The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-04-16

vi a. u1llc III ucDCil. ~ ClIC DotCh vi Tue
indentation the sheer cliff rose to the
height of several hundred feet, end be-
hind it and above it the great Rabyan
peak lowered up towards the heavens.
The space Of ground, embraced thus in
the arms of the mountain, as it were,
was laid out, as though 10y the cunning
hand of man, in three terraces that rose
one above the other TO the right and
left of the tOpmOSt terrace were chaSms
in the cliff. and from each chasm fell a
waterfall, from no great height, indeed,
but Of considerable volume. These two
streams flowed away on either side of
the inclosed space, one toward the north,
and the other. the course Of which we
had been following, round the base Of the
mountain. At each terrace they made q
cascade, SO that the traveller approaching
had a view of eight waterfalls at once.
Along the edge Of the stream to our left
were placed Kaffir lraals, built in order
iy groups with verandas, after the Ba-
sutu fashion, and a very large part Of the
entire space of land was under cultiva-
ton. All of this | noted at once, as well
of the soil, which for many ages past had
been washed down from the mountain
heights. Then following the line Of an
excellent wagon road, on which we now
found ourselves, that wound up from
terrace to terrace, my eye lit upon the
browning wonder of the scene. For in
the center Of the tOpmost platform or
terrace, which may have incloscd eight
or ten acres Of ground, and almost sur
rounded by groves OF orange trees,
cleaned buildings Of which had never
seen the like. There were three groups
of them. one in the middle and one on
either side, and a little to the rear; but,
as | afterwards discovered, the plan of
all was the same. In the center was an
ediice constructed like an ordinary Zulu
hut-that is to say, in the shape of a
beehive, only it was five times the size
Of any hut | ever saw, and built of
blocks of hewn white marble, fitted to-
gether with extraordinary knowledge of
the principles and properties of arch
building, and with so much accuracy
and finish that it was often difficult to
find the fronts OF the massive blocks.
From this center hut ran three covered
pass& ges, leading to other buildings of
an exactly similar character, only small
er, and each whole block was incIosed
by a marble wall about four feet in
height.
OF course we were as yet too far off TO
see all these details, but the general out
line | saw at once, and it astOnished me
considerably. Even old IndabI-zimbi,
whom the baboOn woman had been I'M
able to move, drigncd to show wonder.
"Oh!" he said. this is a place of mar
wells. Who ever saw kraaIs built of white
stone?"
Stella watched our faces with an ex-
preston of intense amusement, but said
nothing.
did your fatner huiii those kraals:'
gasped at length
My father. no. OF course not" hhe
answered. elbow would it have been
possible for one white man to do so, or
to have made this road: lie found them
as you see.
"Who built them. them" said again.
Il do not know My father thinks
that they are very ancient. for the peO-
pie who live here noN do not know how
to lay one stone upon another, and these
hutS are SO wonderfully constructed
that, though they must have stood for
ages, not stone Of them had fallen.
But | can shOW you the quarry where