ciiAr. XI. ArrEARANCE OF THE FEVER DISTRICTS. 277 



were growing near the roots of leafless bushes, and having 

 their own roots surrounded with long green grass. The 

 bushes themselves were growing in loose sand. The 

 very healthy state of these plants led me to think, that a 

 moderate amount of shade and moisture suits them better 

 than the dry exposed branches, or trunks of dead trees, on 

 which I have often seen them gi'owing. INIy attention was 

 also arrested by a new species of pandanus, with dwarf stalks 

 and broad pointed leaves. Amongst the varieties of indigo, 

 a plant with a pink or red flower was unusually attractive ; 

 while a little modest blue tradescantia, somewhat resembling 

 the wild forget-me-not, enlivened the borders of the path. 

 But the greatest rarity was a kind of large-growing heath, 

 with pink or lilac-coloured flowers. In some places I also 

 saw lai'ge masses of creeping ferns entirely encircling the 

 trees. The greater part of the road, however, had been over 

 sandy plains, traversed by ridges or high banks of sand, 

 which had at one time been the boundary of the sea. We 

 also passed through regions of dead, blanched, barkless, 

 forest trees, still standing; the only signs of life amongst 

 them being a few orchids or ferns growing in the forks of 

 their trunks and branches. Sometimes we passed through a 

 tract of thick verdant forest of large timber ; but in general 

 there were ponds or stagnant marshes, on both sides of the 

 path, sometimes overgrown with long grass or rushes, and 

 just the region for fever. Along the borders of the running 

 stream, I saw numbers of the tropical lettuce, pistiw stratiotee, 

 growing very freel}^ 



Heavy rain detained us until the afternoon, when we 

 resumed our journey, and after travelling again over the same 

 sort of marshy country, we reached Tranomaro — literally, 

 Many houses — some time before dusk, and halted for the 

 night at a house on the border of an extensive lake. 



Finding the captain of the bearers and the interpreter both 



T 3 



