A SEASIDE PICNIC.
SEVERAL weeks have passed since Manuel and Dolores went with their
father to the cock-fight. It is a beautiful June evening, and the
children are walking through the garden, planning a picnic at the
seashore for to-morrow. Their mother comes out hastily on the veranda,
and calls:
"Manuel! Dolores! come in at once out of the moonlight! You know
well enough that animals will never lie with the moon shining upon
them; they are too wise. Oh, the evil I have seen that has come from
the moon! Don't you remember poor little Sancho? He is feeble-minded
because his careless nurse let him sleep in the moonlight when he was
a baby. Come quickly, my darlings, to the shade of the veranda."
Manuel and Dolores are a little frightened, and hurry toward the house,
where they join the family in Spanish songs before going to rest.
When Juana wakes them, early the next morning, they hear the rain
falling in torrents outside. That will not prevent the picnic, however,
for they feel sure it will not last long. It is the beginning of the
spring rains, and there are showers every day, but they seldom continue
more than an hour. But, oh, how the rain falls when it does come! It
seems as though the heavens opened and all the water in the sky fell at
once.
By eight o'clock the shower is over, and Teresa, her duenna, Manuel,
and Dolores are ready to start. The planter must be busy to-day, and
his wife does not care to go.
A low, comfortable carriage is drawn up in front, the lunch is packed
away under the seats, and the coachman is told to start. Ponce tries to
follow, but Manuel orders him back. They will drive at least ten miles,
but the roads are fine, it is down-hill all the way, and the views are
beautiful.
The party soon cross a bridge over a little stream. There they see two
women standing nearly knee-deep in the water. They are washing clothes
and having a sociable chat at the same time. Two large, flat stones
serve as scrubbing boards, and each one of the women holds a club in
her hands.
"What is that for?" one asks. To beat the dirt out of the clothes! The
garments are spread on the stones, rubbed with some native berries
(instead of soap), then pounded with the clubs. Not a delicate way to
handle fine linen, to be sure; but the women seem to enjoy their work,
and stop every few minutes to sit on the banks and smoke their pipes.
When the party have nearly reached the seashore, the road leads through
thick woods. Suddenly they hear a great scuttling among the trees. The
driver stops his horses, and every one looks to see what is the matter.
It is nothing more nor less than an army of land-crabs on their yearly
journey from the mountains to the sea. The children have often found
one of them in the garden or the woods near the house, but such a
number as this, they have never seen or heard before.
These land-crabs can fight, and can frighten the horses greatly, if
they should choose to take the road. So Pedro very wisely uses the
whip, and the party soon leave this queer army behind them. The crabs
make a dainty dish when served with lime-juice and Cayenne pepper, and
Manuel and Dolores are very fond of them served in this way.
A turn in the road brings the ocean in view. Dolores claps her hands in
delight, and cries:
[Illustration: "ONE IS QUITE LARGE, AND IS FORMED IN THE SHAPE OF A
FAN"]
"Oh, what a lovely time we will have! I wonder who will find the most
curiosities, Manuel, you or I."
Even the sober-faced duenna looks pleased as they drive out upon a
smooth beach. How beautiful the ocean looks to-day! It is such a
wonderful blue; much like the colour of the sapphire, and not at all
like the waters of the northern seas.
The children take little baskets on their arms and trot about
barefooted to see what they can find. It is a perfect paradise among
beaches. Their American brothers and sisters would dance for joy at the
sight of so many kinds of beautiful shells. And the starfish! Manuel
finds one big fellow as much as ten inches across. It is not flat like
those seen in the temperate zone, but at least six inches through the
middle of his horny body. The little boy cannot get him off the rock
to which he has fastened, but Pedro comes, and even he has to use
all his strength to pull him away. A New York merchant is to visit the
children's father very soon, and Manuel wants to send this starfish to
his little son.
But there are other kinds of starfish here that are pretty and
delicate. Dolores finds a dear little daisy-star only half an inch
across, with fringes on its sides, and, a moment after, her sister
picks up a fern-star.
What delights the children most of all are the bits of coral washed up
by the waves. Some of the pieces are red, some black, and others white.
One is quite large, and is formed in the shape of a fan, while another
spray looks like a mushroom.
After luncheon is over, Manuel says:
"Dolores, let's try to find some sea-anemones. Do you see that rocky
cliff at the end of the beach? Perhaps if we go there we can see some."
The children start off once more, and soon are climbing up over the
rock. They creep along till they are able to look over its edge as it
juts out over the water.
What a wonderful sight meets their eyes! It is the flower garden of the
sea. Deep down under the clear waters they see many things living and
growing that look for all the world like roses and marigolds, pinks
and buttercups. What wonderful colours they have! Coral is indeed
beautiful, but it cannot compare with the sea-anemones.
Manuel and his sister fairly hold their breath with delight.
"Oh, Dolores, isn't it strange that those lovely things are animals and
not plants! There they stay in one place for ever, yet they are alive
like the coral polyps. We must get Teresa to come and see them, too.
She never saw them growing; I've heard her say so."
Manuel whispers these words as though he fears the anemones may hear
him and hide themselves from his sight. Dolores answers, in her soft
voice:
"Manuel, did you ever think about what our teacher told us, that the
bottom of the ocean is like the land, with hills and valleys, mountains
and caves? Many kinds of creatures live there, just as other kinds
live on the earth; but it seems to me that the coral polyps and the
sea-anemones are the strangest of all."
When the children get back to the others, they beg Alfonso to get a
boat and row them around to where the anemones are growing. Perhaps
they can reach some of them. But he tells them that their father has
forbidden him to take them out on the water, for the terrible blue
shark dares to come quite close to the shore, and, even in a row-boat,
they could not be sure of safety if a shark should follow them.
He then tells them of adventures with sharks by people living near
their own home.
After these stories Manuel and Dolores are quite willing to give up a
row after anemones, nor do they care to go in bathing, even close to
the shore.
The time comes all too soon to go home, and all enjoy the ride in the
cool evening air. They have not travelled far before the moon rises and
sends its light down through the tree-tops.
Dolores happens to be looking out of the carriage, when she sees an
ugly-looking animal peering out from behind a bush. It is an iguana,
with jaws and mouth like an alligator. He looks fierce enough to devour
any one, but Alfonso assures the party that he is really a very timid
creature, and will not fight unless he is cornered and cannot get away.
He likes to live quietly by himself in the trees and bushes, and no
doubt is afraid of the horses.
After awhile the children grow sleepy and doze in each other's arms
till home is reached. Their father and mother are watching, and the
dinner has been kept waiting until they should arrive.