220 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR chap. viii. 



Here an unexpected flash of home-feeling came over me, 

 when, looking over a neat well-filled bookcase in the room, 

 I saw, amongst other well-bound books, " The Women of Eng- 

 land," and a number of other equally familiar volumes by 

 the same writer, which I had little expected to meet with in 

 this remote part of Africa. 



In the afternoon of the 9th of March we reached Cradock, 

 the chief place of the district of the same name, and plea- 

 santly situated on the banks of the Grreat Fish river. The 

 scenery, as we approached the village, was unusually attrac- 

 tive. Two lofty table-shaped mountains called the Speck- 

 boom mountains rose on the right. On the left, appeared a 

 picturesque range called the Eland mountains; and to the 

 north and east the Screw mountains, so called from the tor- 

 tuous road leading through them ; and the Moral mountains. 

 Some of these presented outlines of unusual beauty, ex- 

 hibiting perpendicularly-formed sides, with verdant and 

 slightly flattened summits. Trees, and vineyards now loaded 

 with ripe grapes, were numerous in the town ; the houses were 

 not large but respectable ; the population is said to be about 

 1500, of whom nearly two-thirds were persons of colour. 



We took up our abode with Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, whom I 

 had previously known ; and were glad of a short season of 

 rest after our fatiguing journey. I found my good friend, 

 amongst many discouragements, still cheered by instances of 

 success in his missionary work. After spending Sunday very 

 pleasantly at the station, and endeavouring to encourage the 

 missionary and people, we continued our journey. Mrs. 

 Munro, the widow of an excellent missionary, kindly furnished 

 us with a basket of grapes ; and Mr. Taylor accompanied us 

 for some distance to prevent our mistaking the road. We 

 then travelled through a pleasant and partially wooded 

 country, but over a rough stony road ; and passing the Great 

 Pish and the Tarka rivers, between five and six o'clock, 



