As we
hoped, the horse knew his own stables, and we soon arrived at the door
of White's hotel, miserable, drenched objects, looking forward to a
complete change of clothing. Unfortunately the cart with our luggage
had not arrived, so it was in clothes borrowed from kind friends that
we at last sat down, a party of about forty, to a sort of table-d'hote
dinner, and it continued to pour with rain during the whole evening,
only clearing up just at bed-time.
_Tuesday, August 29th_.--After all the fine weather we have had
lately, it was provoking to find, on getting up this morning, that the
rain still came steadily down. Daylight enabled us to see what a
quaint-looking place this hotel is. It consists of a series of low
wooden detached buildings, mostly one story high, with verandahs on
both sides, built round a long courtyard, in the centre of which are a
garden and some large trees. It is more like a boarding-house,
however, than an hotel, as there is a fixed daily charge for visitors,
who have to be provided with a letter of introduction! The situation
and gardens are good; it contains among other luxuries a
drawing-room, with a delightful swimming-bath for ladies, and another
for gentlemen. A mountain stream is turned into two large square
reservoirs, where you can disport yourself under the shade of bananas
and palm trees, while orange trees, daturas, poinsettias, and other
plants, in full bloom, drop their fragrant flowers into the crystal
water.
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