A GLORIOUS SUNRISE. 339 



Swartland and Buffle knew me as of old, but I think 

 Poonah did not, for he gave me a kick on the shin of the 

 left leg, that caused me great pain, and made me quite 

 lame. When hobbling about, wondering what I should 

 do with no one but Umganey to assist, the recusant 

 crew came back, laughing and joking as if nothing had 

 happened, and resumed their duties. 



The sunrises in these regions are truly beautiful 

 in no other part of the earth have I ever seen them so 

 worthy of unlimited admiration ; the rarefied atmosphere 

 of these table-lands is doubtless the cause. At break of 

 day I always rise, and thus never miss a chance of seeing 

 the great luminary take his first peep over the eastern 

 horizon, and this morning was one of the grandest, 

 most magnificent dawns that mortal ever witnessed. 

 A few flaky, fire-burnished clouds hovered over the 

 east after daylight commenced, slowly these ascended 

 towards the zenith, and were replaced by those of a dark 

 purple, the edges of which were margined by a thread of 

 gold, which reflected from their centre every shade from 

 deepest orange to blood- colour. Such were the advance- 

 guard of great Sol ; but round his majesty came forth a 

 different escort gay as the dresses of a Watteau picture 

 or court pageant when king and queen hold high revel. 

 Indeed, they were gayer ; for man hath not yet conceived, 

 nor in his experience yet learned to produce, such lights 

 and shades as waited like satellites upon the wondrous 

 luminary, as he ascended farther and farther into the sky 

 a sky you could gaze into, as one could into eternity 

 without bounds, without limits, without end. 



Game was heard round the encampment all night, 

 so that my attendants concluded that we were about to 

 have a great day's sport, 

 w 2 



