Descriptive Account of Mauritius: Its Scenery, Statistics &c with Brief Historical Sketch, Preceded by Elements of Geography ... |
Common terms and phrases
appearance ascent axis bamboos beautiful Black River Black River district British called cane Cape Bay Cascade cavern climate coast crater Creole descended Dutch earth east elevated Equator Esquire fall Flacq flag Flat Island foot forest formed formerly Government School Governor Grand Bay Grand Port Grand River harbour height Indian inhabitants Jacotet kind ladder land latter ledge length light Longitude Madagascar Mahébourg Mapou Mauritius meridian miles from Port Moka moon mount mountain move round nearly North Ocean Old Grand Port Pamplemousses picturesque Piterboth place of worship Plain Magnien Plaines Wilhems planted Pole population Port Louis possesses Poudre D'or precipice principal Rempart ridge Rivière Rivière du Rempart road leading rock Roman Catholic Church round the sun Savanne scenery seen side soil Souffleur Souillac South stone stream sugar Tamarind TION town trict Tropics Trou aux Cerfs twenty Vacoa vessels wetzel wind
Popular passages
Page 80 - ... was in. The head, which is an enormous mass of rock, about thirty-five feet in height, overhangs its base many feet on every side. A ledge of tolerably level rock runs round three sides of the base, about six feet in width, bounded everywhere by the abrupt edge of the precipice, except in the spot where it is joined by the ridge up which we climbed. In one spot the head, though overhanging its base several feet, reaches only perpendicularly over the edge of the precipice ; and, most fortunately,...
Page 79 - ... ran to an edge, not a foot broad ; and I could, as I held on, half sitting, half kneeling, across the ridge, have kicked my right shoe down to the plain on one side, and my left into the bottom of the ravine on the other. The only thing which surprised me was my own steadiness and freedom from all giddiness.
Page 81 - Three lengths of the ladder were put together on the ledge ; a large line was attached to the one which was over the head, and carefully drawn up, and, finally, a two-inch rope, to the extremity of which we lashed the top of our ladder, then lowered it gently over the precipice, till it hung perpendicularly, and was steadied by two Negroes on the ridge below, —
Page 83 - Here and there we could see a light twinkling in the plains, or the fire of some sugar manufactory; but not a sound of any sort reached us except an occasional shout from the party down on the shoulder (we four being the only ones above). At length, in the direction of Port Louis, a bright flash was seen, and after a long interval the sullen boom of the evening-gun.
Page 83 - I shall conclude briefly by saying that, after about four or five hours' hard work, we got a hole mined in the rock, and sunk the foot of our twelve-foot ladder deep in this, lashing a water-barrel, as a landmark, at the top ; and, above all, a long staff, with a union-jack flying.
Page 81 - Lloyd had prepared some iron arrows, with thongs, to fire over ; and having got up a gun, he made a line fast round his body, which we all held on, and going over the edge of the precipice on the opposite, side, he leaned back against the line, and fired over the least projecting part. Had the line broke, he - would have fallen eighteen hundred feet.
Page 79 - These negroes use their feet exactly like monkeys, grasping with them every projection almost as firmly as with their hands. The line carried up he made fast above, and up it we all four shinned in succession.
Page 81 - Twice this failed, and then he had recourse to a large stone with a lead line, which swung diagonally, and seemed to be a feasible plan ; several times he made beautiful heaves, but the provoking line would not catch, and away went the stone far down below, till at- length...
Page 82 - ... or neck. After dinner, as it was getting dark, I screwed up my nerves, and climbed up to our queer little nest at the top, followed by Tom Keppel, and a negro, who carried some dry wood and made a fire in a cleft under the rock. Lloyd and...
Page 83 - ... sort reached us, except an occasional shout from the party down on the shoulder — we four being the only ones above. At length, in the direction of Port Louis, a bright flash was seen, and, after a long interval, the sullen boom of the evening-gun.