220 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR 
CIIAP. VIII. 
Here an unexpected flash of home-feeling came over me, 
when, looking over a neat well-filled bookcase in the room, 
I saw, amongst other nicely-bound books, “ The Women of 
England,” and several other equally familiar volumes by the 
same writer, which I had little expected to meet with in this 
remote part of Africa. 
In the afternoon of the 9th of March we reached Cradock, 
the chief place of the district of the same name, and plea¬ 
santly situated on the banks of the Great Fish river. The 
scenery, as we approached the village, was unusually attrac¬ 
tive. Two lofty table-shaped mountains called the Speck- 
boom mountains rose on the right. On the left, appeared a 
picturesque range called the Eland mountains; and to the 
north and east the Screw mountains, so called from the tor¬ 
tuous road leading through them; and the Morai mountains. 
Some of these presented outlines of unusual beauty, ex¬ 
hibiting perpendicularly-formed sides, with verdant and 
slightly flattened summits. Trees, and vineyards now loaded 
with ripe grapes, were numerous in the town; the houses were 
not large but respectable; the population is said to be about 
1500, of whom nearly two-thirds were persons of colour. 
We took up our abode with Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, whom I 
had previously known; and were glad of a short season of 
rest after our fatiguing journey. I found my good friend, 
amongst many discouragements, still cheered by instances of 
success in his missionary work. After spending Sunday very 
pleasantly at the station, and endeavouring to encourage the 
missionary and people, we continued our journey. Mrs. 
Munro, the widow of an excellent missionary, kindly furnished 
us with a basket of grapes; and Mr. Taylor accompanied us 
for some distance to prevent our mistaking the road. We 
then travelled through a pleasant and partially wooded 
country, but over a rough stony road; and passing the Great 
Fish and the Tarka rivers, between five and six o’clock, 
