Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/113

Rh The bend of the hills closes the view. Now, however, our path suddenly turns to the right, and the valley reveals itself. Before us on the right lies, in the bosom of the hills, and amid the most beautiful grove of palms, a little farm, a Cuban farm, with palm-leaf-thatched roof, and our path leads through groups of cocoa-palms, laden with fruit. Now we descend a little hill, and now on the right of the descent, at a short distance from the path, we find the ruins of a stone wall and a well. All around grow, in picturesque confusion, cocoa-palms, mamay, and mango-trees, cypresses, ceibas, and many other species of trees. We advance down the little hill, and towards the farm; but just below it the path winds round to the left, and now proceeds more straightforward up the valley. The valley opens to us like a vast and beautiful palm-grove, enclosed by an elliptical frame of hill-tops. We still advance for a little distance, the valley becomes broader, with softly undulating ground; and whichever way we turn, we see only palms—palms. Beneath such trees, such groves, beautiful, immortal beings might wander!

Here again lies a little farm not far from the path, with its straw-thatched house and brushwood cottage, between which shines out a large blossoming oleander. We enter to look around; we must beg a draught of water. La fermière, a thin, shrivelled, brown-eyed woman, looks as if she would give us everything which she possesses; but she does not understand us, and we do not understand her. But we obtain water for all that, and a great bunch of blossoming oleander, which she breaks off for us with a hearty good will. The sun is now beginning to be hot, let us therefore return; we will come hither again, for we must become still better acquainted with the Valley of Yumori.

And see, here come Monteros, with their heavily laden horses, the packages being laid straight across their backs. They salute us kindly with melodious voices, halt, and