Ch. XIX.] LAKE OF MASAYA. 347 



I spent the next day exploring around Masaya, as 'I 

 was greatly interested with the geological structure of 

 the country. One of the paths down to the lake has 

 been made passable for animals, which have to be taken 

 down to drink. I rode mv horse down, but in the 



J 



steepest part he slipped on to his side, and I was content 

 to lead him the rest of the way. The scene was one 

 which is only possible in a half- civilized tropical land. 

 Women, with the scantiest of clothing, or less, were 

 washing linen, standing up to their waist in the water 

 amongst the rocks, on which they thumped the clothes 

 to be cleansed, laughing and chatting to each other 

 incessantly. Men with mules a: id horses were bathing 

 themselves and their animals at a small sandy beach, 

 and girls were earning off great jars of water, which 

 they obtained further down, where the water \vas less 

 tainted with the ablutions going on. Great rocks, that 

 had fallen from the cliffs above, lined the shore ; and 

 amongst these grew many shrubs arid plants new to me. 

 The cliffs themselves were, in some parts, green with 

 lovely maiden-hair ferns, belonging to three different 

 species. 



On the opposite shore rises the cone of the volcano 

 of Masaya, and the streams of lava that have flowed 

 down to the lake and covered the old precipitous cliffs 

 on that side are plainly visible. The cliff encircles the. 

 whole lake, excepting where concealed by the recent lava 

 overflow. At the time of the conquest of Nicaragua, in 

 1522, the volcano of Masava was in a state of activitv. 



* / 



The credulous Spaniards believed the fiery, molten mass 

 at the bottom of the crater to be liquid gold, and through 

 great danger, amongst the smoke and fumes, were 



