52 Mr Charles Stewart''s Account of the 



devised. Rivers of fire were seen rolling in splendid corusca- 

 tion among the labouring craters ; and on one side a whole lake, 

 whose surface constantly flashed and sparkled with the agitation 

 of contending currents. 



Expressions of admiration and astonishment burst momen- 

 tarily from our lips, and though greatly fatigued with our walk, 

 it was near midnight before we could yield ourselves to a sleep, 

 often interrupted during the night, to gaze on the light with re- 

 newed wonder and surprize. As I laid myself down on my mat, 

 fancying the very ground, which was my pillow, to shake beneath 

 my head, the silent musings of my own mind were, " Great and 

 marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ; greatly art 

 thou to be feared, thou King of saints."** 



On Wednesday, the 29th, after an early breakfast, our party, 

 excepting Lieut. Maiden, who was ill, Mr Dampier, who remain- 

 ed to take a sketch, and Mr Ruggles, who chose to satisfy his 

 curiosity above, prepared for a descent into the crater. One of 

 the few places where this is practicable, was within a rod of our 

 hut. For the first 400 feet, the path was steep, and from 

 the looseness of the stones and rocks in and about it, required 

 caution in every movement. A slight touch was sufficient to de- 

 tach them and send them bounding downwards, with great ve- 

 locity, to the imminent danger of all in their way. The remain- 

 ing distance to the ledge, of about the same number of feet, 

 was gradual and safe, the path having turned into the bed of 

 an old channel of lava, which ran off* in on inclined plane, till it 

 met the off^set, before described, more than a quarter of a mile 

 west of the place where we began the descent. By the time we 

 had all reached this spot, the natives acting as guides, with the 

 Messrs Bloxam and Mr Powel, had preceded the rest of our 

 number too far to be overtaken, and we became two parties for 

 the rest of the morning ; the last, into which I fell, consisting 

 of Lord Byron, Mr Ball, Mr Davies, and Mr White, with Lord 

 Byron's servant and my native boy, to carry a canteen of water, 

 and the specimens we might collect. Before descending, we had 

 provided ourselves with long canes and poles, by which we 

 might test the soundness of an}' spot before stepping on it, and 

 immediately on reaching the ledge, found llie wisdom of the pre- 

 caution 



I 



