noon
Harris pointed out some very fine ebony-trees , larger than the common sort , and yielding a wood darker and more durable than what is ordinarily seen in the market . There were also more mango-trees than might have been expected at this distance from the sea ; a beautiful white lichen enveloped their trunks like a fur ; but in spite of their luxuriant foliage and delicious fruit , Harris said that there was not a native who would venture to propagate the species , as the superstition of the country is that `` whoever plants a mango , dies ! '' -LSB- Illustration : Occasionally the soil became marshy . -RSB- At noon a halt was made for the purpose of rest and refreshment . During the afternoon they arrived at some gently rising ground , not the first slopes of hills , but an insulated plateau which appeared to unite mountains and plains . Notwithstanding that the trees were far less crowded and more inclined to grow in detached groups , the numbers of herbaceous plants with which the soil was covered rendered progress no less difficult than it was before . The general aspect of the scene was not unlike an East Indian jungle .