ver has been an accident happen to anybody from my
house, and I should feel real mean if one did: but there have been a
power of narrow escapes.'

First of all we descended the precipice, 300 feet in depth, forming
the wall of the old crater, but now thickly covered with vegetation.
It is so steep in many places that flights of zig-zag wooden steps
have been inserted in the face of the cliff in some places, in order
to render the descent practicable. At the bottom we stepped straight
on to the surface of cold boiled lava, which we had seen from above
last night. Even here, in every crevice where a few grains of soil had
collected, delicate little ferns might be seen struggling for life,
and thrusting out their green fronds towards the light. It was the
most extraordinary walk imaginable over that vast plain of lava,
twisted and distorted into every conceivable shape and form, according
to the temperature it had originally attained, and the rapidity with
which it had cooled, its surface, like half-molten glass, cracking and
breaking beneath our feet. Sometimes we came to a patch that looked
like the contents of a pot, suddenly petrified in the act of boiling;
sometimes the black iridescent lava had assumed the form of waves, or
more frequently of huge masses of rope, twisted and coiled together;
sometimes it was piled up like a collection of organ-pipes, or had
gathered into mounds and cones of various dimensions. As we proceeded
the lava became hotter and hotter, and from every crack arose gaseous
fumes, affecting our noses and throats in a painful manner; till at
last, when we had to pass to leeward of the molten stream flowing from
the lake, the vapours almost choked us, and it was with difficulty we
continued to advance. The lava was more glassy and transparent-looking,
as if it had been fused at a higher temperature than usual; and the
crystals of sulphur, alum, and other minerals, with which it abounded,
reflected the light in bright prismatic colours. In places it was quite
transparent, and we could see beneath it the long streaks of a stringy
kind of lava, like brown spun glass, called 'Pele's hair.'

At last we reached the foot of the present crater, and commenced the
ascent of the outer wall. Many times the thin crust gave way beneath
our guide, and he had to retire quickly from the hot, blinding,
choking fumes that immediately burst forth. But we succeeded in
reaching the top; and then what a sight presented