resh
soil was then added, until the whole was consolidated, and capable of
bearing a considerable weight. The ground is now about nine inches
thick, floating upon the surface of the water, and the stalks of the
weeds below it having disappeared. It is exceedingly porous and is used
for the cultivation of water melons, when walking upon it a peculiar
elasticity is perceived, accompanied with a tremulous or jelly like
motion. It is divided into long stripes pierced by a stake at each end,
which secures them in their position and allows of their rising or
falling with the height of the water. An unlucky day for Silly. In the
first place he was _sea-sick_. The use of the broad paddle in a small
boat caused a good deal of shaking, and every stroke is attended with a
sharp jerk forwards--secondly, he mistook a collection of weeds for dry
land and jumped out into the water. This puzzled him immensely, and
after he was recovered he sat for a long time gazing with a bewildered
air upon the surface of the lake. Paid a visit in the afternoon to
Sumnud Shah for the purpose of replenishing my exchequer, but found his
shop better calculated to exhaust it. I'll not go there again.

AUGUST 25th.--Lying down inside my tent I just now heard two crows
chuckling and laughing in their way and saying to one another "here's a
joke" or caws to that effect. You need not laugh at this statement or
think that my mind has suddenly become deranged, I merely state a fact.
The language of animals--dumb creatures as fools call them--is far more
expressive than you imagine, and if you had spent the same time and the
same attention that I have in listening to birds notes, you would be
able to understand much of their meaning. Here a conversation carried on
in a foreign tongue, one to which you a perfect stranger, will you be
able to distinguish words? No! you will only hear a confusion of sounds
possessing apparently but little variety. But as you become accustomed
to it the words and syllables will start out into clear relief; so with
birds songs--at first they will appear to you to be always the same, but
they have really different tones and meanings, which you may learn to
appreciate by studying them in connection with their acts. However I
heard the crows say "here's a joke" and guessing I was to be the victim
of it, I immediately jumped up and rushed out. They flew away loudly
exulting and I found my match box,--which I had left on the table broke