as traversed in all directions by what
seemed canals of fire intensely bright; several of these radiated from
a centre near the N.E. edge, so as to form a star, from which a
coruscation, as if of jets of burning gas, was emitted. In other parts
were furnaces in terrible activity, and undergoing continual change,
sometimes becoming comparatively dark, and then bursting forth,
throwing up torrents of flame and molten lava. All around the edge it
seemed exceedingly agitated, and noise like surf was audible;
otherwise the stillness served to heighten the effect upon the senses,
which it would be difficult to describe. The waning moon warned us to
return, and reluctantly we retraced our steps; it required care to do
this, so that we did not get back to the house before midnight. Worn
out with the day's exertions, we threw ourselves on the ground and
fell asleep, but not before I had revolved the possibility of standing
at the brink of the active crater after nightfall. In the morning we
matured the plan, which was to descend by daylight, so as to
reconnoitre our road, to return to dinner, and then, if we thought it
practicable, to leave the house about 5 P.M., and to remain in the
large crater till after night set in. The only objection to this
scheme (and it was a most serious one) was, that when we mentioned it
to the guides, they appeared completely horror-struck at the notion of
it. Here, as elsewhere in the neighbourhood of volcanic activity, the
common people have a superstitious dread of a presiding deity; in this
place, especially, where they are scarcely rescued from heathenism, we
were not surprised to find it. This, and their personal fears, (no
human being ever having, as the natives assured us, entered the crater
in darkness,) we then found insuperable: all we could do was to take
the best guides we were able to procure with us by daylight, so that
they should refresh their memories as to the _locale_, and ascertain
if any change had taken place since their last visit, and trust to
being able during our walk to persuade one to return with us in the
evening. Accordingly we all left the house after breakfast, following
the track marked (H), which led us precipitously down, till we landed
on the surface of the large crater, an immense sheet of scoriaceous
lava cooled suddenly from a state of fusion; the upheaved waves and
deep hollows evidencing that congelation has taken place before the
mighty agitation has subsid