202 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. viu. 



tangled brushwood and along the stony bottom of the valley 

 for several miles; and having crossed the river more than 

 forty times during the journey to and from the cavern, we 

 reached a more open country, and a better road. Reviewing, 

 in thought, the rare and wonderful objects I had so recently 

 left, and gazing on the bold inountain, the wood, and the 

 deep rocky ravine, with its choked-up torrent overgrown with 

 wild brushwood and trees, — a wild untamed wilderness, differ- 

 ing perhaps little from what it was three-quarters of a century 

 ago, when the boer Van Zil in his hunting excursion dis- 

 covered the cavern, — I found myself involuntarily musing on 

 its probable aspect, in future ages, under the influence of an 

 augmented population, and a higher order of civilisation. 



After riding along for some time, we " off-saddled," to use 

 the expression of the country, in order to allow our horses to 

 graze and rest for half-an-hour. Tired with the excitement 

 and exercise of the day, I lay down at the foot of a moun- 

 tain, resting my head upon a piece of rock, and soon fell fast 

 asleep; but was awakened by an aged negro woman, who 

 lived in a hut near at hand, and had brought us half-a-dozen 

 ripe juicy pears, as welcome to us as the fresh green grass 

 was to our horses. When Mr. Anderson tendered our thanks, 

 the poor woman simply replied, " I thank Grod : He gives us 

 all." I afterwards found that she occasionally went to Mat- 

 zie's Riviere, ten miles distant, when Mr. Anderson visited the 

 station to preach to the people. 



When rested and refreshed we mounted our horses, and 

 just as the sun was setting reached Matzie's Riviere, a fertile 

 plain at the foot of the lofty range of Zwartzberg mountains. 

 The good people, who had sent horses half the way to meet 

 us, gave us a simple but cordial welcome, bringing us refresh- 

 ment to the large old house of the former proprietor ; and 

 then, after assembling for religious worship, retired to their 

 different homes. 



