458 KEELING ISLAND. [cHap. XX 
the little children, that cocoa-nuts and turtle afford no bad sus- 
tenance. 
On this island the wells are situated, from which ships obtain 
water. At first sight it appears not a little remarkable that the 
fresh water should regularly ebb and flow with the tides; and it 
has even been imagined, that sand has the power of filtering the 
salt from the sea-water. ‘These ebbing wells are common on 
some of the low islands in the West Indies. The compressed 
sand, or porous coral rock, is permeated like a sponge with the 
salt water; but the rain which falls on the surface must sink to 
the level of the surrounding sea, and must accumulate there, dis- 
placing an equal bulk of the salt water. As the water in the 
lower part of the great sponge-like coral mass rises and falls 
with the tides, so will the water near the surface; and this will 
keep fresh, if the mass be sufficiently compact to prevent much 
mechanical admixture ; but where the land consists of great loose 
blocks of coral with open interstices, if a well be dug, the water, 
as I have seen, is brackish. 
After dinner we stayed to see a curious half superstitious scene 
acted by the Malay women. A large wooden spoon dressed in 
garments, and which had been carried to the grave of a dead 
man, they pretend becomes inspired at the full of the moon, and 
will dance and jump about. After the proper preparations, the 
spoon, held by two women, became convulsed, and danced in 
good time to the song of the surrounding children and women. 
It was a most foolish spectacle; but Mr. Liesk maintained that 
many of the Malays believed in its spiritual movements. The 
dance did not commence till the moon had risen, and it was well 
worth remaining to behold her bright orb so quietly shining 
through the long arms of the cocoa-nut trees as they waved in 
the evening breeze. ‘These scenes of the tropics are in them- 
selves so delicious, that they almost equal those dearer ones at 
lome, to which we are bound by each best feeling of the mind. 
The next day I employed myself in examining the very inte- 
resting, yet simple structure and origin of these islands. ‘The 
water being unusually smooth, I waded over the outer flat of dead 
rock as fur as the living mounds of coral, on which the swell of 
the open sea breaks. In some of the gullies and hollows there 
were beautiful green and other coloured fishes, and the forms 
