458 KEELING ISLAND. [chap. xx. 



the little children, that cocoa-nuts and turtle afford no bad sus- 

 tenance. 



On this island the wells are situated, from which ships obtain 

 water. At first sight it appears not a little remarkable that the 

 fresh water should regularly ebb and flow with the tides ; and it 

 has even been imagined, that sand has the power of filtering the 

 salt from the sea-water. These ebbing wells are common on 

 some of the low islands in the West Indies. The compressed 

 sand, or porous coral rock, is permeated like a sponge with the 

 salt water ; but the rain which falls on the surface must sink to 

 the level of the surrounding sea, and must accumulate there, dis- 

 placing an equal bulk of the salt water. As the water in the 

 lower part of the great sponge-like coral mass rises and falls 

 with the tides, so will the water near the surface ; and this will 

 keep fresh, if the mass be sufficiently compact to prevent much 

 mechanical admixture ; but where the land consists of great loose 

 blocks of coral with open interstices, if a well be dug, the water, 

 as I have seen, is brackish. 



After dinner we stayed to see a curious half superstitious scene 

 acted by the Malay women. A large wooden spoon dressed in 

 garments, and which had been carried to the grave of a dead 

 man, they pretend becomes inspired at the full of the moon, and 

 will dance and jump about. After the proper preparations, the 

 spoon, held by two women, became convulsed, and danced in 

 good time to the song of the surrounding children and women. 

 It was a most foolish spectacle ; but Mr. Liesk maintained that 

 many of the Malays believed in its spiritual movements. The 

 dance did not commence till the moon had risen, and it was well 

 worth remaining to behold her bright orb so quietly shining 

 through the long arms of the cocoa-nut trees as they waved in 

 the evening breeze. These scenes of the tropics are in them- 

 selves so delicious, that they almost equal those dearer ones at 

 home, to which we are bound by each best feeling of the mind. 



The next day I employed myself in examining the very inte- 

 resting, yet simple structure and origin of these islands. The 

 water being unusually smooth, I waded over the outer flat of dead 

 rock as far as the living mounds of coral, on which the swell of 

 the open sea breaks. In some of the gullies and hollows there 

 were beautiful green and other coloured fishes, and the forms 



