his arms stretched out wide on either
side, while with his fingers he tried to dig into the lava, to prevent
himself from slipping further.

"Oh, help me! help me!" he shrieked out; "I cannot find any rest for my
feet, and shall sink into some horrible pit."

"Stand back--stand back," shouted Mr Brand, as the rest of us were
running forward; "you will all be going in together. Stay, let me see
first what I can do. Hold on, Jerry; don't move, my boy," he added.
Then taking another pole from one of the guides, he laid himself along
the ground; he gradually advanced, till he had placed a pole under each
of Jerry's arms. "Now, swing your legs up, and I will draw you away,"
he cried out. Jerry did as he was told, and was dragged on to firm
ground. The ground had given way just as if it had been a piece of
egg-shell. Probably it had been formed by a sheet of lava flowing
rapidly over some fissure without filling it up. Jerry was most
thankful for his preservation, but he had too much spirit to wish to go
back, and insisted on proceeding on to the borders of the liquid fiery
lake. Before us, amidst the burning expanse, rose two lofty cones, one
of them insulated, the other joined by a causeway to the ledge of lava.
Besides these, a number of smaller cones were seen in various
directions. The ground was also full of pools of burning sulphur, or
other liquid matter, while huge black shapeless masses of lava lay
scattered about in every direction, thrown out, undoubtedly, from the
mouth of one of the large cones before us. On we pushed our way,
notwithstanding, and at last we stood on the very brink of the lake of
fire! I could not altogether divest myself of the idea that it might
bubble over and destroy us. It was strange that no heat appeared to
proceed from it, and yet the points of our sticks were instantly burned
to cinders when we put them into it. After we had got accustomed to the
strange scene, we agreed that we should like to mount to the top of the
cone by the causeway. Off we set. We reached it, and began the
hazardous ascent. There was an outer crust, which often gave way under
our feet--still we pushed on. Our guides urged us to desist, saying
that no one had ever ventured thus far and returned alive. Still they
followed us. Up the cone they climbed. It was a strangely wild
scene:--the fiery lake below us, around us; the vast masses of lava
piled upon the plain; the high black cliffs on every