244 TRAVELS IN 
cending mifts, which, condenfed aloft in clouds of 
vapour, are borne away by the morning breezes, and 
at laft gradually vanifh on the diftant horizon. All 
nature awakes to life and activity. 
The ground, during our progrefs this morning, 
every where about us prefented to view thofe fun- 
nels, finks and wells in groups of rocks, amidft ttye 
groves, as already recited. 
Near our next encampment, one more confpicuous 
than I had elfewhere obferved prefenting itfelf, I 
took occafion from this favourable circumftance of 
obferving them in all their variety of appearances. 
Its outer fuperficial margin was fifty or fixty yards 
over, which equally and uniformly on every fide 
Hoped downwards towards the centre : on one fide 
of it was a confiderable pajh-way or road leading 
down to the water, worn by the frequent refort of 
wild creatures for drink, when the waters were 
rifen even or above the rocky bed, but at this time 
they were funk many yards below the furface of the 
earth. We descended firfl to the bed of rocks, 
which was perforated with perpendicular tubes, ex- 
actly like a wailed well, four, five, or fix feet in di- 
ameter, and may be compared to cells in an honey- 
comb, through which appeared the water at bot- 
tom ; many of thefe were broken or worn one into 
another, forming one vaft well with uneven walls, 
confiding of projecting jams, pilaftres, or buttreffes, 
and excavated femicircular niches, as if a piece 
were taken out of a honey-comb : the bed of rocks 
is from fifteen to twenty feet deep or in thicknefs, 
though not of one folid mafs, but of many, gene- 
rally horizontal, laminae, or iirata, of various thick- 
nefs, from eighteen inches to two or three feet ; 
which admit water to weep through, trickling down, 
drop 
