34-4 ^'- ï^^'i'O ■■ CAUSE OF THE GKEAT 



mountain-side had given jthice to a rocky de.sert. and even, a.s we 

 passed down, avalanches of rock^<, accom]>anied by a noise Uke that of 

 an immense torrent or cascade and Ijy a \ibrati(;n of the ground, 

 occasionally occurred. 'Jlie shocks had been far more destructive 

 there than in Fujitani. If any one had been as the villtigers were, in 

 a position to look on at a distance at this colossal sliding of hills, he 

 would have seen columns of dust rising up, and heard tremendous 

 sounds, and might have tîdcen these phenomena as those of a 

 volcanic eruption, for the efl^ects of landslips and \olcanic exphjsions 

 closelv resemble each other. The configuration of the valley Avas 

 entirelv changed ; the course of a small stream, running on its west 

 side, was transferred to its east side, and at ] »laces n()W takes an 

 Underground course, reappearing farther on. Unfsmilinr obstacles 

 made themselves apparent, and small hills covered with forest had 

 come into siodit which had not been seen before. 



At about 10 kilometres from JSTogö, the earth-rent goes over to 

 the left and cuts the top of a ridge, c:dled Shijügara-dake, right 

 through its middle. We passed a stormy cold night in the open air on 

 this summit. The line of f suit then enters Shiratani, a Irranch of the 

 Tokuno-yama valley which, as I have already said, ruris ]^arallel to, 

 and lies to the west of the jS'eo valley. The gulch of »Sliiratani was 

 severely torn and rent. It appears shattered and half-naked, and no 

 longer affords a fine green pros|)ect, as before, but is stripped of its 

 woods and na.tural verdure. The fissure advances still further north- 

 ward, touching the ea;-;tern shoulder of Haku-sa.n. 



80 i\iv we had traced the great earth-rent up to the north bound- 

 ary of Mino, beyond Avhich is the province of Echizen. It wa>s the 

 Ititli of ]S^ovend)er, the nineteenth day after the earthquake, when I 

 bes^an the ascent of llaku-san, in comranv with Mr. Wakimidzu. a 

 student of i>eoloL;-v. lîut it wa.< too late in the season to no (_)n. 1 he 



