life begins with dark: in the immense white light of a full moon
this nocturnal life seems afraid to cry out as usual. Also, this
moon has a singular effect on the nerves. It is very difficult
to sleep on such bright nights: you feel such a vague uneasiness
as the coming of a great storm gives....



XXI.


You reach Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, steamer
from St. Pierre, in about an hour and a ... There is an overland
route--_La Trace_, but it twenty-five-mile ride, and a weary one
in such a climate, notwithstanding the indescribable beauty of
the landscapes which the lofty road commands.

Rebuilt in wood after the almost total destruction by an
earthquake of its once picturesque streets of stone, Fort-de-
France (formerly Fort-Royal) has little of outward interest by
comparison with St. Pierre. It lies in a low, moist plain, and has
few remarkable buildings: you can walk allover the little town in
about half an hour. But the Savane,--the great green public square,
with its grand tamarinds and _sabliers_,--would be worth the visit
alone, even were it not made romantic by the marble memory of Josephine.

I went to look at the white dream of her there, a creation of
master-sculptors.... It seemed to me absolutely lovely.

Sea winds have bitten it; tropical rains have streaked it: some