204 THE OTANDO AND APONO REGION. Chap. X. 



the lower liilly range west of Olenda, the coast-lands 

 from, the great interior of the continent. I remember, 

 however, that some part of the country was more 

 than 1,200 feet above the level of the sea, as shown 

 by i^^Q aneroids. 



The town of Mayolo I determined, by a long series 

 of observations, to lie in 1° 51' 14" S. lat., and 

 11° 0' 37" E. long., and 496 feet above the sea- 

 level. 



At Mayolo, the contemplation of the heavens af- 

 forded me a degree of enjoyment difficult to describe. 

 When every one else had gone to sleep, I often stood 

 alone on the prairie, with a gun by my side, watching 

 the stars. I looked at some with fond love, for they 

 had been my guides, and consequently my friends, 

 in the lonely country I travelled ; and it was always 

 with a feeling of sadness that I looked at them for 

 the last time, before they disappeared below the 

 horizon for a few months, and always welcomed them 

 back with a feeling of pleasure which, no doubt, those 

 who have been in a situation similar to mine can 

 understand. I studied also how high they twinkled, 

 and tried to see how many bright meteors travelled 

 through the sky, until the morning twilight came 

 and reminded me that my work was done, by the 

 then visible world becoming invisible. 



I shall alw'ays remember the matchless beauty of 

 these Equatorial nights, for they have left an indelible 

 impression upon my memory. 



The period of the year I spent at Mayolo (April 

 and May) were the months wlien the atmosphere is 

 the purest, for after the storms the azui-e of the sky 



