following close at his horse's
tail. They had not been ten minutes under way when they arrived at a
spot the marvellous natural beauty of which caused Jack to exclaim aloud
in his astonishment: for upon rounding a bend in the path they found
themselves in a little amphitheatre, about five hundred yards across,
the tree-clad sides of which rose precipitously to a great height on
either hand, and were gorgeous with great clustering blooms of every
imaginable hue, from purest white through every shade of colour to a
deep rich purple that looked almost black where seen in shadow; while
the air, almost motionless down in the hollow, was heavy with the
mingling of a thousand exquisite perfumes. The floor of this
amphitheatre consisted of a great basin of rock, partly filled with fine
white sand brought down from the uplands during countless generations by
the flow of the stream, the basin being brimful of crystal-clear water
which came pouring and plashing into it from above over a series of
miniature cataracts, the lowest of which, about twelve feet high,
impinged upon a small ledge of rock which projected into the basin for
the space of about a yard.

"This," said Carlos, "is our swimming bath, to which we often come for a
dip in the early morning; it is absolutely private, all this being our
own property, and nobody but ourselves ever passes here. What think you
of it, Jack; is it not perfect?"

Jack pronounced it magnificent, and there and then undertook to join
Carlos in a dip on the following and every other morning during his
stay. The water was about twenty feet deep, and the place was
consequently perfect for swimming in. By the side of the road, at a
spot where there happened to be a few square yards of level ground, the
surface had been cleared of the luxuriant undergrowth, and a small
bathing house, containing two dressing-rooms--one for either sex--had
been erected; and here the bathing dresses were kept and the necessary
changes of costume made.

Having spent a little time in admiring this glorious bathing pool, the
party moved onward again, and, following the ever-rising path, at
length, after a most delightful ride of about five miles through a
continuous succession of scenes of surpassing beauty, emerged upon an
open tableland, from which a most extensive and glorious view of mile
upon mile of the southern slope of the island was to be obtained, with
the sea shining in soft, opalescent tints beyond,