THE BLUE WATER SPRING. 11 



From these plots it is transplanted into the fields, 

 women setting each plant separately by hand in 

 rows as regularly as drilled wheat. What would an 

 English farmer think of having to transplant a few 

 hundred acres of wheat ? 



When almost at the foot of the hills we stopped 

 at a small wood, in which we found a circular pool 

 of water, some thirty yards across, with a cottage 

 and alcove on one side, to undress under, and steps 

 leading to the water. The water was perfectly 

 clear, and, in the deep parts, of a beautiful light 

 blue. It was full of very fine fish, like mullet, 

 which could be seen at a depth of fifteen or twenty 

 feet, and on the opposite bank we could see black 

 monkeys peeping at us from among the trees. At 

 the first plunge the water felt intensely cold, but 

 after keeping a thermometer three feet under water 

 for fifteen minutes, it only fell to 74°, the tempera- 

 ture of the air under the alcove being at the same 

 time 79°. From the Blue water we returned to the 

 main road, on the opposite side of which was a large 

 market crowded with people. We went to examine 

 it, and found rows of stalls or long sheds, in some 

 of which European articles, such as cutlery or dra- 

 pery were exposed; in others were drugs, while 

 others had fruit, or confectionary, or salt fish. 

 Neither was there any want of present refreshment, 

 as some of the stalls had benches before them, on 

 which sat people drinking coffee, eating boiled rice, 

 hot sweet potatoes, fruit, and sweetmeats. The 



