A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 95: what you’re looking at

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92 | A QUEER RACE. and their biceps, as they rowed, swelled out to the size of cocoa-nuts. These beauties evidently occupied a very interior posi- tion. I observed that Field and Fane never spoke to them except to give them orders, and always in a tone of harshness that jarred painfully on my feelings, for, ugly and degraded as the men seemed, they were at least human. With six oars and the lateen sail (for the wind now served), we went swiftly through the water; but instead of making for the nearest part of the coast, as I expected he would, Fane (who took the helm) steered the boat up the middle of the bay, and in the direction of a headland some four or five miles north of the Diana. ‘The coast was thickly wooded, and the character of the vegetation —the palms, magnolias, and vines, the height and ver- dure of the trees, and the brilliancy of the flowers— showed that the Fair Island possessed a mild and equable climate, that it was far enough from the pole to escape severe winters, yet near enough to the tropics to enjoy long summers and plenty of sunshine. I fancied we were about thirty to forty degrees south of the equator; but this was pure conjecture, and neither Field nor Fane seemed disposed to give me much infor: mation on the subject. ‘What was the Diana’s position when you took your last observation?” asked Field, in reply to a question I put as to our whereabouts. 7 ‘That is weeks—months since,” I said. ‘* The last observation was taken by poor Bucklow. Neither Bol- sover nor I understand navigation.” ““So much the better—I mean, it is probably no great loss in the circumstances. You will, perhaps, leara more of the geography of the Fair Island later on. We shall see. However, I may tell you this much—you are south of the equator.” ‘Thank you,” I said, laughing. “I guessed as much.” But I failed to guess why he was so reticent on the point. What objection he could have to telling me where we were, I was unable to conceive. He was equally re- served about everything that concerned the history of the island and its inhabitants. ‘lo my questions’on the sub- ject he returned evasive answers, and at last shut me up (e(oy a aliice JOO “Ss EGom