coats, followed by their degenerate children, with round, red plush caps on their heads.
After dinner to the public library and take out Dante's Inferno and sit and read amongst Goanese folk—all very quiet. I dare say these people are really far more cultured than most of us English with our clubs and golf courses. I discovered a splendid edition of Rabelais.
June 6th. Across to the mainland and away to the right; passing stone quarries and vast sisal plantations, I made in the direction of the coast, and at last there before me was the sea; wide, and shimmering, in the sunshine. Cocoa-nut trees growing close down to the beach—growing out of silver white sand: it was under these trees that I left my fruit basket, and emerging from their shadow, stepped down to the very water’s edge.
June 7th. To the mainland and home along the shore. There is a sick Greek living somewhere in my house, I think on the second floor—I believe he is suffering from syphilis.
If I knew of another attic I would desert this one. I passed him to-day sitting on one of the platforms of the staircase (the staircase is built outside the house); he looked horrible; I longed to crush him as I would a mutilated and unpleasant insect.
June 8th: Evening. Explored the island: wandered down innumerable tiny paths with arrowroot cultivated on both sides and everywhere high slim-trunked cocoa-nut trees. I grew tired and hot and coming upon a native hut, I knocked at the door and asked for food, just as a traveller in a fairy story would do, lost in a forest.
Two old natives came out and placing me under a tree hurried away to fetch cocoa-nuts; they climbed the trees themselves, and 1 noticed for the first time that every tree had steps cut in the trunk, so that they could be scaled without difficulty. The cocoa-nuts were excellent: they also brought me a gourd filled with cocoa-nut wine, but I saw too many ticks in the neck of the gourd really to enjoy it. They would accept no money. I found the Hotel a mile further on, a very pleasant place, and managed to engage a room there.
June 9th. Motored with all my belongings to this Hotel. There are
