THE HAPPY VALLEY. 168

water, which issued out of the side of the hill by me, ran the other
way, that is due east; and the country appeared so fresh, so green,
so flourishing, everything being in a constant verdure, or flourish
of spring, that it looked like a planted garden.

I descended a little on the side of that delicious vale, surveying
it with a secret kind of pleasure (though mixed with my other
afflicting thoughts)—to think that this was all my own, that I was
king and lord of all this country indefeasibly, and had a right of
possession ; and if I could convey it, I might have it in inherit-
ance, as completely as any lord of a manor in England. I saw
here abundance of cocoa trees, orange, and lemon, and citron trees,
but all wild, and very few bearing any fruit, at least not then.
However, the green limes that I gathered were not only pleasant
to eat, but very wholesome; and I mixed their juice afterwards
with water, which made it very wholesome, and very cool, and re-
freshing.

I found now I had business enough to gather and carry home ;
and I resolved to lay up a store, as well of grapes as limes and
lemons, to furnish myself for the wet season, which I knew was
approaching.

In order to this, I gathered a great heap of grapes in one place,
and a lesser heap in another place, and a great parcel of limes and
lemons in another place; and, taking a few of each with me, I
travelled homeward, and resolved to come again, and bring a bag or
sack, or what I could make to carry the rest home.

Accordingly, having spent three days in this journey, I came
home ;—so I must now call my tent and my cave. But, before I
got thither, the grapes were spoiled—the richness of the fruits and
the weight of the juice having broken them, and bruised them,
they were good for little or nothing; as to the limes, they were
good, but I could bring but a few.

The next day, being the 19th, I went back, having made me
two small bags to bring home my harvest. But I was surprised
when, coming to my heap of grapes, which were so rich and fine
when I gathered them, I found them all spread about, trod to
pieces, and dragged about, some here, some there, and abundance
eaten and devoured. By this I concluded there were some wild