CHAP. XI. TEAVELLING ALONG THE SEA-BEACII. 281 



Eaiu again fell abundantly through the night ; but before 

 seven o'clock in the morning we resumed our journey, which 

 led for some distance over a plain partially wooded; on 

 emerging from which we travelled for several miles along 

 the sea-beach. The morning sun shining upon the long 

 heaving billows of the ocean, which broke in lofty roaring 

 surges on the shore, increased the brilliance and grandeur 

 of the scene. As the wet sand afforded the firmest path, 

 the bearers kept as near as possible to the water, and were 

 often up to their knees in surf and foam. When passing 

 over the drier sands, they sunk ankle-deep at every step ; 

 and this portion of their journey must have been extremely 

 laborious. At length, after passing the pleasantly situated 

 village of Irangy, standing on a rising ground, and over- 

 looking the lake of the same name, which was concealed 

 from us by the high ground thickly covered with wood on 

 the side nearest the sea, we proceeded along a sandy country, 

 having a sheet of water, a mile or more in width, extending 

 for miles on our right. On their way over a grassy plain, my 

 bearers halted for a minute or two, when I asked them if 

 they wished to rest awhile, as I was quite willing to do so. 

 They said they did not wish to halt, and were quite strong 

 to proceed ; and, to give me a proof that they were so, one 

 of them, who walked beside the palanquin, bounded off at 

 full speed towards a clump of trees bearing an edible fruit, 

 jumping over a bush three or four feet high on his way. He 

 soon overtook his companions with a number of the ripe 

 fruit of the voantakcii a species of strychnos, which he distri- 

 buted among them. About ten o'clock, having travelled 

 eighteen miles, we reached Ivavongy, which I was told was 

 the first village in the country of the Betanimena. 



My bearers, having perhaps had the lightest load, were 

 considerably in advance of the rest of the party ; and I 

 arrived at this place before the interpreter, or any of the 



