I accused the man and brought the
witnesses to the Commandant.
The man was examined, and confessed
having gone to the river close to my house to bathe; but said he
had gone no farther, having climbed up a cocoa-nut tree and
brought home two nuts, which he had covered over, _because he was
ashamed to be seen carrying them!_ This explanation was thought
satisfactory, and he was acquitted. I lost my cash and my box, a
seal I much valued, with other small articles, and all my keys-
the severest loss by far. Luckily my large cash-box was left
locked, but so were others which I required to open immediately.
There was, however, a very clever blacksmith employed to do
ironwork for the mines, and he picked my locks for me when I
required them, and in a few days made me new keys, which I used
all the time I was abroad.
Towards the end of November the wet season set in, and we had
daily and almost incessant rains, with only about one or two
hours' sunshine in the morning. The flat parts of the forest
became flooded, the roads filled with mud, and insects and birds
were scarcer than ever. On December Lath, in the afternoon, we
had a sharp earthquake shock, which made the house and furniture
shale and rattle for five minutes, and the trees and shrubs wave
as if a gust of wind had passed over them.
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