454 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



yield ; considerable quantities of tliat article are 

 brought to Padang from these, the Batu and other 

 islands off this part of Sumatra. 



At sunset, next day, we were near Pasaman, a 

 small place on the coast, west of the lofty peak of 

 Ophir. Thousands of small, fleecy cumuli at that 

 time covered the sky, and, as the sun neared the 

 horizon, all these clouds were changed into the 

 brightest gold. Indeed, the whole sky seemed liter- 

 ally paved with small blocks of gold, most of which 

 were bordered with a narrow margin of purple. One 

 end of this great arch seemed to rest on the distant 

 horizon, the other on the crests of the lofty moun- 

 tains east of us, but especially on the top of Mount 

 Ophir, whose western side was lighted up with tints 

 of gold and purple of sur|)assing richness. 



All this glorious display in the heavens was so 

 perfectly repeated, even to the minutest details, on 

 the calm sea, that it was difficult to tell which to 

 admire more, the sky or the ocean. Of all the rich 

 sunsets I enjoyed while in the tropical East, this was 

 by far the most magnificent, and never did I ima- 

 gine it was possible for any one, while here on earth, 

 to behold a scene that would so nearly approach the 

 splendor of the Celestial City, described in the apoc- 

 alyptic vision as being " of pure gold, like unto 

 clear glass." 



The next morning we were near Tiku, a village 

 at the mouth of the small stream that flows out 

 from the lake in the bottom of the great crater of 

 Manindyu. The circular mountain - range which 

 forms the walls of this great crater was clearly 



