“What in the world is that growing in that field?” asked Scott, as he looked over the walls that bounded the road. “What do you suppose?” “I haven’t the least idea; but the plants must be sick, for they seem to be tied up in rags.” “Those plants are cacti; and I think I have told you something about them to-day,” added the doctor. “The rags are tied about them to protect the insects, for they are full of them. It takes about three months for them to attain their growth, and be ready to lay eggs. They furnish the principal occupation of the laboring-classes since the failure of the vine. When I first came along here, this road was bordered with extensive and beautiful vineyards; but they have given place for the present to this not very handsome plant, which was brought here from Mexico.” “Those are funny-looking houses!” exclaimed Murray, as they came upon a little collection of dwellings of the peasants. “They are very comfortable houses for poor people,” replied the doctor; “a great deal better than many of the laboring-people of Spain occupy.” Some of them were built of stone; others were evidently composed of poles set in the ground; and in the latter case the walls, as well as the roofs, were thatched. “All the poor people do not have houses as good as these, but, like the gypsies of Granada, have to burrow into the rocks to make caves for dwellings. But this is a very soft climate, and the house is not of so much consequence as in Russia or Norway.” “There is a woman with a load on her head! it looks like garden-sauce. There is another with a pile of wood on her crown,” cried Scott. “Domestic animals are not very plenty in these islands; and the women seem to have a monopoly of the carrying-trade,” continued the surgeon. “Hi! Hi!” shouted Scott, as they turned a bend in the winding road. “There are your beasts of burden!” “What are they?” asked Sheridan. “Camels; don’t you know them?” “I never saw one before in my life,” replied the captain of the Prince. “Here is a train of them, each with his bell. We are not far from the Great Desert, where these animals do all the carrying; and a considerable number of them have been brought to these islands.” After a while the novelty of the scenes along the road wore off; and some of them declared that the country was not much different from Madeira. About two o’clock in the afternoon they reached Laguna, and spent a couple of hours in seeing its sights. A very fine organ in the cathedral was shown to them; and in another church there was a miraculous picture in which the subject wept on proper occasions. They were much interested in the museum, where they saw specimens of the implements used by the aborigines, who had no knowledge of the use of iron. Knives were made of pieces of lava; and horns were used for ploughs. The people embalmed the bodies of their dead after the manner of the Egyptians; and mummies enclosed in goat-skin were on exhibition.