te evident that we were being cast upwards by eruptive matter;
under the raft there was a mass of boiling water, and under this was a
heavier mass of lava, and an aggregate of rocks which, on reaching the
summit of the water, would be dispersed in every direction.

That we were inside the chimney of a volcano there could no longer be
the shadow of a doubt. Nothing more terrible could be conceived!

But on this occasion, instead of Sneffels, an old and extinct volcano,
we were inside a mountain of fire in full activity. Several times I
found myself asking, what mountain was it, and on what part of the world
we should be shot out. As if it were of any consequence!

In the northern regions, there could be no reasonable doubt about that.
Before it went decidedly mad, the compass had never made the slightest
mistake. From the cape of Saknussemm, we had been swept away to the
northward many hundreds of leagues. Now the question was, were we once
more under Iceland--should we be belched forth on to the earth through
the crater of Mount Hecla, or should we reappear through one of the
other seven fire funnels of the island? Taking in my mental vision a
radius of five hundred leagues to the westward, I could see under this
parallel only the little-known volcanoes of the northwest coast of
America.

To the east one only existed somewhere about the eightieth degree of
latitude, the Esk, upon the island of Jan Mayen, not far from the frozen
regions of Spitsbergen.

It was not craters that were wanting, and many of them were big enough
to vomit a whole army; all I wished to know was the particular one
towards which we were making with such fearful velocity.

I often think now of my folly: as if I should ever have expected to
escape!

Towards morning, the ascending motion became greater and greater. If the
degree of heat increased instead of decreasing, as we approached the
surface of the earth, it was simply because the causes were local and
wholly due to volcanic influence. Our very style of locomotion left in
my mind no doubt upon the subject. An enormous force, a force of several
hundreds of atmospheres produced by the vapors accumulated and long
compressed in the interior of the earth, was hoisting us upwards with
irresistible power.

But though we were approaching the light of day, to what fearful dangers
were we about to be exposed?

Instant death appeared the only fate which we could expect or
contemplate.

Soon a