Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/115

Rh hibiscus flowers; and nothing delighted me more than to be surrounded with little fluttering humming-birds, which are, on the island, so remarkably fearless of man, and continually hover around the splendid red flowers with which Cuba seems to adorn herself rather than with flowers of any other colour. Their rapid, arrow-like flight, hither and thither, the fluttering movement of their wings whilst they are sipping from the flowers, are a perpetual astonishment and delight to me. They correspond with nothing which I have seen of animal or human life, and they seem to me not to be made of this earth's dust. A favourite place of resort for their building seems to be on the banks of lovely little purling brooks, shaded by thick masses of foliage, where the nests are concealed among the trees. Among the curiosities of the place, I observed many orchideous parasites hanging from the trees, as well as a large ceiba tree, encircled by its hostile mistress, Yaguay embra, and killed by its dangerous embrace.

The plantation, for the rest, had a very forlorn appearance, in consequence of the two last tornadoes, which came in rapid succession, and left it in perfect desolation; besides which the cholera had carried off a great portion of the negro slaves.

“The Lord punishes our sins, punishes our sins!” said the owner of the plantation, with an expression half of levity, half of repentance and acknowledgment of the justice of the punishment. He was an elderly man, with French manners and nervous excitability, but a very polite host. I would very willingly be his guest, but not his slave. The slave-rooms, in a low wall or building, were no better than dark pig-styes with us. There was also a hospital. It was a large, dark room, in which stood some wooden bedsteads, but without coverlets or pillows, nor was there a ray of light in the room. He was himself, he said, the only physician of the sick: he could himself let