on me; deeper and deeper grew the
flush, and not a sound of laughter.
    Delicious thought! she was moved at the sight of me. I could stand it no
longer, but started up. Lo! there she was; her great hazel eyes rounding and
rounding in her head, like two stars, her whole frame in a merry quiver, and an
expression about the mouth that was sudden and violent death to anything like
sentiment.
    The next moment she spun round, and, bursting from peal to peal of laughter,
went racing out of the Calabooza; and, in mercy to me, never returned.
 

                                 Chapter XXXIV

                             Life at the Calabooza

A few days passed; and, at last, our docility was rewarded by some indulgence on
the part of Captain Bob.
    He allowed the entire party to be at large during the day; only enjoining
upon us always to keep within hail. This, to be sure, was in positive
disobedience to Wilson's orders; and so, care had to be taken that he should not
hear of it. There was little fear of the natives telling him; but strangers
travelling the Broom Road might. By way of precaution, boys were stationed as
scouts along the road. At sight of a white man, they sounded the alarm! when we
all made for our respective holes (the stocks being purposely left open): the
beam then descended, and we were prisoners. As soon as the traveller was out of
sight, of course we were liberated.
    Notwithstanding the regular supply of food which we obtained from Captain
Bob and his friends, it was so small, that we often felt most intolerably
hungry. We could not blame them for not bringing us more, for we soon became
aware that they had to pinch themselves in order to give us what they did;
besides, they received nothing for their kindness but the daily bucket of bread.
    Among a people like the Tahitians, what we call hard times can only be
experienced in a scarcity of edibles; yet, so destitute are many of the common
people, that this most distressing consequence of civilisation may be said, with
them, to be ever present. To be sure, the natives about the Calabooza had
abundance of limes and oranges; but what were these good for, except to impart a
still keener edge to appetites which there was so little else to gratify? During
the height of the bread-fruit season, they fare better; but, at other times, the
demands of the shipping exhaust the uncultivated resources of the island; and
the lands being mostly owned by