text:  The wind still continuing favourable the ship quickly passed the equator and the pole-star was no longer visible--"a proof of the earth's sphericity which I was glad to have had an opportunity of seeing;" and they left at a short distance to the right the islands of Mauritius and Bourbon "which are not far from the great island of Madagascar where the faithful turn their faces to the north when they pray as they turn them to the west in India " the _kiblah_ or point of direction being in both cases the kaaba or temple of Mekka