Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/104

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WEST AFRICA.

Garajonaï stands a perfectly regular crater, on the level bed of which the local militia musters for drilling purposes.

Of all the Canary islands, Gomera abounds most in cascades, thanks to its abundant waters and steep precipices. Near Chipude, the highest village in the island (4,000 feet), a rivulet falls 650 feet into the Argaga gorge, while the

Fig. 33. — Palma

Agula cascade on the north side is visible from Teneriffe, a distance of 22 miles, whence it looks like a silver streak on an emerald ground. The forests, in some places destroyed by the charcoal-burners, consist mostly of laurels, often growing to a height of 80 or even 100 feet, and forming shady avenues, like the beeches and chestnuts of western Europe.