524 ISLAND GARDEN. Chap. XXVI. 



" The Leeambye ! Nobody knows, 

 Whence it comes and whither it goes." 



The play of colours of the double iris on the cloud, seen by them 

 elsewhere only as the rainbow, may have led them to the idea 

 that this was the abode of Deity. Some of the Makololo who 

 went with me near to Gonye, looked upon the same sign with 

 awe. When seen in the heavens it is named " motse oa barimo " 

 — the pestle of the gods. Here they could approach the emblem, 

 and see it stand steadily above the blustering uproar below — a type 

 of Him who sits supreme — alone unchangeable, though ruling over 

 all changing things. But not aware of His true character, they 

 had no admiration of the beautiful and good in their bosoms. 

 They did not imitate His benevolence, for they were a bloody 

 imperious crew, and Sebituane performed a noble service, in the 

 expulsion from their fastnesses of these cruel " Lords of the Isles." 



Having feasted my eyes long on the beautiful sight, I returned 

 to my friends at Kalai, and, saying to Sekeletu that he had nothing 

 else worth showing in his country, his curiosity was excited to 

 visit it the next day. I returned with the intention of taking a 

 lunar observation from the island itself, but the clouds were 

 unfavourable, consequently all my determinations of position refer 

 to Kalai. (Lat. 17° 51' 51" S., long. 25° 41' E.) Sekeletu 

 acknowledged to feeling a little nervous at the probability of 

 being sucked into the gulf before reaching the island. His 

 companions amused themselves by throwing stones down, and 

 wondered to see them diminishing in size, and even disappearing, 

 before they reached the water at the bottom. 



I had another object in view in my return to the island. I 

 observed that it was covered with trees, the seeds of which had 

 probably come down with the stream from the distant north, and 

 several of which I had seen nowhere else, and every now and then 

 the wind wafted a little of the condensed vapour over it, and kept 

 the soil in a state of moisture, which caused a sward of grass, 

 growing as green as on an English lawn. I selected a spot — not 

 too near the chasm, for there the constant deposition of the 

 moisture nourished numbers of polypi of a mushroom shape and 

 fleshy consistence — but somewhat back, and made a little garden. 

 I there planted about a hundred peach and apricot stones, and a 

 quantity of coffee-seeds. I had attempted fruit-trees before, but, 



