Next we paid a visit to the garden of Camoens, where he wrote
his poems in exile.[20] The garden now belongs to a most courteous old
Portuguese, with whom I managed, by the aid of a mixture of Spanish
and French, to hold a conversation. The place where Camoens' monument
is erected commands, however, an extensive prospect, but we had
already seen it, and as Tom was anxious to get clear of the islands
before dark we were obliged to hasten away.
[Footnote 20: Luiz de Camoens, a celebrated Portuguese poet, born
about 1520; fought against the Moors, and in India; but was often in
trouble, and was frequently banished or imprisoned. During his exile
in Macao he wrote his great poem 'The Lusiads,' in which he celebrates
the principal events in Portuguese history.]
On reaching the yacht, after some delay in embarking, we slipped our
anchor as quickly as possible, and soon found ourselves in a nasty
rolling sea, which sent me to bed at once. Poor Tom, though he felt so
ill that he could hardly hold his head up, was, however, obliged to
remain on deck watching until nearly daylight; for rocks and islands
abound in these seas, and no one on board could undertake the pilotage
except himself.
_Thursday, March 8th_.--When I went on deck at half-past six o'clock
there was nothing to be seen but a leaden sky, a cold grey rolling
sea, and two fishing junks in the far distance, nor did the weather
improve all day.
Pages:
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533