Page:Life in Java Volume 2.djvu/108

 92 LIFE IX JAVA.

gone by, mount their ponies, and practise the use of their sundjata, or native arms.

At the sixtli post we alighted and walked to see the ruins of the temples of Brambanan, a short way off. On either side of the path, which branches off from the main road, were low pillars at equal distances from each other, now half buried in soil and rubbish, but which must at one time have had an imposing effect, when unbroken and free from earth and debris. This path, as we soon discovered, must have been ascended origi- nally by means of a low flight of steps, which have now all sunk into the earth. On reaching its tennination, we were surprised to find a great number of buildings, most of them in ruins, situated on a plateau, and occupying an extensive space. These are all that remain of the temples, eight in number, which stood in a circular form, and averaged from thirty to one hundred feet in height. The two situated at the radius of the

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