35S TUAVBLS IS THE EAST LVDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



pond, and tlie houses on its four sides are all plsujed 

 facing its centre. Tlie hedges that border the house- 

 lots are mostly composed of rose-busheSj and the 

 pond itself is nearly filled with the richly-colored 

 and fragrant lotus^ Nymplum htm, a large water- 

 lily, held sacred in Egypt and India as the symbol 

 of creation. It is the beautiful flower upon which 

 Buddha is represented as sitting in each of the 

 great images, where he ib supposed to personify the 

 Pastj the Present, and the Future, three immense 

 gtatueS} to be seen in any of the thousand temples in 

 the East dedicated to that heathen god. The " lotus " 

 or lotos " of northern Afiica, the fruit of which was 

 supposed to possess the wonderful power of making 

 all who tasted it forget their "homes and friends 

 and native shores," is a tree, the Celtis Amtralis, If 

 the ancients, who delighted so much in fables and 

 myths, had only known of this charming place, 

 they would have located their lotus-land here in the 

 distant East, where the air is so pure and balmy, and 

 the scenery so enchanting. 



About a mile and a half beyond Tompasso we 

 came to a number of " mud-wells," and I began to 

 examine them ; but, as a heavy shower was now seen 

 coming up, my attendant and I again leaped into our 

 saddles and dashed off at a fast canter to Langowan, 

 where the chief very politely insisted on my remain- 

 ing with him instead of ^omg to the next ^dlla^e- — 

 an invitation I was happy to accept, for I was deter- 

 mined not to leave this wonderful region until I had 

 visited all the hot-springs in the vicinity, especially 

 as the missionary here oflfered to go with me on the 



