of a stick, to flick off the venomous flies which worry both
animals and riders. They carried also cloaks and umbrellas, to shield
their masters from cold and mist. We rode out of the town between walls
covered in profusion with heliotropes, roses, geraniums, fuchsias, and
other sweet-smelling flowers, often having trellises of vines completely
closing over our heads for many yards together, while here and there
were _mirantes_, or summer-houses, literally _Gaze-out-of-places_, very
properly so called, for they were filled with ladies, and often
gentlemen, who seemed to have nothing else to do than to watch the
passers-by all day. The road for some way was not bad, being paved with
stones set edgeways and tolerably even. Solon followed us with great
gravity, looking up at the mongrel curs which ran along the tops of the
quinta walls, barking and yelping in tones sufficiently loud to crack
the drums of our ears. Never before had I seen views so varied and
beautiful of mountains, and round hills, and precipitous cliffs, and
rugged peaks, green plantations, vineyards, orangeries, white buildings,
deep valleys and gouges, and the blue sea beyond, all forming the
setting to the picture. The first place we stopped at was the little
church of the Estreito, the padre of which, habited in a gay robe,
invited us to take a view of the surrounding scenery from the top of his
tower. When three thousand feet above the sea, we found ourselves
surrounded by a grove of Spanish chestnuts, at the habitation of the
late consul, Mr Veitch, a lovely spot, the house in the Italian style.
It is called the Jardin. In the grounds the chief varieties of tea
cultivated in China are grown, as well as many other rare and curious
plants. Mounting higher and higher, we reached at last the Curral das
Freiras. Girls surrounded us begging, and men and boys offering us
sticks to ascend to the Pico.

"Stay," said Mr Marshall, after we got off our steeds, and leading us
over the green sward, we stood at the edge of a precipice nearly 5000
feet above the blue ocean.

It was difficult at first to distinguish the numberless objects which
appeared before us, far, far away below our feet. Gra