28 



LAZINESS. 



form the swelling line of the Zanzibar coast. 

 Earth, sea, and sky, all seemed wrapped in a soft 

 and sensuous repose, in the tranquil life of the 

 Lotus Eaters, in the swoon-like slumbers of the 

 Seven Sleepers, in the dreams of the Castle of 

 Indolence. The sea of purest sapphire, which 

 had not parted with its blue rays to the atmo- 

 sphere — a frequent appearance near the equator 

 — lay basking, lazy as the tropical man, under a 

 blaze of sunshine which touched every object 

 with a dull burnish of gold. The wave had 

 hardly energy enough to dandle us, or to cream 

 with snowy foam the yellow sandstrip which 

 separated it from the flower-spangled grass, and 

 from the underwood of dark metallic green. 

 The breath of the ocean would hardly take the 

 trouble to ruffle the fronds of the palm which 

 sprang, like a living column, graceful and luxu- 

 riant, high above its subject growths. The bell- 

 shaped convolvulus (Ipomsea Maritima), sup- 

 ported by its juicy bed of greenery, had opened 

 its pink eyes to the light of day, but was lan- 

 guidly closing them, as though gazing upon the 

 face of heaven were too much of exertion. The 

 island itself seemed over-indolent, and unwilling 

 to rise ; it showed no trace of mountain or crag, 

 but all was voluptuous with gentle swellings, 



