GUATEMALA. 29 
the Cordillera at an altitude of about 4500 feet above the sea. From the Capital we 
visited Duefias, a village on the Pacific slope situated in a plain at the foot of the 
Volcan de Fuego and between it and the Volcan de Agua. Here we spent about 
three months, exploring the country and making frequent excursions into the forest 
of the Volcan Fuego, which furnished a great contrast to that near the coast; the 
high trees were the only corresponding feature, but both vegetation and climate were 
entirely different. Instead of the incessant noise of the buzzing of myriads of insects, 
life seemed almost extinct and a dead silence reigned throughout, broken only by an 
occasional gust of wind or the fall of some rotten tree. The mountain itself is 
furrowed with deep ravines, called ‘barrancas,’ the sides of which are exceedingly steep 
and quite impassable, and in ascending the mountain, care must be taken to keep on 
the top of the ridges between them. ‘The forest shuts out the view of the surrounding 
country, consequently landmarks are not available, and as one ravine almost exactly 
resembles another it is an extremely easy matter to lose one’s way by inadvertently 
following the edge of a new ‘barranca.’ ‘The lower part of the forest up to about 
7000 feet has been cleared for cultivation, but quickly reverts to a dense growth of 
scrub, above which is found a belt of evergreen-oaks followed by deciduous trees 
of various species, amongst which the remarkable Cheirostemon platanoides mingles 
in the highest range with alders. ‘Then follows more open ground with pine trees 
and coarse grass, but the trees become stunted as the ascent increases, and finally 
disappear at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. From thence to the summit of the 
Fuego the cone is composed of cinders and ashes interspersed with short coarse grass. 
The mountain is divided into two peaks or cones near the summit, connected by 
a narrow ridge of cinders, the southern and higher peak is still active, and from it a 
perpetual column of thin smoke is always plainly visible. ‘This cone is very steep, and 
the climb to the edge of the crater itself is exceedingly laborious, as the foot sinks at 
each step deep into the ashes. The view, however, from the point well repays the 
trouble of the ascent. Southward the eye travels a distance of 50 miles to the coast, 
far beyond again is seen in dim outline the horizon of the Pacific Ocean, while 
below on the other side lies the deep abyss of the crater itself. The northern cone 
is more or less covered with coarse grass extending to the summit, while the interior 
of the crater has been almost filled with the eruptions of the more recent southern 
volcano; but signs of internal fires are not wanting, as jets of steam and sulphurous 
vapour are still seen issuing from the fissures in the rocks. In one of the hotter 
crevices I found a vigorous plant of Lycopodium clavatum and a Selaginella taking 
advantage of the warmth and moisture and growing with wonderful luxuriance at an 
altitude of nearly 14,000 feet. The descent was by no means easy, as there was no 
track to mark our way, but we had fortunately taken the precaution of slashing 
the trees with our big knives or ‘machetes’ on our way up, which indicated our 
