DHALAC. 
the people who had assisted us in our excursions. As there was 
scarcely a breath of air, the heat was intolerably oppressive. The 
road lay at first south-easterly, over a stony plain, on which not a 
blade of grass was discernible After marching about three miles, 
a large bird, that was passing to the left, induced us to stop until 
the musquets were brought up ; it was of a brown colour, and ap- 
peared not unlike a cassowary ; the people said it was good to eat ; 
on firing at it, it ran away, expanding its wings, but did not at- 
tempt to fly. Soon after we had recommenced our march, the 
road began to incline about N. E. by E. over a low sandy plain, 
about half a mile wide, and nearly four miles in extent, with 
ridges of rock on either side, that gave it somewhat the appear- 
ance of a river's bed. The rocks on the left rise into a remarkable 
cliff, not less, I imagine, than thirty feet above the plain; the 
strata lie horizontally, and are so regular that, when near us, it 
resembled the walls of an ancient castle. 
" At a little before twelve we turned off the plain, and ascended 
the rocky ground to the right ; when our guides pointed out to 
us the village of Gerbeschid, about a mile in front, which was 
easily distinguished, (as are all other villages or towns on the island,) 
by the doom -trees rising above the Mimosas, with which this part 
of the island more particularly abounds. We reached it soon after 
twelve, and took possession of a tenement, in every respect like 
what we had at Nokhara and Dhalac. From the last place Gerbe- 
schid is by the road about nine miles distant. It is a most wretched 
assemblage of about twenty huts, and is distant three miles from 
the sea. It is difficult to conceive how its inhabitants manage to 
preserve their existence, as the drought has killed great part of 
