seamaii-schooliiiastcr, Air. Adam Ebhels, wliom Ave
liad taken Avilli us from Engdand, died suddenly ju st
before Ave readied Bermudas, and his successor AA^as
to liaA'e joined us at Porto Grande. He came out in
the same steamer Avith a suh-lieutenant aaJ io AA’a s also
going to join the ship. They arriA^ed ten days before
the ‘ Challenger,’ and the schoolmaster p u t np at the
Erench hotel. On the Sunday before our arrival he
Avent ont to take a AA'alk, and had not since been heard
of Of course, besides taking all the necessary official
steps, Ave Avere all on the Avatch for traces of liiiii,
and Ave AA’ere told th a t if he Avere dead the vultures
Avould he our surest guides to the place Avhere the
body lay. They liaA'e ratlier an unusual mode of
looking at some things at San A-'icente. AA^lien Ave
Avere making inquiries about the missing schoolmaster
the general impression seemed to he th a t he
had met Avith foul play, as he Avas knoAAm to have had
a small sum of money about him and a rather
valuable Avatch Avhen he left the h o te l; and Ave Avere
told further th a t a murderer lived in a cottage at a
little distance from the toAvn. I t seems th a t there is
good reason to believe th a t this man, avI io had been
originally sent to San AGcente for the good of
Portugal, had made aivay Avith several people during
his stay on the island. Although his profession Avas
hy no means spoken of Avith approval, it Avas talked
of easily and freely, and he did not appear to he
entirely beyond the pale of society. I had a curiosity
to meet a murderer Avithout having the responsibility
of any fiscal relations AAdth him, and made an
arrangement to call at his cottage; hut soniethiug
came in the Avay and ])revented the Adsit.
I t turned out, liOAvever, th a t the poor felloAv liad
not been murdered or robbed at all. His body Avas
found a Aveek or two after Ave left, lying, dried up
Avith the scorching heat, on a ledge near AVellington
Peak ; he had AA^andered too far and had been oA^er-
come hy heat and fatigue and unable to re tu rn—very
probably he had had a sun-stroke. Ilis purse and
Avatch were in ta c t ; even the vultures had failed to
discover him, he had gone too far beyond the
ring round the toAvn Avliere they chiefly find their
food.
Eresli Avater is about the most important element
at San Vicente, for although heavy rains fall noAv
and then, sometimes the island is for a Avhole year
Avithout a shower. The water is taken from deep Avells
sunk through the tufaceous rock, and as the supply
is limited, the Avells are carefully enclosed and protected,
and closed except at certain times. A large
Avell ju st behind the toAvn, in an octagonal huihliug
covered in Avith a loAv-pitched roof, is the great centre
of a ttrac tio n ; th ith e r from early morning one can
see files of stately negresses marching Avitli large
rather elegantly formed earthen vases poised upon
their heads ; and it is amusing to Avatcli the congregation
of them good-naturedly helping one another
to draw the Avater and to fill their pitchers; and
chattering and laughing, and most generously ex-
liihiting their serAdceahle roAvs of pearly teeth. I
think the negroes at San Vicente are certainly better
looking th an those in the West Indies. Their figures
are slighter and they liaA’e altogether a lighter
efiect. No doubt this carrying of Avater-jars has a"
great influence in ■ producing the erect gait aud