ASCENT OF THE GUADELOUPE SOUFRIERE. 34I 



THE SOUFRIERE OF pUADELOUPE, 



some Titan had rent the solid rock asunder — so deep 

 that we could not see the bottom of the dark abyss 

 until we stood upon a narrow bridge of rock that 

 spanned the central space. The southern end is a 

 perpendicular wall, running down into depths the eye 

 cannot penetrate. From a fissure near its base arose 

 blue fumes which stained the face of the cliff a long 

 way up, as though away down in the earth's center, 

 where the Vulcan s are at work, there burned a very 

 hot coal fire. 



We crossed the bridge and scaled the opposite cliff, 

 and were greeted, at the top, with loud blasts and 



