for our expedition. It was only 2 p.m.,
and very hot work, walking through the deserted streets, but luckily
we had not far to go, and the house was nice and cool when we got
there. Mr. Goodall sent off at once for a carriage, despatching a
messenger also to the mountains for horses and guides, which there was
some difficulty in obtaining at such short notice.

Having organised the expedition we re-embarked to dine on board the
yacht, and I went to bed at seven, to be called again, however, at
half-past ten o'clock. After a light supper, we landed and went to the
Vice-Consul's arriving there exactly at midnight. But no horses were
forthcoming, so we lay down on our rugs in the patio, and endeavoured
to sleep, as we knew we should require all our strength for the
expedition before us.

There were sundry false alarms of a start, as the horses arrived by
ones and twos from the neighbouring villages, accompanied by their
respective owners. By two o'clock all our steeds, twelve in number,
had assembled, and in another quarter of an hour we were leaving the
town by a steep stony path, bordered by low walls. There was no moon,
and for the first two hours it was very dark. At the end of that time
we could see the first glimmer of dawn, and were shortly afterwards
able to distinguish each other and to observe the beautiful view which
lay below us as we wended our way up and up between small patches of
cultivation. Soon we climbed above the clouds, which presented a most
curious appearance as we looked down upon them. The strata through
which we had passed was so dense and so white, that it looked exactly
like an enormous glacier, covered with fresh fallen snow, extending
for miles and miles; while the projecting tops of the other Canary
Islands appeared only like great solitary rocks.

The sun had already become very oppressive, and at half-past seven we
stopped to breakfast and to water the horses. Half-past eight found us
in the saddle again, and we commenced to traverse a dreary plain of
yellowish white pumice-stone, interspersed with huge blocks of
obsidian, thrown from the mouth of the volcano. At first the monotony
of the scene was relieved by large bushes of yellow broom in full
flower, and still larger bushes of the beautiful _Retama blanca_,
quite covered with lovely white bloom, scenting the air with its
delicious fragrance, and resembling huge tufts of feathers, eight or
nine feet high. As we proceeded, however, we