CHAP. VII. MADAGASCAR FROM THE SEA. 191 



cially while performing quarantine, gazed on the wooded 

 shores of Madagascar, but they had never looked more beau- 

 tiful than on this morning, as the sun rose from a cloudless 

 horizon, burnishing with his beams range after range of the 

 long flat-topped or oval-shaped mountains that stretched far 

 away towards the interior. The summits and the ridges of 

 these mountains reflected from their clearly defined outlines 

 the rapidly increasing light, while the intervening valleys 

 were filled with white clouds or mists, those nearest the shore 

 occasionally exhibiting the sharp clear marking of the tops of 

 the trees above the gradually dissipating vapours, while their 

 lower portions were entirely concealed. 



It was long before I left my post of observatitJn, but when 

 at last I entered my cabin I found that a tolerably good ar- 

 rangement of my luggage had been made. One or two bales 

 of orchids, too large to be got into any box or basket, had 

 been fixed under my bed for greater security, while boxes and 

 baskets were piled all around, almost up to the ceiling, so as 

 only to leave me room enough to get into my berth. I found 

 my servant overwhelmed with as many cares as if he had 

 been a collector for the Zoological Society, for he had brought 

 on board a large monkey, a ring-tailed squirrel, a large parrot 

 or cockatoo, with a parrot of smaller size, three or four par- 

 tridges, a couple of the native guinea fowl, besides other 

 curiosities for his friends at Mauritius. The cabin of the 

 vessel was large, and would have been airy, but all except the 

 centre occupied by the table was filled with trusses of hay, 

 over which we crept to our berths, and which served us for 

 seats at our meals. This hay was part of the provender for 

 the cattle, of which we had a hundred and thirty large fat 

 animals on board, sixty-five in the hold, and the same number 

 on deck. Our captain was obliging, the wind fair thouoh 

 light, and we reached Mauritius in the short space of seven 

 days. 



